Changes to the Act governing education in South Australia will be introduced to State Parliament to improve access to mainstream education for children with disability.

Among the 222 recommendations made in 2023 by the Disability Royal Commission were 15 specifically aimed at promoting safe, quality and inclusive education for students with disability in all Australian schools. Implementation of two of the recommendations require amendments to the Education and Children’s Services Act 2019.

In December 2024, the State Government, alongside Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) and the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA) jointly announced the sectors would work together to prioritise implementing recommendations that drive significant system change to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes, prevent discrimination and exclusion, and ensure a more inclusive education for students with disability.

New reporting requirements will come into effect as a result of the changes – all schools will be required to report annually to the Minister on the number of children with disability who had their enrolment refused on the basis that it would impose an unjustifiable hardship on the school; along with the number of students with disability whose enrolment was cancelled and any measures taken by the school to reduce the number of refusals or cancellations of enrolments of children or students with disability.

De-identified information about the use of exclusionary discipline against students with disability at the school – for instance the number of times a student was suspended, excluded or expelled, the grounds for the disciplinary action and the number of schools days impacted – will be provided to the Minister, who will publish annual sector-level reports.

Read more about disability access and inclusion for our education system.