APPA welcomes the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
16th December 2019
The Australian Primary Principals Association joins others in welcoming the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.
In commenting on the Declaration, APPA President, Malcolm Elliott, said the fourth declaration of Education Goals for Young Australians represented a significant challenge for systems, learners and Australian society.
“The first goal recognises excellence and equity as pillars of a successful system. This goal’s stated commitment to inclusivity, diversity, encouragement and support is really a call to society as well as to our schools.
“A societal attitude of commitment to support and encourage learning is essential. This is strongly voiced in this declaration.
“The ‘Commitment to Action’ is comprehensive. It presents a sense of a narrative of education throughout life and for all people.
“It also represents a sense of the crucial importance of the early and primary years of education and the necessity of support for and by families in nurturing a love of learning.”
APPA looks forward to supporting ongoing work on the implementation of this Declaration.
“Our schools have been working on these goals for decades. This is a declaration of challenge for our society,” Mr. Elliott said.
DownloadEducation Council
10th December 2019
Changes to curriculum and teaching need a primary edge.
Education Ministers attending this week’s Education Council meeting would do well to bring a ‘primary school perspective’ to their curriculum and other discussions, says Malcolm Elliott, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA).
DownloadWorld Teachers' Day
24th October 2019
Primary principals recognise the vital work of teachers.
Tomorrow across Australia, World Teachers’ Day is being celebrated. The day is a great opportunity for the whole community to recognise and appreciate teachers for the vital role they play in shaping the next generation.
Minister’s Primary Principals Day Media Release
2nd August 2019
RECOGNISING AUSTRALIA'S PRINCIPALS (FED)
Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, says today is Australian Primary Principals Day and we pay tribute to all principals for the contribution they make to our children’s education and our communities. There are more than 7,000 principals working across our state, Catholic and Independent primary schools. The passion, commitment and experience of our principals and teachers are at the heart of successful school communities. Our students and their families rely on school principals to inspire and support them to reach their full potential.
Download2019 Australian Primary Principals Day
29th July 2019
Shining a light on school leaders
This Friday (2nd August) gives communities across the country the chance to recognise and thank our primary principals. Australian Primary Principals Day, originally an initiative of the Victorian Principals Association, moves national in 2019.
NAPLAN Testing
17th May 2019
Ongoing problems with NAPLAN see principals question its reliability
DownloadFederal Election Key Messages
12th April 2019
2019 Federal Election Key Messages of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA).
The Key Messages are APPA’s essential priorities for primary school principals across Australia.
DownloadReport highlights serious challenges facing principals
27th Feb 2019
Today’s release of the 2018 Report of the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey, the eighth in the series, highlights the challenges faced each day by principals across the country.
Download More InfoLabor announcement of National Principals’ Academy
20th Feb 2019
Today’s announcement by Labor of a National Principals’ Academy recognises the complexity of school leadership and the critical role principals have in student achievement and success.
DownloadAPPA welcomes the Hon Dan Tehan to the education portfolio
27th August 2018
In welcoming Mr Tehan, APPA paid tribute to the departing Minister, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, for his work across a wide range of areas in school education.
DownloadSelecting the best people for teaching
Tuesday, 14th August 2018
Following recent media coverage around entry standards into teaching, APPA President, Dennis Yarrington, was able to refer to work undertaken by APPA in recent years in sending out a media release today.
Download2019 APPA President Announcement
Congratulations
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) announced today that Tasmanian principal, Malcolm Elliott, would become its new president from January 2019. Mr Elliott replaces Dennis Yarrington, who will retire after leading the association over the past four years.
DownloadNAPLAN
Review of NAPLAN makes good sense
The Australian Primary Principals Association is supportive of growing calls to review NAPLAN. This is particularly so in light of the recent Through Growth to Achievement Report highlighting the role of assessment in tailoring teaching and personalising learning.
DownloadNational School Chaplaincy Programme
10th May 2018
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) welcomes the Federal Budget announcement that the Government is renewing the National School Chaplaincy Programme for a further four years.
DownloadThrough Growth to Achievement Report
30th April 2018
Many of the recommendations in the report align with the themes presented in APPA’s submission to the panel.
DownloadAPPA media release on NAPLAN results
14 December 2017
Please find attached APPA's recent media release on the 2017 NAPLAN results.
DownloadAPPA celebrates PIRLS results
7 December 2017
APPA's recent media release in relation to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study can be found here.
DownloadAPPA welcomes Commonwealth Government's commitment to needs-based funding
May 2 2017
APPA's position on the recently-announced school funding arrangement can be found here.
DownloadNational Year One check offers a valuable opportunity
January 30 2017
APPA welcomes the opportunity provided by the Federal Education Minister’s announcement of an advisory panel to develop an evidence‐based literacy and numeracy check in Year One. APPA President Dennis Yarrington commented on the importance of the early years at school, saying that "Principals and teachers know that literacy and numeracy competency is fundamental to young children achieving at school and beyond."
Mr Yarrington went on to say that APPA was well placed to provide input to the panel's deliberations, having worked on the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project.
DownloadAPPA's response to NAPLAN 2016
December 13 2016
The release yesterday of the NAPLAN 2016 National Report highlights the need for all involved in education to work together to focus on quality schooling. APPA President Dennis Yarrington commented that "in these closing weeks of school, primary principals and teachers should work together in reflecting on the year, identifying areas of need, building upon their successes and setting in place their plans for 2017."
DownloadAPPA welcomes the reappointment of Senator Simon Birmingham as Minister for Education
July 19 2016
APPA has congratulated Senator Simon Birmingham on his reappointment as Minister for Education. President Dennis Yarrington said that APPA sees the Minister's reappointment "as offering effective and long-term stability at a national level" and looks forward to working together in future.
DownloadAPPA reinforces key election messages
June 30 2016
The attached media release comes in the closing stages of the campaign so that the incoming government knows what principals see as important in Australia achieving the very best school education system. APPA's key messages highlight that, in an increasingly complex and interwoven world, principals are in the position to provide the reality check needed with policy and effective policy implementation.
DownloadAPPA welcomes focus on quality teaching and school leadership
June 16 2016
APPA supports the commitment to quality classroom teaching and higher teacher education standards from both major parties. APPA President, Dennis Yarrington, said this was a welcome and much needed development if Australians genuinely want their children to gain the most from their education.
DownloadAPPA's response to "Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes"
May 3 2016
This media release highlights APPA’s response to a number of the proposals announced in the Coalition’s school education plan “Quality Schools, Quality Outcomes”.
DownloadAPPA welcomes Greens disability education funding statement
April 29 2016
APPA welcomes the recent policy statement by The Greens on Disability Funding for Schools. Schools struggle to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities without adequate resources and training. This is why APPA supports disability funding that is transparent, targeted at need, and sector blind. Read the media release here.
DownloadAPPA welcomes Labor education funding committment
January 29 2016
APPA’s media release welcomes the Opposition’s announcement that the Labor Party has fully committed to the funding arrangements proposed in the Review of Funding for Schooling (‘Gonski’ Review). Principals would know that APPA has long held the position that our schools must have the staff and physical resources to meet the needs of children from all backgrounds and every circumstance.
DownloadPrincipals say primary schools are key to our nation’s future
11 November 2015
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) launched its Charter for Primary Schooling in Parliament House, Canberra on 10 November in front of a large number of parliamentarians from both Houses and members of the APPA National Advisory Council.
Download More InfoAPPA congratulates Prime Minister’s Primary School Science Prize recipient
21 October 2015
APPA congratulates Rebecca Johnson of Queensland’s Windaroo State School who was announced today as this year’s recipient of the $50,000 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools.
DownloadAPPA says flexibility helps meet the challenge of a national curriculum
23rd September 2015
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has welcomed the recent Education Council Communiqué endorsing changes to the Australian Curriculum. APPA President, Dennis Yarrington, said that, after many years and wide consultation, we now have a national curriculum that provides the content in the eight learning areas but also allows for schools to be flexible in deciding how the curriculum is taught. Mr Yarrington said, "APPA has always recognised that managing the Australian Curriculum in the primary school classroom requires flexibility so that it is responsive to school context and also meets the varying needs of students".
DownloadAPPA welcomes Senator Birmingham as Minister for Education
21st September 2015
We today welcomed the appointment of Senator Simon Birmingham as Minister for Education and look forward to working with the Minister for the benefit of Australian students, our schools and school communities.
DownloadEducation the key to achieving our nation’s ‘great potential’
17th September 2015
Primary school principals have long recognised the scope of talent that lies within each
child and across every classroom. The new Prime Minister’s statement that ‘we are a very
strong country with great potential’ receives our full support.
APPA Forum: Principals have a critical role in teacher education
15th September 2015
As the Australian Primary Principals Association’s National Conference gets underway in Hobart this week APPA president, Dennis Yarrington, reinforced the importance of the quality of teaching in the classroom.
DownloadTime to work together on Digital Technologies say primary principals
29th May 2015
APPA calls for collaboration and a national strategy that will support primary schools to integrate digital technologies into the currriculum.
DownloadPrimary principals welcome 2016-2017 preschool funding certainty
5th May 2015
APPA has welcomed the Governement's decision to extend funding for preschool programmes into 2016-2017. The announcement is timely given many schools are in the process of preparing information packages for the 2016 school year.
DownloadPrimary school students rallying to support families in Nepal
28th April 2015
APPA is lending its support to the Nepal Earthquake Appeal launched by KidsGive, the SchoolAid-inspired crowdfunding platform for primary-aged children.
DownloadPrimary Principals welcome Teacher Education recommendations
13th February 2015
APPA welcomed the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group's Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers report and the Government's support of its recommendations. The report confirmed the views of principals that action is needed to ensure every graduate entering the teaching profession in Australia is classroom ready.
DownloadTeacher quality crucial for student achievement
17th December 2014
APPA has called for higher ATAR score requirements and a more rigorous and reliable selection process for those wishing to become teachers.
DownloadNew leadership for Australian Primary School Principals
4th November 2014
At its national conference in Sydney APPA announced that ACT principal Dennis Yarrington would become its new president from January 2015.
DownloadAustralian Primary School Principals gather in Sydney to 'create the future together'
22nd October 2014
Over 800 primary school principals from Government, Catholic and Independent schools from all states and territories gathered in Sydney for the annual APPA National Conference.
DownloadPrimary principals welcome recommendations on overcrowded curriculum
13th October 2014
APPA welcomes the Review of the Australian Curriculum recommendations aimed at addressing overcrowding in the Australian Curriculum.
DownloadPrimary principals argue for NAPLAN to be removed from My School
11th September 2014
APPA released a discussion paper arguing for NAPLAN data to be removed from the My School website. In drawing attention to the problems that arise from the data's publication on My School, the discussion paper highlights that NAPLAN has shifted into a high stakes environment with significant negative consequences for students, teachers and school communities.
DownloadPrimary principals welcome preschool certainty
5th September 2014
APPA has welcomed the Commonwealth Government's decision to maintain 15 hours of preschool per week for 4 year old Australian children over the coming year.
Download