Education

All children and young people have the right to a high quality education so they can flourish and become the best they can be. The Government is implementing a range of major initiatives for families, schools, teachers and school leaders, to ensure they are all well supported to provide a high quality inclusive and equitable education to all students.

A strong education correlates directly to social inclusion, civic and political engagement and improved life outcomes. The three major initiatives to improve social inclusion and equality in schools are the Student Resources Allocation, ICT in Schools and the Schools for All program.

Student Resource Allocation (SRA)

The SRA is one component of the broader reform agenda set out in the Australian Government’s Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling Final Report (2011). The principle of student needs based school funding is to more effectively respond to need, drive broader school reform, value for money and accountability. It is also to ensure transparency and clarity of funding across schools and for school communities.

The SRA funding model is structured around:

• Core Funding which is made up of Base Funding, Per Student Funding, and adjustments for Stages of Schooling (weightings); and
• Needs Based Loadings to address student needs of key equity groups, which will be implemented through a staged approach. These include:
  • Students from Low Socio-Economic (SES) backgrounds (2016);
  • Students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect (2017);
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (2017); and
  • Students with Disability (2018).

About 76% of a Canberra public school’s budget for 2016 is being provided through the Student Resource Allocation (SRA) funding model. This consists of Core Funding and additional needs based funding for students with low socio-economic backgrounds.

• The balance of school budgets in 2016 will be based on a student needs form, the School Operational Allocation and preschool allocation. These are determined using the previous funding methodologies.

The following reviews are currently in progress for school budgets in 2017:

• English as an Additional Language or Dialect;
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status;
• Students with Disability;
• School Operational Allocation; and
• Student Support in Secondary Schools Allocations.

ICT in Schools

ACT Public Schools are using cutting-edge technology to ensure that students can build their ICT capabilities in order to analyse information, solve problems and communicate effectively in a highly digital society.

• The implementation of a centrally managed ICT network is delivering equitable and reliable access in an efficient and cost effective way for all ACT Public Schools.
• Over 2,500 wireless access points have been deployed across the 29 secondary schools, making all students in ACT Public Schools, regardless of their socio economic status, the best connected in the country with the highest speed internet connections of any education jurisdiction in Australia. The Sustaining Smart Schools initiative forms the second phase of this project, which will upgrade wireless connectivity across all primary schools and preschools by June 30, 2017.

Schools for All

Schools for All is a program established to implement the 50 recommendations of the Report from the Expert Panel on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour over a 3 year period.

$7 million has been allocated to implement a range of initiatives involving the Government, human services Directorates, the Association of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Office.

The outcomes of the Schools for All Program will be evidenced through:

• Greater connection of schools to their communities
• Supports and programs that meet the needs of students and staff
• Increased investment in teachers and quality teaching practices
• Physical environments that facilitate good outcomes
• More accessible, best practice policies consistently implemented
• Improved accountability and open communication.

 

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