Western Australian School Leaders and School Law: Do they feel equipped to deal with the legal issues they are presented with in the course of their work?

This thesis reports a study into how often Independent School Principals in Western Australia encounter legal issues in
their work and whether they feel equipped to deal with such issues. This small scale qualitative study of five Principals identified three categories of law common to all participants, namely - contractual issues, duty of care or risk minimisation and 'uniqueness'. Implications arising from the research indicate that Independent School Principals may benefit from targeted professional development in legal matters, from consulting legal resources specific to their jurisdiction, from establishing a distinct human resources department, and from avoiding over-reliance on outdated experience.