Review of the Disability Standards for Education
Children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their siblings, commonly experience disrupted participation in school life and isolation from their peers. Inconsistent application of the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) results in inequitable access to reasonable adjustments, and limits access to integrated school-based health and disability supports. This compounds the inherent challenges of life-limiting illness for children, young people, and their families. Fragmented governance and the absence of relevant data further hinder equitable participation in education for this cohort.
PCA recommends:
- All teachers and school leaders have timely access to high-quality information and training so they can best support students with life-limiting conditions and their siblings.
- Better data collection about school engagement among this cohort, including introduction of a nationally consistent absence code for serious ongoing health conditions.
- Embedding competencies on supporting children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their siblings, into pre-service teacher training.
- Strengthening governance arrangements to guide consistent collaborative provision of education, health and disability supports in school settings.
