From Poetry to Plumbing: The Operational Architecture of Inclusion in a Large Secondary School
Inclusive education in large secondary settings is frequently described as aspirational: morally commendable yet almost impossible to operationalise at scale. While many schools express a commitment to inclusion, there is often limited clarity about the leadership decisions and systems required to make it sustainable.
This presentation by Kate Reid, Program Coordinator: Inclusion, and Catia Malaquias OAM, Board Chair, offers complementary staff, parent and governance perspectives from Bob Hawke College, a large local-intake secondary school and recipient of the 2025 WA Education Award for Excellence in Disability and Inclusion. Over six years, the College has deliberately constructed the operational infrastructure that enables all students, including those with complex learning profiles, to learn alongside their peers in every classroom.
The presentation will unpack the “plumbing” that translates inclusive education from “poetry” to routine practice: universal design and accessible learning design processes, social supports, collaborative planning and coaching, strategic Education Assistant deployment, and authentic partnerships with families and allied professionals. Drawing on concrete examples, the presenters will explore how strategic direction and leadership decisions interact with classroom practice to produce alignment between intent and implementation.
The session will also examine common friction points in secondary settings, such as complex behaviour, organisational change, capability development and system constraints, and the disciplined responses required to maintain an inclusive direction.
Inclusion is not an add-on or a program. It is a whole-of-school way of operating that requires aligned leadership, strong pedagogy, thoughtful design of learning spaces and experiences, and an intentional lens through which all decisions are made.
Catia Malaquias OAM is a lawyer, board director and human rights advocate whose work focuses on advancing the right to inclusive education and strengthening the inclusion of people with disability across education and public life. She is also the parent of three teenagers, one of whom has an intellectual disability.
She is a co-founder of All Means All – The Australian Alliance for Inclusive Education and played a key role in establishing the Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education (ACIE).
Catia has served on several boards across the disability and community sectors and is currently undertaking a doctorate with the Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University. She is also an External Affiliate of the Centre for Inclusive Education at QUT.
Catia is the current Chair of the Board of Bob Hawke College in Western Australia, where she has supported the College in its commitment to building a contemporary public school culture grounded in equitable access, belonging and high-quality inclusive practice.
Kate Reid is the Program Coordinator of Inclusion at Bob Hawke College in Perth, Western Australia. She works alongside students, families, teachers, education assistants, school leaders and community partners to design and implement inclusive practices and systems across the college. Her work focuses on removing barriers to curriculum, strengthening student belonging and building staff capability to support all students. Kate is particularly interested in the “plumbing” of inclusion - the systems, processes and relationships that allow inclusive practices to become embedded in everyday school life.