Teachers planning to use animals for a teaching activity under the science strand may be required to submit an application and obtain approval from the Schools Animal Ethics Committee (SAEC), prior to commencing the activity. You must plan ahead as applications can only be considered at SAEC meetings that are usually held in Week 3 and Week 8 of each school term and there are cut-off dates for each meeting. Click here to check the dates.
Not all activities require prior approval by the SAEC - Click here to see if approval is required.
From February 2017 an online system was implemented for teachers to submit applications and principals to submit annual animal use reports electronically. This system is available to all schools in WA - public schools, Catholic schools and private independent schools. Click here for instructions on how to use the system.
Important:
Schools must submit the following reports through the Online System:
If there is an illness, injury, death or unexpected incident (e.g. an animal is lost), a report must be forwarded to the SAEC as soon as possible along with your animal use and health records for the period immediately before the incident.
For more detailed information on why these forms and processes are required refer to the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes - 8th Edition - Chapter 2.4 Responsibilities of investigators