Education in WA

All children of compulsory school age must be enrolled in school and attend every day.

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Before school

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Enrol at a Western Australian school

Western Australian Curriculum

Alternatives to full-time schooling

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Schooling

In Western Australia, children can start their education in Kindergarten, however compulsory schooling starts the following year in Pre-primary and continues until the end of Year 12.

All children of compulsory school age must be enrolled in school and attend every day - that is the law. This is from the beginning of the year in which a child reaches the age of 5 years 6 months until the end of the year in which the child reaches the age of 17 years 6 months or turns 18, whichever happens first. Find out how to enrol in a Western Australian school1. 

You can find out what year children need to start school with our school-age calculator2.

Schooling options include:

There are alternatives to full-time schooling6. For older students, this usually requires an exemption from schooling or, in the case of the final years of compulsory education, a notice of arrangement.

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Back Western Australian Curriculum

The Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline lays out the Kindergarten to Year 10 curriculum for all children in Western Australia.

It provides teachers and supporting staff with information to help plan and assess learning programs, and report those outcomes.

Learning areas the Western Australian Curriculum covers

There are 8 learning areas7:

  • English
  • mathematics
  • science
  • humanities and social sciences (including history, geography, civics and citizenship and economics and business)
  • the arts
  • languages
  • health and physical education
  • technologies. 

These learning areas remain broadly consistent with the Australian curriculum but have been modified to suit Western Australian teachers and the children they teach.

You can find out about the specific content for each learning area and each year level from Pre-primary to Year 10 at School Curriculum and Standards Authority8.

Timeline for the implementation of each learning area

Year Learning area
2018 Languages in Years 3, with an additional year group each year until 2023 when all students in Years 3 to 8 will be learning a language.

Western Australian Certificate of Education

The Western Australian Certificate of Education9 (WACE) is the certificate that all young people in Western Australia receive after they successfully complete secondary school.

The WACE requires each person to demonstrate a breadth and depth of study, and to reach a specified achievement standard, including a literacy and numeracy. Young people typically complete their WACE in their final two years of secondary school, however there is no specified time limit for completion. Study towards achievement of the WACE can be undertaken over a lifetime.

Reporting requirements for your child

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority has established the reporting requirements8 for all schools in Western Australia.

Every public school must have an assessment and reporting plan which tells you how it reports your child's progress to you.

Your child's teacher should also keep you informed of their progress during the school year, including their learning, depth of understanding and skills.

For further information you can contact your local school at any time.

The role of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority8 is an independent statutory authority that regulates school curriculum and assessment for all Western Australian children from Kindergarten to Year 12. 

It is responsible for:

  • setting standards of achievement, and assessment and certification, for your children
  • developing an outline of curriculum and assessment that sets out the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes your children are expected to acquire
  • developing guidelines for the assessment of achievement
  • developing and accrediting courses for schools by setting and recording each person’s achievement against standards, and reporting on those standards.

If you would like to know more about the Western Australian curriculum, talk with your local school or visit School Curriculum and Standards Authority8.