Released 01/02/2018
The Report on Government Services 2018 shows that the ACT continues to lead the nation across a range of early childhood and school education measures.
Key to equity in education is access to quality early childhood education, a significant determinant of future education, employment and social outcomes. The Lifting Our Game report released today makes this point clearly.
In 2017, the ACT had the highest proportion of children from 0 to 5 attending an Australian Government approved childcare service at 54 per cent, an increase on last year and above the national average of 43 per cent.
The ACT also saw an increase in early childhood and care services exceeding the National Quality Standard in 2017 compared with 2016 – the second highest in the country at 42 per cent.
The ACT Government’s continued commitment to support the provision of 600 hours of free public preschool education for every child in the year before they start formal schooling is also providing benefits for Canberra children and equity in the community.
In the ACT, 98 per cent of all eligible children were enrolled in a preschool program, including 95 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The Koori Preschool Program continues to provide targeted programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and an Early Years Engagement Officer supports their participation.
In the school sector, government funding per full time equivalent (FTE) student in the ACT is the second highest nationally at $20,960 per FTE, and we are the only jurisdiction in the country where all schools are funded at or above the Schooling Resource Standard.
The ACT continues its national leadership in school education outcomes. The report reiterates that Canberra school students continued to perform well in three national comparisons; NAPLAN, NAP-Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
The ACT was highest or equal highest in the country in 19 out of the 20 areas tested in NAPLAN and maintained overall high performance in NAP-CC, with our mean scores the highest in the nation. Our performance in PIRLS was equal highest in Australia with Victoria and higher than the national mean.
These results continue to reflect the great job teachers, school staff, school leaders and of course the students themselves are doing.
Beyond the metrics of point-in-time average achievement, the ACT is also focusing on making sure every student is growing their knowledge year on year. This holistic approach to school performance is central to making sure ACT schools are delivering high quality education to all students, regardless of their circumstances.
The Report on Government Services shows the great strengths of Canberra’s school system, as well as some of the opportunities to improve, which the government is progressing through the Future of Education project – a community-led process to develop the next long-term strategy for Canberra schools.
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases
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