APC Review December 2020

December 2020

2020 the year parents came into their own and inequality was unmasked

Editor: Sharon Leifer Editorial enquiries should be directed to media@austparents.edu.au The material printed in this publication may only be reproduced with permission of the editor.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed education, and that’s even before the long-term impact has become clear.

The immediate effects were dramatic enough. Remote learning was anything but remote for most parents. They had to take on a much more active role in the education of their children. Managing children’s schooling at home thrust parents and carers into the middle of what their children were learning. The relationship between home and school was suddenly blurred and co-operation between teachers, parents and students became key to ensuring schooling continued.

There were good things that came out of this. Greater recognition of the positive role of parents in supporting children’s learning, that has long been backed by research, was brought into sharp relief in the pandemic.

Lines of communication between teachers, students and parents were strengthened in many cases. Parents gained huge insights into what their children were learning and a greater appreciation of teachers and school leaders.

Student wellbeing issues were also highlighted. The importance of emotional resilience and support for students and families struggling with lockdown, uncertainty and the unfamiliar was recognised and backed by funding and resources from government.

But the issue of education inequity has been thrown into sharp relief by both the challenges of the pandemic, the Disability Royal Commission and Closing the Gap reports.

Students impacted worst by COVID were those who lacked support at home, who have limited access to technology, live in regional and remote areas, ATSI students, those whose families speak a different language at home, and students with special educational needs or a disability.

In short, the pandemic picked on vulnerable students.

Students with disabilities have faced long term inequity currently being investigated by the Disability Royal Commission. Its recent report highlighted 'equal access to schools, use of restrictive practices and lack of supports seen as key issues'. Monash researcher Kate de Bruin's analysis of the deeply disturbing testimony of students and families says it illustrates 'systemic educational neglect.' (This analysis and details about the Disability Royal Commission are included in this review).

It's been an uphill battle for these students and their families, who have advocated so hard for education opportunity, simply to be heard. It clearly illustrates that the role of parents as advocates for their child should always be recognised to ensure the rights of students.

Despite improvements there is still a significant attainment gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students. According to the latest report, in 2018 about one in four Indigenous students in Years 5, 7 and 9, and one in five in Year 3, remained below national minimum standards in reading. Between 17 to 19 per cent of Indigenous students were below the national minimum standards in numeracy.

What is very clear from all of this and been highlighted by COVID is that inequity is about more than the dollars spent in schools. Addressing inequity requires a complex response, that supports students, families and communities, provides universal access to technology and other education resources, support and education for teachers and educators, as well as strong governance of schools, school management and government.

Jenni Rickard, APC President

Children may transmit coronavirus at the same rate as adults: what we now know about schools and COVID-19

The role children, and consequently schools, play in the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard to work out, but that puzzle is now finally starting to be solved, according to Zoë Hyde Epidemiologist, University of Western Australia, writing in The Conversation.

‘The latest research shows infections in children frequently go undetected, and that children are just as susceptible as adults to infection. Children likely transmit the virus at a similar rate to adults as well. ‘ ‘…Official testing in Germany had suggested young children were much less likely to be infected than teenagers, but this wasn’t true. Younger children with infections just weren’t getting tested. The study also found nearly half of infected children were asymptomatic. This is about twice what’s typically seen in adults… ‘…While children are thankfully much less likely than adults to get seriously ill, the same isn’t true for the adults that care for them. Evidence suggests schools have been a driver of the second wave in Europe and elsewhere ‘…a new study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found children and adults were similarly likely to transmit the virus to their household contacts.

‘In Australia, schools didn’t appear to be a major driver of the epidemic in Victoria, although most students switched to remote learning around the peak of the second wave.

However, schools did contribute to community transmission to some extent. This was made clear by the Al-Taqwa College cluster, which was linked to outbreaks in Melbourne’s public housing towers.

When researchers analysed cases in Victorian schools that occurred between the start of the epidemic and the end of August 2020, they found infections in schools mirrored what was happening in the community overall. They also found 66% of all infections in schools were limited to a single person… ‘…The risk associated with schools rises with the level of community transmission. The picture internationally has made this clear.’

‘In regions with high levels of community transmission, temporary school closures should be considered. While a lockdown without school closures can probably still reduce transmission, it is unlikely to be maximally effective.’

The impact of COVID on learning The impact of COVID on learning is still being assessed, but there are some key indicators being progressively released that show the impact may be even greater than initially expected, and that it has had a markedly greater impact on vulnerable and already disadvantaged students.

The Grattan Institute found a large cohort of disadvantaged students - especially those from the poorest families, with learning difficulties, or where languages other than English are spoken at home will have fallen much further behind than their classmates during the school closures.

Its analysis later in the year showed that disadvantaged students in Victoria are likely to have lost somewhere between two and six months of learning over the remote schooling period and that the equity gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students grows at triple the rate during remote schooling.

NSW students were worse hit than expected by online learning during COVID-19, according to figures reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in November.

Tests showed they have fallen three to four months behind in key areas such as reading and numeracy.

Students did not sit NAPLAN tests in 2020 due to the coronavirus, but similar assessments provided to NSW Department of Education schools in the second half of the year reportedly found the average reading score for year 3 students in 2020 was up to four months behind last year's cohort.

Year 5 was two to three months behind in reading and numeracy, while year nine was two to three months behind in numeracy, a department report found.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said students did make progress during online learning, but not at their usual pace.

"Knowing where students are up to allows us to help them in the areas of their education where it is needed most," she said.

Julie Sonnemann, a fellow in school education at the Grattan Institute, whose modelling predicted the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students would grow by seven per cent, described the results as a "bigger drop than expected".

A Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) analysis paper Parents’ perspectives on home-based learning in the covid-19 pandemic revealed that around 1.25 million students (over 40% ) across NSW, Victoria, and Queensland may have fallen behind while learning at home. It’s estimated Victoria’s disadvantaged students may have gone backward up to six weeks in their progress over the extended period of closures.

‘The new research makes clear that the quality of schools’ support to children and parents is decisive in how students fared with their learning — and that the quality of this support was mixed.

CIS research confirms the breadth of educational damage of school closures

‘The secrets to success with home-based learning are sophisticatedly simple: students need regular interaction online with teachers, and parents need regular contact with schools.

‘Yet, a concerning number of students - as high as 30% in Queensland ‘didn’t have regular contact online with their teachers.

Instead, they were relegated to completing worksheets and working independently. It comes as no surprise that these students were much more likely to have fallen behind.

‘Parents who were regularly contacted by teachers felt more informed and confident helping supervise learning.

However, while many parents were contacted daily or most days, some weren’t contacted at all. Over 50% of parents who weren’t regularly contacted by schools say their child fell behind.

‘The better equipped parents are, the more effective support they can provide for their child’s learning — a fact that’s as true during the pandemic as it is in more normal times.

‘It’s clear that the school closures experience will leave lasting impressions to schooling; for students, teachers, and parents.

‘In households where the home-based learning wheels were welloiled, parents gained more positive opinions about teachers’ work and schools’ education standards, compared to pre-covid. That’s evidence that parents appreciate the lengths many teachers and schools went to under such difficult circumstances.

‘It also shows there’s goodwill to be tapped in order to forge more constructive relationships going forward. Capitalising upon this would better support the work of schools, see parents as informed participants in schooling, and ultimately be more conducive for students’ learning.’

Not even remotely fair: Experiences of students with disability during COVID-19

A survey conducted by Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) provides ‘vital information on respondents’ experiences when schools had mostly closed to students, and covered the period of transition back to face-to-face teaching for the majority of students’.

The report concluded that:

‘Research evidence from before the pandemic suggests that despite a number of policy commitments and initiatives at local and national levels, we have seen only limited progress in moving towards inclusive education and that children and young people with disability often fare poorly in the education system. This is despite the fact that all of the evidence suggests that inclusive education is not just better for children and young people with disability, but can have significant positive impacts for the whole classroom... ‘…this report also shows that the deep educational inequity experienced by students with disability was exacerbated and further entrenched during the pandemic.’

‘Although the shift to remote learning and the associated impacts of the pandemic have raised some new issues, several respondents indicated that the issues faced are more longstanding. Over the longer term the only way to prevent these issues arising in future waves of the pandemic or during other emergencies is to genuinely implement inclusive education practices. However, if schools were to do one thing in the shift back to remote learning in Victoria (and other jurisdictions that might follow), it should be to provide social support to ensure children are engaged with their peers in productive ways.’

What didn’t work?

Schools were unable to provide or reduced dramatically support for students in their education during the first COVID-19 lockdown • There were significant reductions in the provision of usual supports for students with disability from education facilities, most notably supervision, social supports and individual support workers.

CYDA key findings

Level of support during COVID-19 versus level of support prior • Curriculum modification down 18% • Behavioural support down 27% • Social support down 34% • Supervision down 38% • Individual support worker down 44% • Assistance with personal care down 19% • Specific aides and equipment down 30% • Access to specialist allied health down 23% • Overall, it is concerning (although perhaps not surprising) that many parents reported receiving supports only after significant advocacy work, raising questions regarding issues of equity.

Despite the well-known inequities they face in their education, there was a lack of assertive and proactive support for students with disability during the first lockdown • During the COVID-19 pandemic there were many students with disability who were left behind • More than half did not have: o Regular contact with the education provider to ensure the learning is accessible o Curriculum and learning materials in accessible formats • 61% (or about three in five) said students with disability had not received adequate educational support during the pandemic • Some children were unable to engage online and so missed out on being part of a learning community and others felt schools had not done enough to facilitate access to this • As a result, nearly three quarters of respondents reported that students with disability felt socially isolated from their peers • Many reported that this and other consequences of the pandemic were having a significant impact on their mental health: just over half of respondents indicated a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of either themselves or the child or young person disability under their care.

Despite the well-known inequities they face in their education, there was a lack of assertive and proactive support for students with disability during the first lockdown The onus and thus ‘heavy lifting’ for providing inclusive education shifted from school staff to students and their families • 80% of respondents reported that responsibility for education shifted away from teachers and schools and on to parents • Many parents reported having to do significant work to translate learning materials into a useful format for their children. Some reported receiving exactly the same materials and support as those provided to students without disability, with the onus entirely on parents to make the necessary adjustments. This caused some family members to feel they were letting students with disability down because they did not have the skills required to adjust the materials appropriately • Others felt the support was no worse during the pandemic, but this was mostly because they had not been well supported even prior to the pandemic. Where support had been received, it was often in response to advocacy work done by parents who had contacted schools (sometimes repeatedly) and requested the materials and adjustments their children required Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are not working in the way they should NDIS needs changed but were not secured during the pandemic • Nearly half of respondents indicated that the child or young person’s need for NDIS funding to assist in accessing education had changed since the start of the pandemic, although just 5% had requested a plan review and had it approved • Funding changes were needed for tutors, support workers, technology, therapies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other forms of equipment • Where parents had not requested changes to funding it was often related to not having the time and effort to navigate the plan review process, or thinking that the NDIS would not assist with educational support • A number of parents reported redeploying support workers from personal care and into helping children engage in learning, with the risk that they would not have enough support worker hours left at the end of their plans.

Others had requests for more funding turned down by the NDIA on the basis that education supports should be covered through mainstream services • There was a lack of clarity about how the NDIS could be used to support remote learning

their peers and the school is critically important

Key findings – What worked?

• Of all supports, social support during the remote learning

phase had the strongest association with students feeling Making sure studentspart withofdisability socially connected supported, a learningare community, engaged to in their peers andlearning, the school is feeling critically important and less socially isolated.

CYDA key findings contd…

• This suggests that providing support had an impact on • Of all supports, social support during the remote learning phase reducing isolation and making children and young people feel hadmore the strongest association with students feeling supported, engaged. part of a learning community, engaged in learning, and feeling socially isolated.

Theless importance and role of planned and intentional support for •students This suggests that providing support had an impact on reducing with disability isolation and making children and young people feel more engaged.

• These results tell us that planned and supportive actions by

schools during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a significant The importance role of intentional support for positiveand impact onplanned the livesand of children and young people students with with disability disability.

• These results tell us that planned and supportive actions by schools during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a significant positive impact on the lives of children and young people with disability.

When 1 TYPE of above educational and social support was provided, it was reported students were: • 24% more likely to feel part of a learning community • 36% more likely to receive adequate support in their education When 2 TYPES of above educational and social support was provided, it was reported students were: • 88% more likely to feel part of a learning community • 109% more likely to receive adequate support in their education • 48% more likely to be engaged in their learning • 18% less likely to feel socially isolated When 2 TYPES of above educational and social support was provided, it was reported students were: • 88% more likely to feel part of a learning community • 109% more likely to receive adequate support in their education • 48% more likely to be engaged in their learning • 18% less likely to feel socially isolated Flexible NDIS supports helped students with disability during the first lockdown • Many NDIS participants were able to use the NDIS funding in creative ways to help engage children and young people with disability in their learning, but this was not consistent or well communicated.

Learnings from the first lockdown period The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on just how poorly some children and young people with disability are supported in their education before and during the pandemic. This spans all states and territories and all educational settings.

For example, a number of parents and carers commented that the pandemic period provided them with insight into the level their child was working at. This occasionally came as a surprise, as parents discovered that with adequate support their child could complete work at a much higher level than the school had recorded. For others this period had illustrated how little progress their child had been making and the lack of support they were receiving from their school. Several commented that they were considering changing schools or home schooling their children as a result.

However, if schools were to do one thing in the shift back to remote it should be to provide social support to ensure children are engaged with their peers in productive ways.

Other practical ways that schools might support students with disability are explored in the full report.

What needs to happen next?

The good news from this research is with careful planning and effort by education systems and educators, students with disability can thrive through the pandemic, including in remote learning, by: • Ensuring they are made to feel part of a learning community through connecting them with their peers • Ensuring education materials and curricula are accessible and differentiated to the needs of students, and that reasonable adjustments are provided by the educators in partnership with children and families – this should not be left to families or students themselves to navigate • Providing timely and well-planned support • Breaking down the barriers between the NDIS and educational support to ensure both systems are complementary and working to ensure children and young people with disability thrive However, this report also shows that the deep educational inequity experienced by students with disability was exacerbated and further entrenched during the pandemic.

This inequity is not going to be overcome without an urgent and holistic approach to change, as outlined by the Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education in their report Driving change: A roadmap for achieving inclusive education in Australia. It is only then that the right to inclusive education as enshrined in the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be achieved.

Read the full CYDA report

Researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education surveyed 1200 teachers on their remote learning experiences: Asked about access to an internet-connected device at home: • 49.5 per cent of all teachers said that every child in their class had access • 37.4 per cent of primary school teachers • 56.2 per cent of secondary school teachers Asked about reliable internet access at home: • 10 per cent of teachers reported that every student in their class had access to reliable internet at all times • 70 per cent said students had access most of the time • 11 per cent said their students had access less than half the time • An independent report commissioned by the Australian Education Union (AEU) showed the gap in digital access, affordability, and ability experienced by students in disadvantaged circumstances.

It found that: • Nine per cent of students with low family incomes have no internet access at home • Public-school students were more than 2.5 times as likely as Catholic or independent school students to have no internet access at home • Almost one-third of the more than 20,000 public school students in very remote areas had no internet access. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were much more likely to have no internet access at home—21 per cent compared with five per cent for all public-school students.

• Low family income is associated with many factors that make studying at home more difficult. These include: a lack of internet access and a lack of appropriate software and hardware; less well-educated parents who can help with schoolwork; overcrowded or insecure housing without a regular place to study undisturbed; and the psychological stress on family members from financial hardship.

See tables from the report overleaf for more information.

Call for a digital resourcing standard Melodie Potts Rosevear, chief executive of Teach for Australia said the ‘digital divide’ is widest in socio-economically disadvantaged schools.

‘Post-COVID-19, we can’t ignore what we’ve all just seen – there is a gaping digital divide and it is contributing to inequity in education and limiting future opportunities for some young people.

‘Learning First analysis found Victorian schools serving disadvantaged communities were four times as likely to be supplying hard-copy materials to students as schools in more advantaged areas – one of many clear pointers to an inequitable digital divide.

‘The concept, at least, of needs-based funding is now almost universally accepted: a child who comes through a school gate with additional needs ought to attract additional funding in order for their education to be delivered.’

‘Is it time for a digital resourcing standard too?

‘The Three Rs still matter, but so do the Three Ds: devices, dongles and data. Access to physical hardware, laptops or tablets, and reliable internet has been raised over and over again in online learning discussions this year.’

Read the full opinion piece.

Operation catch up: State responses to COVID-19 in schools

Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, announced A$250 million 4,100 tutors to be deployed across Victorian schools from the first term in 2021.

The vast majority of Victorian students spent much of terms two and three learning remotely — this is about half the school year. The government expects this money will support more than 200,000 students across the state who have been left behind during the remote learning period.

‘Evidence suggests students who struggled most with online learning included those with low levels of English, those already at risk of disengaging from school, or those with home environments not conducive to remote learning. To bring these students up to speed, the package includes: •

• •

$209.6 million for every government school to attract and employ 3500 tutors across the 2021 school year, to deliver small group learning to students who need it. It is estimated around 80 per cent of these tutor roles will be filled by women, who have been the most impacted financially throughout the pandemic. $30 million to employ 600 tutors at non-government schools to support disadvantaged students. $8.6 million in 2021 for Family Engagement Initiatives to support schools working with families to lift student outcomes and re-engage students with learning. This includes an additional 16 Koorie Engagement Support Officers and 60 additional multilingual and bicultural workers.

This package is on top of the additional funding announced for further mental health support for students and to support kinder kids starting school next year.

The NSW government announced $377 million package of measures, including a tutoring program, in the NSW 2020-21 Budget, increasing the ongoing support for students’ education after a disruptive school year.

The NSW Government also created optional online reading and numeracy check-in assessments designed to assist teachers in the classroom to identify where students were up to in their learning.

“We are also working on digital solutions to ensure that more remote schools can access free tuition,” said NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell in a media release about the introduction of the tutoring program.

Parents share their teaching and learning lessons from the lockdown

Schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way parents respond to educational programs according to The Monash Lens.

‘In fact, stepping into the role of teacher, support staff and, in some cases, principal, during the lockdown through online learning provided most parents with a window into how their children learn, and the best methods of accommodating their individual needs.

‘This information will be essential for teachers as schooling resumes in the post-COVID phase…’

More parental responsibilities ‘While this created disruption and interruptions to individuals across sectors, it also created additional responsibilities for parents, who were forced to step in as surrogate teachers during pandemic schooling.

‘Schools cannot proceed as normal post-pandemic. Instead, they’re likely to adopt this form of resilience, and incorporate suggestions from their most powerful allies – parents.’

As part of the study, the researchers investigated the experiences of parents, with a view to gathering information about how their views can best inform education in the future.

‘We talked to a range of parents, reflecting with them on the lessons they learned from the lockdown. It was evident that pandemic schooling had profoundly altered parental views of teaching and learning.

‘Teachers are often well-positioned to advise regarding teaching, support and learning. However, when pandemic schooling became the norm, parents had to step into this role with no background knowledge.

‘Given their one-on-one support of their children, our study considers them to be vital voices, especially in the post-pandemic phase. The proximity of support offered by parents positions them to not only learn about their child’s commitment and performance, but to also review curricular issues that may impact on student engagement in the future.’

The researchers offered five lessons that parents offered to teachers: 1. Teacher innovation through online learning ‘Many parents acknowledged that the online learning spaces are often isolating and disconnecting, with many students preferring not to use their cameras, remaining unseen by the teacher and the rest of the class. This prevented essential forms of communication and engagement between the student and their peers. One parent suggested that teachers ensure that cameras were on at the start, to ensure that students were more accountable in the session.’

2. Understanding individual student needs ‘Early evidence reveals that parents would prefer for teachers to focus on social and emotional wellbeing rather than on the curriculum…’

3. Focus on the student instead of the curriculum ‘Parents saw the value of one-on-one interaction between teachers and students, and noted that even “a short meeting between a teacher and a student” may have more effectively connected the student to their learning and content delivery.’

4. Personalised learning ‘Having occupied the role of surrogate teacher for several months, some parents were keen to play a more active role in their children's educational programs…

Parents acknowledged that teachers had specialised understanding, and that pedagogical expertise was certainly their arena. However, they were keen to act as resource hubs, to assist schools with determining the best ways to accommodate their children.

‘This is especially important for students who are marginalised and who may have specific learning needs. For children who speak other languages at home, the importance of building relationships between home and school are particularly highlighted.’

5. Collaborative relationships ‘Parents acknowledged that teachers had specialised understanding, and that pedagogical expertise was certainly their arena. However, they were keen to act as resource hubs, to assist schools with determining the best ways to accommodate their children.

‘This is especially important for students who are marginalised and who may have specific learning needs. For children who speak other languages at home, the importance of building relationships between home and school are particularly highlighted.’

Read the full article

Family school partnership benefits from short term home learning Short-term home learning could have long-term benefits for school and family partnerships, according to a new issues paper by Griffith University academics commissioned by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ).

The ISQ Our Schools - Our Future paper, Engaging parents in their child’s learning and wellbeing: Change, continuity, and COVID-19, brings together decades of parent engagement research and findings with current insights and school experiences from Queensland’s home-learning period - between three and five weeks depending on the child’s year level ISQ Executive Director David Robertson said more than 50 years of research confirmed students had higher academic outcomes and improved attendance, behaviour, confidence and motivation when their parents were not simply “involved in their school”, but were actively “engaged in supporting their learning”.

Mr Robertson said during the home learning period independent schools and their families re-imagined how to learn and connect using new and existing communication tools and strategies such as weekly wellbeing check-ins, virtual parent-teacher meetings and whole-school online physical challenges.

“Technology, when it was available, brought teachers into their students’ homes and families into classrooms with their children’s teachers…important lessons for school delivery and parent-teacher partnerships were learned that could benefit Queensland’s education system,” he said.

Authors, leading Griffith University-based researchers on parent engagement, Dr Linda Willis and Professor Beryl Exley, said COVID-19 upended schooling, giving teachers and parents greater appreciation for each other’s roles and bringing parents closer to their children’s learning than ever before.

“The imperative of the COVID-19 crisis meant that engaging parents in their child’s learning and wellbeing needed to be prioritised if student progress and development at school were to continue without significant disruption. The question of parent engagement therefore was not one of if or when, but how,” Dr Willis and Professor Exley wrote.

Their paper examines how the home learning period strengthened parent engagement in six areas under the CHANGE acronym: Connections; Home-school alignment; Agency; New and different roles for parents; Generative collaboration among teachers; and Empathy.

(Read the full media release)

Parents as “co-designers” of education reforms The COVID-19 crisis has provided independent schools with the perfect opportunity to “customise” education to better meet the evolving needs of their families and communities, a thoughtprovoking new report, also commissioned by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) has argued.

ISQ commissioned University of Melbourne academics Professor Jim Watterston – former Director-General of the Queensland Department of Education – and Professor Yong Zhao to consider the future of schooling and the opportunities for change as a result of the pandemic.

In their issues paper, titled A Catalyst for Change, Professors Watterston and Zhao proposed a rethink of six key areas of education, including the purpose of schooling, the structure of the Australian Curriculum, student assessment, digital literacy and the traditional roles of teachers and students.

As well as calling for parents to be involved in discussing reforms, the academics affirmed the importance of parents and teachers working collaboratively for the benefit of students.

“The notion of teachers and parents working together as partners in learning is particularly relevant both within, and outside of the school to ensure that students can successfully negotiate and thrive in the digital world.”

Parents a key part of the equation The authors spotlighted the importance of parents in devising solutions and strongly encouraged “all schools in association with students and parents to rethink what will really matter to students in the future”.

“We owe it to our emerging generations to create a cuttingedge educational experience that will enable everyone to thrive in an increasingly changing, challenging and complex world,” they wrote.

Independent schools had the autonomy and thus greater freedom than schools in other sectors to innovate “and to create new possibilities for their students through the strong engagement of parents as co-designers of bespoke education reforms”.

Read the full article in The Parents Network.

2020-21 Federal Budget

Record funding for education ‘A world class education sector is essential to unlocking Australia’s economic potential.

The Government is investing record funding in Australian schools to ensure all students are equipped with the necessary skills for future study or work.

The Government’s recurrent annual funding for schools has increased from $13.8 billion in 2014 to $21.8 billion in 2020, with a commitment of $310 billion in total recurrent funding from 2020 to 2030.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented changes to teaching and learning for young Australians.

The Government is investing an additional $146 million to improve educational outcomes particularly for disadvantaged students.

Around 76,000 young Australians will be supported to undertake work experience, mentoring and career advice programs.

The Government is also supporting around 120,000 3-5 year olds to improve their numeracy skills through The Smith Family’s Let’s Count program.’

Source: https://budget.gov.au/2020-21/content/essentials.htm#five

What else is there for school aged students?

Analysis By NAB Group Economics - Federal Budget: What it means for Education – identified ‘big support for apprentices and young workers – plus more for higher education.’

What did the education sector want from the Federal Budget?

‘In terms of school education, the NCEC (National Catholic Education Commission) urged Government to increase the capital funding allocations to meet the capital funding needs stemming from a rise in student numbers (as it has done in past years). In its second submission the NCEC recommended stimulus funding for capital works especially for areas affected by the economic fallout from COVID-19.

‘A recommendation of support for indigenous boarding schools is shared with the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA). The ISA recommended the Direct Measure Income (DMI) methodology used for the Capacity to Contribute (CTC) be delayed for schools where their score increased, to allow a better assessment of the effects of COVID-19 and called for the extension of the current 2-year ‘best-of’ arrangements. In addition, the CTC should use the most up to date parental income for the CTC calculation instead of an 18-month lag, given the immediate effects of COVID-19 on incomes.’

What was included in the budget?

There was significant funding for Vocational Education and Training programs, some of which can be accessed by school aged students.

•

$263 million over four years for Vocational Education and Training (VET). This includes $91.6 million for an apprenticeships data management system, $75.9 million for the Department of Education, Skills, and Employment, $52.3 million for literacy and numeracy skills, and $29.6 million for the National Careers Institute careers information.

Funding changes impacting regional and remote schools There are ongoing concerns about the impact of the transition of non-government school funding to a new measure of parent’s capacity to contribute to fees using income tax data, especially on regional and remote schools. The impact of COVID-19 has heightened these concerns.

As detailed in the June 2020 APC Review, a greater impact of the new funding assessment on regional and remote schools was widely flagged by non-government schools, sectors and parent groups. In response to the concerns, the Morrison government has established a working group comprising a range of government department and school education bodies to assess the new national formula.

But, in November it was reported – Regional rural schools seek funding sweetener - that about 50 independent schools say the new funding regime threatens the future of many regional and remote nongovernment schools.

Margery Evans, chief executive officer of Independent Schools Australia, said she hoped the National School Resourcing Board, which provides oversight over Commonwealth school funding arrangements, "recognise[d] the unique challenges faced by regional and remote independent schools".

The Australian Government maintains the new direct measure of income (DMI) system will be a ‘more accurate approach’ and ‘will ensure more funding flows to the schools that need it the most.’ The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DSES) has published a full explanation of the direct measure on its website What is the methodology for the Direct Measure of Income (DMI)?

APC’s submission In our submission to the Senior Secondary Pathways Review, APC put forward the following perspectives: • Parents and carers, teachers and schools are equal partners in the education and career education of students • Parental knowledge and understanding of modern education pathways are barriers • Disadvantage plays a significant role in equitable access to further education • Increasingly students are self-seeking education so the education system needs to accommodate them • A single numerical ranking does not speak to the holistic achievement of 13 years of schooling.

APC also proposed that ‘the use of a Unique Student Identifier or a Student portfolio where they could collect their qualification, course and achievements would be beneficial.’

Read the full APC submission

SENIOR SECONDARY PATHWAYS REPORT

The final report of the Review of Senior Secondary Pathways - Looking to the future – Report of the review of senior secondary pathways into work, further education and training – released in September made a number of recommendations.

Chair Professor Peter Shergold AC criticised the current focus on a narrow range of academic courses, which is being warped by a pursuit of ATAR scores, in preparing young people for work or further study or training.

‘The present transition pathways presented to young adults at school are too often framed in a manner that they perceive to narrow choice.

The dominance of a ranking score, the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), privileges academic capability over the value of vocational education and training. Many students believe that those headed for university are accorded higher status at school than those who prefer to pursue a trade apprenticeship or traineeship.

‘The heavy focus on scholastic performance is seen by students to pay too little regard to the other skills and attributes that they require for successful adulthood. The general characteristics of students need to be given greater weight in the final years at school. The ATAR should be regarded as just one important measure of success. We need to educate for and assess the diverse learnings that make the whole person. We need to open doors, not narrow pathways’.

‘This imperative is increasingly recognised by governments, schools and industry bodies. The panel has been inspired by many great demonstrations of how senior secondary education can be delivered differently. We have captured some of those innovative approaches in our case studies. Education Council can now give greater impetus to such creativity by authorising and encouraging new approaches to vocational learning, career guidance, broader assessment of educational achievement and stronger partnerships with employers.

‘As our afterword emphasises, it is the Panel’s strong view that the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on education in recent months makes our recommendations even more relevant. We do not believe that consideration of our proposals should be deferred ‘until the crisis is over’. Rather, we argue that both the need and the opportunity for significant change is now even greater.’

The report makes 30 findings on the current senior secondary pathways arrangements and 20 recommendations on helping young people navigate their senior years and enter further study or the workforce.

Key recommendations include: •

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Introduce a Learner Profile that will identify a student’s range of skills, knowledge and experiences both from inside and outside the classroom.

Develop a national strategy with the Skills Council to deliver VET to secondary students.

Strengthen career guidance by creating a network of hubs providing individualised career guidance with an initial focus on regional and remote areas.

Looking to the future – Report of the review of senior secondary pathways into work, further education and training is available at http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/

REPORT WELCOMED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Morrison Government welcomed the report in a media release.

‘Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the recommendations made

by Professor Shergold worked in conjunction with the Government’s plans to improve higher education and vocational education and training.

"Improving how we guide young Australians into work or further study in a way that satisfies their ambitions while ensuring they have the skills that employers’ demand will be critical to the recovery of the youth labour market," Mr Tehan said.

"Our Job-ready Graduates package will increase the number of university places for domestic students and make it cheaper to study areas of expected job growth.

"We are also providing more support to Australians from regional areas, low SES students and Indigenous students to get into university and to graduate.

"Our Government wants universities to work more closely with local industries to improve workforce participation and productivity."

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the Government strongly supported the report’s aims of strengthening the quality and relevance of vocational education and training in schools, while also supporting school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.

"Building engagement between schools and local employers exposes students to opportunities in their local area and helps them develop job-ready skills," Senator Cash said.

"The report’s focus on the importance of highquality career guidance for students aligns with our establishment of a National Careers Institute (NCI).”

"The NCI is undertaking valuable work in bringing together schools, businesses, industry and career practitioners to help people successfully move through their chosen careers.

The Government will consider the recommendations of the review before working closely with state and territory colleagues on a response through Education Council.’

New National Careers Institute targets families

New resources by the National Careers Institute are helping young people decide their future education, training and work options.

Finding the most relevant and up-to-date careers information can often be challenging. With an abundance of opportunities available to school leavers, it can be confusing to decide their next steps. The National Careers Institute’s (NCI) School Leavers Information Kit, Your Career: What’s next for you? (Information Kit) can help school leavers understand the education, training and work options available as they navigate their next steps, in a COVID-19 affected labour market.

A recent survey by Mission Australia found that 83 per cent of young people surveyed cited parents as influencing their post-school plans.

(Bailey, Baker, Cave, Fildes, Perrens, Plummer and Wearing, Mission Australia’s 2016 Youth Survey Report, p 18.)

The NCI recognises the important role parents and guardians play in guiding their children’s careers. In developing this resource, the NCI sought consultation with a broad range of stakeholders including parents and guardian associations. The consultation process helped ensure the Information Kit and Information Service is both relevant and useful for today’s school leavers.

Recognising the support role that parents and guardians plan with the transition from high school, the Information Kit is supported with a Parents and Guardians Guide (the Guide). The Information Kit and Guide are reliable resources for parents and guardians interested in helping their children take their next steps.

The Guide has been developed specifically to help start the conversation about what’s next for school leavers, and to inform parents and guardians on the available resources and opportunities for their children.

The Information Kit includes tips and advice to help young people achieve their career goals. This includes information about further education and training opportunities, including short term and micro-credential courses in addition to a guide to the financial assistance available from the Australian Government to support young people in their studies, with curated links to locally relevant resources in their state or territory.

For young people wanting to enter the workforce directly from school, there are suggestions on how to develop experience though cadetships, work experience or by volunteering. For those looking for work or ideas on what to do with their gap year, there are tips for successful job searching and practical help with writing a resume, preparing for interviews, getting a tax file number and understanding rights at work The Information Kit is supported by a free telephone and text messaging information service – the School Leavers Information Service to help navigate the Information Kit and help with referrals to government programs or support services.

Young people who call the Information Service may be eligible for a free personalised career guidance session from a qualified careers practitioner. Parents and guardians are also able to call the Information Service on behalf of their child which can be reached by phone on 1800 CAREER (1800 227 337), text SLIS2020 to 0429 009 435 or email to schoolleavers.nci@dese.gov.au.

A 2019 review of Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) system, which included the recommendation to establish the NCI, found that one of the biggest gaps in vocational pathway knowledge, was, ‘the provision and marketing of timely, accurate and useful information that would help students and their families choose vocational pathways.’ (Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System, The Honourable Steven Joyce, 2019 p82)

The Business Council of Australia, in a submission to the review agreed, stating: ‘The first problem is the approach potential learners take to making decisions about their future, and the lack of information available to help them make good decisions.’ (Business Council of Australia, Submission to the VET Review, p 3)

The review also found that information was fragmented across different websites, sometimes incomplete and difficult to navigate. The NCI has been established to address the recommendations of the 2019 review, and the School Leavers Information Kit and Parents and Guardians Guide are some of the initiatives aimed at simplifying access to the resources and information young people need to help them decide on their future pathways.

The recently launched Your Career website is designed to help people of all ages and career stages take the next step in their career, providing clear and simple careers information from career exploration tools and an A to Z list of occupations including detailed career descriptions, average salary estimates and jobs in demand.

Your Career houses the Information Kit, the Guide, and has more detail about the Information Service. More information can be found at: yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support.

The NCI produced the School Leavers Information Kit and School Leavers Information Service in partnership with a number of leading organisations including the Australian Parents Council. For more information about the work of the NCI, visit nci.dese.gov.au.

APC project to raise parent awareness of Vocational Education and Training

The Australian Parents Council is working on a project to raise parent awareness about the opportunities offered by vocational education and training (VET). The project is supported by the new National Careers Institute.

‘This is a great opportunity to widen parent knowledge about the opportunities that work related education and training has to offer, especially at the moment when there is so much focus on career and skills development in the wake of COVID shutdowns,’ said APC President Jenni Rickard.

‘Parents are the one of the biggest influences on young people’s career choices, so it is really important that they know how to get up to date guidance on what’s out there in the world beyond the school gate. VET is particularly challenging because there are so many different options.

‘The work the National Careers Institute is doing to bring together information in one place and help students and their families navigate what’s on offer is a real help.’

The project includes webinars and videos with a distinct parent focus.

VET Mythbusters webinar for parents

VET Mythbusters video

For more parent resources and information Bi about VET opportunities visit: austparents.edu.au/information-andadvice/vocational-education-and-training/ This is also where APC’s free VET infographics for parents are available for download.

2020 Closing the Gap targets

In 2020 the Australian Government announced 16 new Closing the Gap targets. Five of them relate directly to better education and training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The targets are contained in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Closing The Gap Report 2020

Literacy and Numeracy Target Halve the gap for Indigenous children in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade (by 2018) Outcome The target to halve the gap in the share of Indigenous children at or above national minimum standards in reading and numeracy within the decade (by 2018) was not met.

Key points •

At the national level, the share of Indigenous students at or above national minimum standards in reading and numeracy has improved over the past decade to 2018. The gap has narrowed across all year levels by between 3 and 11 percentage points.

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Despite these improvements, in 2018 about one in four Indigenous students in Years 5, 7 and 9, and one in five in Year 3, remained below national minimum standards in reading.

Between 17 to 19 per cent of Indigenous students were below the national minimum standards in numeracy.

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Looking at students exceeding national minimum standards provides a better understanding of how well Indigenous children are placed to successfully transition to further study or work.

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Between 2008 and 2018, for example, the share of Year 3 students exceeding the national minimum standard in reading increased by around 20 percentage points.

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Read the full report

Education in remote and complex environments report makes wide-ranging recommendations The House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training tabled the report of its inquiry into the education of students in remote and complex environments.

Committee Chair, Mr Andrew Laming MP, said the ‘inquiry examined how education meets the learning needs of students in regional, rural and remote communities, and how barriers to education can be overcome.’

The committee made 14 recommendations in total, including measures to: • • • • • • •

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Ensure all Australian students can access secondary school education, to a nationally consistent minimum standard, regardless of their geographic location Provide greater opportunities for families and communities to have more say in how schools apply the Australian Curriculum Ensure that the education available to children and young people with disability in regional, rural and remote locations is inclusive Improve access to mental health treatment and support in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Improve access to quality early childhood education and care in regional, rural and remote communities Provide up to 30 hours per week of subsidised early education and care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children Support early learning programs provided through distance education, and provide greater flexibility and surety in funding for mobile early childhood education services, and wrap-around models of early intervention, family support, early childhood education and health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Provide adult literacy campaigns in communities with low levels of adult English literacy Improve access to English as an Additional Language or Dialect support and bilingual education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students Support the development and professionalisation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education workforce Establish trauma-informed, cultural induction and training programs for educators working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and Enhance the integration of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education sectors.

Disability Royal Commission exposes 'systemic educational neglect'

'Systemic educational neglect and its devastating consequences were laid bare recently at the disability royal commission, which is examining violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability,' writes Kate de Bruin senior lecturer in Inclusive Education at Monash University.

The specialist researcher in inclusive education in policy, systems, and schools says the hearings have shown that many children with disabilities are not getting the support they need or are promised under the law, and that parents have had to battle to get help for their children.

'At Public Hearing 7, focused on “barriers to accessing a safe, quality and inclusive school education and life course impacts”, the commission received submissions and heard raw and compelling oral testimony from young people and their families who described experiences of exclusion, violence and neglect.

'Collectively, their testimony painted a sobering picture of how the education system continues to fail many people with disability.'

'Direct-experience witnesses described the restrictions that schools place on the attendance and learning of students with disability, despite these being inconsistent with Australia’s

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and Disability Standards for Education 2005, and resulting clear educational neglect.'

Disability royal commission: People living with disability paint a bleak picture of education exclusion and neglect Meanwhile the Royal Commission released its report on the public hearing ‘Inclusive Education in Queensland – Preliminary Inquiry’ held from 4-7 November 2019. Key concerns identified in the report include: •

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discouragement of families seeking to enrol students with disability in mainstream schools of their choice. a lack supports and adjustments for students with disability; and low expectations of students with disability leading to poor educational outcomes.

The Royal Commission heard evidence about the bullying and belittling of students with a disability; complicated and inconsistent processes for seeking adjustments, inappropriate exclusions including as suspensions; and use of restrictive practices, including physical restraints and confinement.

The hearing was the Royal Commission’s first opportunity to examine the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), including the obligation to ensure an inclusive education system.

Read more

The Australian Parents Council runs workshops for parents to help them understand how they can help their child transition to school and develop their literacy and numeracy skills. The workshops can be delivered in person or online to groups of parents and can be adapted to suit different parent audiences and settings.

They focus on the important role of parents in setting children up to become successful independent learners and are jam packed with useful information and practical tips for you to use at home to support what children are learning at school.

The workshops are ideal for parents at play groups, pre-schools and day care settings, as well as community groups. We work to tailor each workshop to meet your specific needs.

Contact us to find out more.

Thank you

The Australian Parents Council would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the wonderful work of Jo Lonergan AM as editor of the APC Review and thank her for her decades of service.

‘Jo has led the drive for parent engagement in education in Australia right from the beginning, and her intelligent analysis of events and policy, keen eye for detail and ability to interpret political nuance has delivered unrivalled critical analysis of developments in education from a unique parent perspective.’

‘Jo’s retirement as editor is the end of an era and her expertise will be greatly missed. These are big shoes to fill, and I know the current team at the review and on the APC Board will strive to maintain Jo’s legacy in tribute to everything she has achieved,’ said current APC President Jenni Rickard.