A School Discipline Advisory Panel will be established when a principal recommends that an exclusion order be made following a student’s serious breach of school discipline.  The student will be suspended from school for ten days while the process takes place.

The School Discipline Advisory Panels are held to provide an impartial forum in which all parties affected by the recommendation for the exclusion of a student can receive a fair hearing. 

Once the principal has submitted the school’s recommendation for an exclusion order to the District Schools, the recommendation goes through a review process outlined below:

Stage 1

• the District School establishes a School Discipline Advisory Panel made up of at least three people considered to have experience, skills, attributes or qualifications that are appropriate to the case
• the District School appoints a Chairperson and Executive Officer
• the District School refers the principal’s recommendation and other information to the panel to examine the matter and report to the Director General

Stage 2

• the Executive Officer briefs the panel about the case to be reviewed
• the Executive Officer ensures all panel members complete the Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest Declaration form
• the Executive Officer ensures that all relevant information, including the school exclusion report, is available to panel members, the student, the parent/s of the student and the principal
• a mutually agreed time and place to meet is arranged with panel members, the student, the student’s parent/s and the principal

Stage 3

• consider any advice from the Minister as to the panel procedures
• examine the matter and report to the Director General setting out comments about how the matter has been dealt with and recommendations about how the matter should be dealt with
• give all parties (student, parent/s of the student and principal) a fair hearing

Stage 4

• a report of panel deliberations and recommendations will be prepared by the Executive Officer and signed by all panel members

Stage 5

• the Chairperson of the panel forwards the report to the Director General through the District School
• the District School prepares a briefing for the Director General to accompany the report.
• the Executive Officer prepares letters for the Director General’s signature and forwards all required documentation to the Office of the Director General

Post deliberation

After consideration of the panel’s report and recommendations, the Director General may order that a student is: 

• excluded from normal attendance at the school other than for purposes as specified in the order
• completely excluded from attending the school
• directed to attend a specified government school or to participate in a specified education program
• given educational instruction as determined by the order

The Director General  may order the student to comply with a combination of two or more of the above orders.

How long does the whole review process take?

The recommended time limit for completion of a School Discipline Advisory Panel report and the District School’s consideration of the report is within eight (8) school days of the principal’s recommendation to exclude the student.

This limit allows two days for the Director General’s consideration and notice to parents, before the student’s ten day suspension from school has finished.

Further Information

Please see the Exclusions Procedures and Behaviour Management in Schools policy for more information.