The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.
The Educator reports that per student funding for private schools has increased six to eight times that of public schools since 2009, new data shows. In a response to the figures, published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on its National Report on Schooling data portal, public school advocates Save Our Schools (SOS), said this resource advantage of the independent sector is projected to accelerate over the rest of the decade to 2029. According to the data, the income per student in independent schools in 2019 was over 50 per cent higher than for public schools − $23,956 per student compared to $15,520 per student in public schools. Catholic school income per student at $17,153 was over 10 per cent higher than in public schools. The figures found that the total income of independent schools far exceeded that of public schools in all states, with the gap proving to be particularly large in Victoria and NSW. The income of Catholic schools also exceeded that of public schools in all states.
The Courier-Mail reports that the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) warned last week that the Federal Government cannot guarantee it is handing $24 billion a year in taxpayer funding to schools that need money the most. “The Department (of Education) does not yet effectively support the transparency of Australian Government funding allocation and does not analyse school funding allocation data to ensure that funding is distributed in accordance with need,’’ the audit report, tabled in Federal Parliament, states. The audit also reveals a failure to ensure that extra taxpayer spending improves the quality of learning. “There are limitations in the department’s ability to measure the impact of school funding on educational outcomes,’’ it states. The audit exposes overpayments to one in three private schools, which would total $20 million a year nationally. Its survey of 168 schools found “payment errors’’ in 53 schools, totalling $1.1 million in 2019. Based on the sample, it estimated that private schools across Australia were overpaid $20 million.
The Educator reports that the Federal Government has pledged $30 billion in tax cuts, $17.7 billion towards aged care and $1.1 billion for women’s safety measures. The 2021-22 Budget also includes $24.4 billion for all Australian schools in 2021-22, which includes $481.2 million to reform and expand the youth employment services program, “Transition to Work”, which is aimed at helping disadvantaged young people transition from school to work. The additional funding will also see $11.1 million put towards programs to help young people, teachers and parents foster a greater sense of social cohesion, diversity and a sense of belonging. Other significant education investments include $42.4 million for women to pursue STEM qualifications, $1.7 billion to increase the childcare subsidy for Australian families with multiple children under school age in childcare and around $1.6 billion in ongoing Commonwealth funding for preschool education. The Budget’s allocation for education will also see the continuation of universal access to 15 hours of preschool.
The Educator reports that on Tuesday night last week, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg unveiled the long-awaited 2021-22 Budget. The reaction from the education sector has been mixed, with the peak body for independent school principals saying the Budget gives “plenty for educators to work with” and the teachers’ union calling it a “profound fail” for public schools and TAFEs. Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) president, Andrew Pierpoint, said that while the reaction from the business and education communities to last Tuesday’s Federal Budget bodes well, there are ongoing issues that require more attention if the growing equity gap is to be addressed. Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia CEO, Beth Blackwood, welcomed the commitment of significant funding for mental health services in Australia’s communities, which she said will support schools as they manage increased student health and wellbeing issues.
According to The Educator, if recent polling is anything to go by, education will be a key battleground of the upcoming federal election. A recent nationwide YouGov poll shows more than eight in 10 Australians (83 per cent) believe public school funding is too low and that increasing it should be a “priority issue” at the next federal election, according to a recent nationwide YouGov poll. The poll, which surveyed 1,200 people, found that three-quarters (77 per cent) agreed that the Federal Government has a responsibility to ensure that every school in Australia is fully funded to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). With election campaigning in full swing, both the Coalition and Labor have pledged to improve the nation’s schools, TAFEs and universities and make Australia “an education superpower”. On Thursday last week, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese outlined Labor’s budget response, pledging a stronger focus on the early years of learning.
According to The Australian, the states are preparing to go to battle over a new national school curriculum, with NSW and South Australia joining the Federal Education Minister in signalling their unwillingness to endorse some of the more contentious changes. Australia’s largest state has firmed in its opposition in recent days, with NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell advising party colleagues that she would not support the document in its current draft form. SA Education Minister John Gardner has also indicated unease over elements of the draft documents, suggesting he shared similar concerns to Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge regarding a push to promote Indigenous perspectives throughout the curriculum while at the same time downgrading the study of the humanities, including history and the study of Western civilisation. Released a fortnight ago, the revised curriculum, developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has already prompted a significant backlash.
The Courier-Mail reports that a teacher who had inappropriate chats with former students about sex, drugs, alcohol and steroid use has been banned from reapplying for registration for almost three years. The man, who had been registered since 2002 and taught at a Queensland secondary college for more than eight years, was suspended in February 2019. The teacher initiated or continued electronic contact with three former students of the college, who had graduated in 2017 and 2018, without a valid or educational reason, a tribunal heard. The teacher and ex-students exchanged intimate or sexual images and the teacher also accepted an invitation to meet one of the former students. Queensland College of Teachers, which brought the disciplinary action against the man, accepted that he had previously been a talented and dedicated teacher. Three members of Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that initiating or perpetuating such communications with former students shortly after they finished their schooling did not satisfy the standard of behaviour generally expected of a teacher.
The Age reports that Victorian teachers will be banned from having sex with former students for at least two years after the students finish their secondary education, under a shake-up of rules governing teacher behaviour. The new rules, which will come into force next term, will apply to more than 135,000 registered teachers across the state, and those caught breaching them could be struck off. The ban is included in a new code of conduct created by professional regulator the Victorian Institute of Teaching. The current code prohibits relationships between students and teachers while the student is enrolled at school, but makes no mention of relationships after a student has graduated. Before adopting the new code, the Institute consulted more than 100 stakeholders including the Department of Education and Training, Catholic education groups, Victoria Police, the Commission for Children and Young People, parent associations, the Victorian Student Representative Council and education unions.
The Age reports that Victoria’s Education Department faces being fined up to $3 million after pleading guilty to breaching safety laws over the death of a seven-year-old boy whose wheelchair fell from a school ramp. Jovan Talwar suffered a fatal head injury when his wheelchair tipped off a ramp at Warringa Park School in Hoppers Crossing on November 26, 2018. He died four days later. Victoria’s workplace regulator, WorkSafe, charged the Department of Education and Training with workplace safety offences more than a year after Jovan’s death, arguing the ramp was either poorly constructed or had not been maintained. On Tuesday last week, the Department pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to ensure people other than employees were not exposed to risk. One other charge was withdrawn. Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 9000 units, which equates to about $1.49 million per charge. A magistrate, Donna Bakos, last Tuesday referred the case to the County Court for a plea hearing on November 19.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the average age when eating disorders emerge is getting younger as the Butterfly Foundation reports a rise in helpline calls about children as young as 10. The pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp rise in eating disorders in the past year across all age groups but advocates are especially concerned about the increase among younger children, blaming image-based media on smartphones and bullying at school. Helen Bird, manager of education services at Butterfly, said the requests from schools for sessions on body image and eating disorders had doubled this year, compared with the first half of 2019, especially in Victoria where the lockdown was longest and hardest. Ms Bird said it was mainly high schools, though Butterfly did work with children from grade 5 and up, and primary schools were sharing some issues they were seeing with their students.
NESA has issued an official notice reminding all non-government schools that they are required to produce, publicly disclose and submit electronically to NESA a 2020 annual report by 30 June 2021. Annual reporting requirements are detailed in section 3.10.1 of the Registered and Accredited Individual Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual and section 5.10.1 of the Registration Systems and Member Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual. Due to the cancellation of NAPLAN testing in 2020, information on student outcomes in standardised national literacy and numeracy testing is not required to be reported in annual reports for the 2020 school year. Submission of annual reports is via NESA’s registration website: RANGS Online.
The ABC News reports that in November, Premier Peter Gutwein — under increasing pressure as allegations of child sexual abuse relating to the health and education departments and the Ashley Youth Detention Centre came to light — announced the Commission of Inquiry, which is Tasmania's version of a Royal Commission. Commission President Marcia Neave, a retired Victorian judge, said she and her two colleagues would concentrate on areas where there were current problems. She said that would include the role and responsibilities of the Tasmanian government, its institutions and officials in protecting children from sexual abuse, and responding appropriately to reports of abuse, current responses to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse including the examination of historic allegations where they throw light on current issues of concern, systemic issues and options for reform. Submissions are open until July 2. Public and private hearings will be held later in the year. The final report and recommendations are due in August next year.
The ABC News reports that regulators in the US have authorised Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12, with President Joe Biden calling for it to be made available immediately. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was amending the emergency use authorisation (EUA) of the Pfizer vaccine to include millions of children aged 12 to 15. It is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorised in the United States for this age group, and is seen as an important step for getting schools back to normal. In the trial of 2,260 adolescents, there were 18 cases of COVID-19 in the group that got a placebo and none among those who received the actual vaccine, resulting in 100 per cent efficacy in preventing the illness, the companies said in March. Pfizer says it expects to have safety and efficacy data for children aged between two and 11 in September, when it plans to ask for further expansion of the EUA for that age group. The Australian medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has not approved any vaccines against COVID for children due to a lack of evidence of their efficacy.