Strengthening the Sister Schools
Program
Enhanced sister school arrangements –
growth, sustainability and increased
participation
Chris Wardlaw, Deputy Secretary
Office for Policy, Research and Innovation
Stakeholder Roundtable
22 November 2011
Policy Context
The Government’s Plan for Multicultural Victoria articulates a commitment
to the improved provision of quality languages, English as a second
language and multicultural education programs and services in Victorian
schools.
Amongst several initiatives to support the learning of languages in schools, this plan
specifically includes the commitment to:
Strengthening the Sister School program within
Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development.
Sister School PIP
The International Education Division is leading work on the strengthening
the sister school program through a policy implementation plan (PIP),
which broadly consists of:
 facilitating and formalising inter-school relationships between Victorian schools and
between Victorian schools and interstate and overseas schools;
 encouraging participation by the non-government/ independent school sector in the
sister school program;
 promoting best practice models of sister school relationships in order to maximise the
benefits of the program;
 strengthening existing bilateral language and education committees;
 encouraging teacher exchange.
Stakeholder Roundtable
The topic of this roundtable is to discuss ‘enhanced sister school arrangements
– growth, sustainability and increased participation’.
Objectives:
• To discuss current approaches to sister school arrangements, with a focus
on barriers to sustainability and success.
• To share ideas across schools on how different schools have approached
sister school arrangements.
• To discuss how bilateral organisations and broader stakeholders can
support sister school arrangements.
Overview
Welcome
Chris Wardlaw, Deputy Secretary, Office
for Policy, Research and Innovation
Sister Schools Research Project
Carolyn Taig, Nicki Joshua
Colmar Brunton
Asia Education Foundation –
BRIDGE program
Kurt Mullane
AEF
School approach to sister schools
David Adamson, Principal, Essendon
Keilor College
Morning tea break
Roundtable Discussion
Roundtable Discussion
Roundtable Discussion
Sustainability and success
• Consider your current sister school arrangements,
what have been the barriers to sustainability and
success?
• What strategies can be put in place to overcome
these barriers?
• How can language organisations and our
stakeholders support the success and
sustainability of sister schools?
Roundtable Discussion
Innovative approaches to sister school relationships
• How have different schools approached sister
school arrangements? Who have you partnered
with?
• Consider the research, what are the new
approaches to developing effective sister schools
and where are the opportunities for language
organisations and stakeholders to get involved?
Roundtable Discussion
Bilateral language organisations
• What is the current role of language organisations
in supporting sister school relationships?
• How can our language organisations and broader
stakeholders have a greater role in sister school
relationships?
• What could be their future role?
Thank you