Public schools must be fully funded to combat inequality and all students should be regularly screened to see if they need additional support, a major review into school resourcing has found.
The panel examining the National School Reform Agreement (NSRA)— which determines how schools are funded — said the gap between privileged students and those at disadvantaged schools was growing and inequality was “entrenched”.
The group said almost all public schools were not funded to the school resourcing standard (SRS), but on average non-government schools were funded at or above their full government funding level.
The report also called for teachers to be given more targeted support and mentoring as part of a suite of recommendations to attract and retain a workforce under significant stress.
Among the recommendations were incentives for “highly-effective” teachers to work in schools with complex needs, a better integration of services such as speech therapy and more training for teachers to deal with complex behaviour.
The report also recommended wellbeing coordinators in schools, a focus on building inclusive culture to prevent bullying and creating clearer pathways for students to tertiary education and employment.
It comes ahead of state, territory and federal education ministers negotiating how schools will be funded under a new national agreement, with the current one set to expire next year.
After meeting with his state counterparts on Monday, federal education minister Jason Clare said the next NSRA would focus on making school funding fairer.
Funding disparities have been reflected in academic results, with the latest OECD data showing Australian schooling is facing a class divide.
The reviewers said concentrated economic disadvantage can also dampen student expectations for the future, weaken their confidence, reduce community engagement of school leavers and undermine social cohesion.
Educators have welcomed the review but said it was not strong enough on teacher retention.
The Catholic education sector was extensively engaged in the review process and welcomed the report.
“The report’s focus on equity and excellence, wellbeing and teacher workforce considerations, apply across all sectors,” said National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins.
“The Education Minister’s reinforcement of the need to work towards the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration reflects the importance of choice for families, and a holistic approach to schooling in Australia, including the spiritual development of students that attend both faith-based and government schools.”
According to the latest Productivity Commission data released this year, public schools enrol more than twice as many students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds (31.3 per cent) as private schools (12.8 per cent).
Ministers on Monday also received the final report of the universities accord: the biggest review of the higher education system in years.
That report is likely to be made public in early 2024.
(ABC)
