These procedures aim to maximise the flexibility available to school communities in the configuration of the school day within the constraints of legislation and industrial agreements. The Director General determines the days in each year on which government schools are to be open for educational instruction of students.

The Department of Education undertakes advertising in schools in accordance with the mandatory requirements for Western Australian Government agencies.

The policy provides an operational framework to raise employees’ and line managers’ knowledge and understanding of entitlements and responsibilities related to leave eligibility, application and approval processes. It ensures that employees and line managers are informed about, leave procedures and leave management strategies under relevant Awards and Agreements.

Teachers and school psychologists have requirements and responsibilities in relation to maintaining professional registration with the respective regulatory bodies (Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia, Psychology Board of Australia) as a condition of their contract of employment.

Information and communication technologies are provided by the Department to enable employees and authorised third parties to satisfactorily perform their duties. It is recognised that the associated information, physical equipment, infrastructure and software is at risk of accidental or intentional loss, unauthorised manipulation or unauthorised disclosure. This policy authorises security controls to address those risks.

Animals can enrich students’ learning experiences, however schools must adhere to consistent and high quality practices for the care and use of animals. Staff are to adhere to the processes of the Schools Animal Ethics Committee for the use of animals for any scientific teaching activity and/or adhere to the processes of Agricultural Education for the use of animals on school farms.

This policy outlines roles and responsibilities of workplace managers and workers relating to work health and safety within the Department of Education.

The Workplace Bullying policy affirms the Department’s commitment to safe, equitable and non-discriminatory workplaces, and guides employees and line managers in the prevention and effective management of bullying in the workplace.