The following is information that you might find of interest in your consideration of membership of the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia.

What Does AISWA Membership Provide for your School?
AISWA's member services are constantly under review to ensure that the best possible breadth of service is available.  The Association has recently reviewed how it levies subscriptions, which has resulted in a more equitable distribution of cost amongst members.  We believe that these changes alone make membership of the Association more advantageous than ever for independent schools.  

Membership of AISWA will give you access to all member services (including industrial advice and representation at hearings and conferences) and inclusion on the distribution list for AISWA's email service, electronic information bulletins and access to the wide variety of professional development offered by AISWA.   It also entitles you to access, at significantly reduced prices, to Microsoft software and Curriculum Corporation materials (AISWA negotiated a 30% discount on SCIS library cataloguing software for member schools).

Access to the industrial service and discounts on these purchases alone can save a small school the cost of an average annual membership fee.

Resources
AISWA provides two online manuals as guides for member schools and which are updated on a regular basis:

Governance Fact Sheets - is a collection of fact sheets designed for new and existing governing body members to help put into practise the many principles of governance.  The range of issues covered is varied from the importance of strategic planning to how to read a balance sheet.

Policies and Procedures Guidelines for Schools - This file is designed to assist an independent school when developing policies or procedures for a range of important issues affecting a school.  Topics range from "Complaints Procedures" and "Family Court" to "Child Protection" and "Excursions, Incursions, Camps and Tours". 

AISWA Membership and National and State Representation
AISWA is a non-profit organisation established in 1962 that is regarded by Federal and State Governments and non-government organisations to represent and promote the interests of independent schools in Western Australia. It is continually called on by Government and education authorities to represent independent schools and has representatives on most major committees dealing with primary and secondary school matters. 

AISWA regularly consults with its members for their views on major educational issues to ensure that these are reflected in submissions and responses to enquiries and reports including State and Commonwealth funding issues, the Review of Funding and the Australian Curriculum.

AISWA has representatives on the Board of WACOT and the Curriculum Council and also on a wide variety of State and National committees and working groups.

Briefing the Board Conference
AISWA conducts an annual conference entitled 'Briefing the Board' which is held in March.  In 2011, the conference was held on Saturday, 26 March, at Methodist Ladies' College, Claremont.  The conference is designed for Principals, Governing Board Members and Senior Staff.

2011 Keynote Presentations:

• National Issues / Review of Funding - Mr Bill Daniels, Executive Director, ISCA.
• Bullying: Transition Points - Mr Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist
• State of the State - Ms Valerie Gould, Executive Director, AISWA.

2011 Conference Workshops:
Each year, a wide variety of workshops topics are included in the conference program.  In 2011, the workshops included:

Workshop for New Principals and Governing Board Members
Creating Resilient Schools
Finances for Governing Board Members
Funding Independent Schools
Teacher Re-registration
Professional Misconduct
Dealing with Tricky People
MySchool Website
The Changing Landscape of ICT
Disability Discrimination Act
Australian Curriculum
Human Resources and Staff Management
Liquor at School Functions
Legal Implications Relating to the Employment of Teaching Staff
Occupational Health and Safety
Effective Risk Management
School Re-registration

Professional Development
AISWA also conducts a wide variety of seminars and professional development (PD) for teachers on curriculum, occupational safety and health, legal issues, copyright, current issues affecting independent schools and other sessions of particular relevance to board members, principals and teachers.  As a member school, the vast majority of these seminars or PD sessions attended by employees and board members are inclusive of the school's membership fee.  From time to time, a small registration fee may be incurred to cover costs such as speaker fees, venue and/or equipment hire, and catering.