Promoting and Advocating for Public Primary Schools

AGPPA's Strategic Plan is now available. Click here to download the PDF file.

This strategic plan will guide AGPPA's directions and activitiesinto the future.

Camp Australia partners with school communities to deliver tailored after school care solutions, focused on bringing out the best in kids.

We are the nation’s most trusted provider of after school care, partnering with school communities for 25 years.

Camp Australia spreads smiles to school communities by delivering:

• Fun, high quality and compliant care suited to the local community;
• Specialist administration and supports; and
• Well trained staff benefiting from its 25 years’ experience and Registered Training Organisation.

We are proud to partner with the Australian Government Primary Principals Association as the leading voice of primary education in Australian government schools and assist AGPPA in its mission to share expertise, influence the National Education Agenda and develop the sector.

To learn more about Camp Australia and how we can spread smiles to your school community visit www.campaustralia.com.au

Media Release: AGPPA calls for a Bi-partisan Approach to Education

Click here to download the complete media release.

The Australian Government Primary Principals Association, AGPPA, representing over 5400 government school principals around Australia, met recently in Melbourne.  

Representatives from all States and Territories met to discuss developments across the nation in curriculum and school organisational structures, support for school leaders and initiatives for school improvement.

It was resolved that AGPPA communicate to all its 5400 schools that the association has major concerns with education direction.

‘Principals are sick of the politicizing of our public education system and the on-going blame shifting between the major political parties’ says AGPPA president Gabrielle Leigh. ‘Instead of providing a long term strategic platform for system and school improvement, continual changes in school organisational structures and bureaucratic accountability arrangements by governments and territories, are in fact having a negative impact on student outcomes and leading to a lowering of school staff morale.’

Representatives at the AGPPA National Executive meeting were unanimous in voicing concerns that that many of the recent changes are politically motivated and lack any evidence of education or change management research.

Gabrielle Leigh, AGPPA President, said that the electoral cycles around Australia destabilize public schools. Each electoral cycle heralds a new round of major organisational change and reform for the jurisdictions. Reform for reform’s sake! ‘We want long term bi-partisan planning that transcends political parties and electoral interference, and recognises the importance of effective education for Australia’s future,’ she said.     

The AGPPA National Executive calls on governments around Australia to engage with the profession in collaborative long term planning and implementation of the programs that will make a real difference for our students today and into the future.

Media Release: AGPPA calls for more collaboration and less competition in Australian education

The Australian Government Primary Principals Association, AGPPA, representing over 5400 government schools principals around Australia strongly opposes the directions which the recently identified 'Global Education Reform Movement' (GERM) appears to be advocating for children in our Australian schools.

Click here to download the media release.

GERM advocates:

• unhealthy competition between education providers,
• standardisation or 'one-size-fits-all',
• school choice over equity,
• accountability based on narrow high-stakes testing results.

Systems adopting GERM philosophies perform poorly in comparison with systems that are embracing high standards and equity for all children.

AGPPA supports the Australian education system moving in the completely opposite direction – towards a better way of educational excellence that matches the best practices of the highest performing educational systems. This way of collective professional responsibility combined with democratic public engagement will maximise opportunities for ALL students to achieve their potential in innovative and inclusive school environments. Australian Government school systems must continue to move:

• towards collaboration not competition;
• towards individualisation not standardisation;
• towards equity not choice for a chosen few, and
• towards collective professional responsibility not top-down delivery of centralised reforms.

Education policy must be long term, bi-partisan and informed by the profession. Let’s move now to make Australia a GERM-free zone.

References:
Pasi Sahlberg Blog (Global Educational Reform Movement is here!) http://pasisahlberg.com/global-educational-reform-movement-is-here/

Diane Ravitch Blog (How GERM spreads) http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/25/how-germ-spreads/

Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley  (The Global Fourth Way) http://www.hbe.com.au/the-global-fourth-way-the-quest-for-educational-excellence.html

AGPPA Demands that the Gonski Funding Model is implemented for the good of all government primary school children.

Over 5500 Government Primary School leaders representing 1.4 million government primary school students reject the position of Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education in relation to his comments about the implementation of the Gonski model.

Click here to download the complete media release.

Click here to view a video of Gabrielle Leigh, AGPPA President, speaking about the AGPPA position on the Gonski review report.

"Students deserve a logical, consistent, transparent and fair funding model to support all students," said AGPPA President, Gabrielle Leigh following a meeting of Australian Government School Principals Association in Sydney.

Read more: Media Release: Gonski Must Be Implemented!