It’s been nearly a month since WA launched its free full-time kindergarten pilot program, with Roleystone Community College among the first schools to trial the initiative.
The state government said the $33.8 million pilot, introduced from Term 1 this year, allowed selected schools to offer five days of kindergarten per week at no cost to families.
A state government spokesperson said most children in WA public schools attended kindergarten five days a fortnight.
“This pilot will double that to full-time, meaning five days a week, at no additional cost to families,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the program aimed to help families save on childcare costs, support working parents and give more children across WA a head start to learning.
The state government said Roleystone Community College was chosen as one of five schools to launch the trial due to its existing early years infrastructure.
“Roleystone Community College had a suitable number of early years classrooms to accommodate full-time free kindergarten being trialled at the school,” the spokesperson said.
“Each full-time kindergarten class in the pilot has been appointed an additional education assistant to support the delivery of the trial.
“The total additional teacher requirement of the pilot schools was five full-time equivalent positions, which has been met through offering increased hours to part-time staff and additional recruitment.”
The government said the program would remain optional and would complement, not replace, existing early childhood education and care services.
“Kindergarten will remain non-compulsory and schools will work with families to support children where appropriate to access optional full-time attendance,” the spokesperson said.
The initiative, originally planned for a 2027 start, was brought forward following sector feedback, according to the government spokesperson.
More schools are expected to join the program next year, with additional sites to be announced later this year.
The state government said the pilot would be formally evaluated to determine how full-time kindergarten could be rolled out statewide.
“The evaluation and its findings will be critical to inform future decisions, with stakeholders being key to the evaluation process,” the spokesperson said.
“The pilot will foster positive early childhood outcomes, including children’s social, emotional and cognitive development.”
Member for Darling Range Hugh Jones said the program marked a milestone for local families.
“It’s a special time for families across Darling Range, with many young locals starting school for the first time,” he said.
“And it’s particularly special for families at Roleystone Community College who are the pioneers of this major milestone in early childhood education with the start of the full-time kindergarten pilot.”
Education leaders said the success of the program would depend on careful implementation.
WA Primary Principals’ Association president Niel Smith said he supported the initiative, provided its educational approach remained developmentally appropriate.
“If the pedagogy is balanced then it will provide a great educational settings for children, that will also allow for early intervention supports where needed,” he said.
“Full-time kindy shouldn’t be seen as a way to push down the curriculum onto younger students and then increase the assessments being administered.”
Mr Smith said schools selected for the pilot had been carefully chosen and that participation remained optional for families.
“My understanding is that no great pressure has been added to these schools in terms of infrastructure needs,” he said.
He acknowledged there would likely be an increase in teacher workload as students move from part-time to full-time attendance, but said adequate resourcing would be key.
“Roll it out carefully and don’t let it become a free for all, otherwise it could do more harm than good,” Mr Smith said.
“Ensure that the roll out comes with appropriate resourcing (physical, financial and human), to ensure its success.”
The State School Teachers’ Union of WA declined to comment.
