Dear teachers and leaders
I want to outline the SACE Board's current key message to schools, teachers, parents and students as we grapple with the COVID-19 coronavirus, and its effects on our daily lives.
We are all feeling the uncertainty of the situation and every one of you will be thinking about how you can support students to be successful. We will work with you, and provide the flexibility and support as necessary to enable this to happen.
South Australia is in a strong position, putting appropriate responses in place, and drawing on our shared expertise and relationships, to navigate through this together.
We've made a promise to students that they will learn in the SACE. So right now, we are all working together on continuing the learning.
The SACE Board is backing teacher judgement on using the flexibility of the SACE to continue the learning.
We are working on more ways that we can support teachers in this, as I understand the difficulties in pivoting to a new way of working, when many schools have established ways of doing things that have been in place for many years.
For parents and students, our message is that school is open and we are backing schools and teachers to continue delivering the students' learning entitlement - maybe in ways they haven't done before - but that's ok and what we expect.
Fairness and equity are top of mind.
Our policies and processes fit with this current situation, but we can - and will - make the necessary adjustments along the way, using fairness and equity as our guiding principle as events unfold.
Students will still have pathways to universities and TAFE, and we will be working with SATAC and others to ensure this is the case.
I am also talking with the other curriculum authorities across Australia to ensure there is a consistent national approach.
The following two videos are now on the SACE website. One is specifically for teachers and parents, and one is for students. I would appreciate if you can circulate these into your school communities.
Thank you for your calm and professional approach to this unprecendented situation.
Yours ever
Professor Martin Westwell
Chief Executive
SACE Board of SA
