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Now is a crucial time to make education better and fairer for all Australian school students

06 October 2023

Today, federal, state and territory Education Ministers will sit down with a Ministerial Reference Group in Hobart to help shape the future of education in Australia.

The Ministerial Reference Group is advising Education Ministers on what priorities should be included in the next National School Reform Agreement (NSRA) between the Commonwealth, States and Territories.

The agreement sets out national education policy initiatives and reform directions to be agreed on by all governments over a five-year period, beginning in 2025. The focus of this NSRA review is to make Australian schools better and fairer.

CEO of The Smith Family Doug Taylor, who is on the NSRA’s Reference Group, says equity in education must be a priority, particularly for students living in poverty.

“Students experiencing disadvantage often start school behind their more advantaged peers. By the time they reach Year 9, they can be up to four years behind their peers in literacy and numeracy. We are also concerned about similar gaps in digital skills, which have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mr Taylor said the latest NAPLAN results also reveal the need for reform to address equity in educational outcomes.

“Results showed around a quarter of students from low socio-economic backgrounds need additional support to meet minimum literacy and numeracy standards, that’s compared to 10% of students overall.”

The Smith Family is calling for evidence-based supports in the foundational subjects of literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to be a key reform area, to ensure children who have slipped behind can catch up and stay engaged in their education.

“Our research shows that we can bridge this gap. The Smith Family has been trialing a tutoring program called Catch-Up Learning since late 2020. The evidence shows clear benefits, with two out of three students making much greater progress in numeracy and literacy than would otherwise be expected.”

The education charity is also calling for greater emphasis on digital skills.

“We want to see the implementation of a national digital strategy, to ensure all young people are digitally included, regardless of their economic background. Digital literacy skills should also be developed and tracked in school and assessed regularly in future NAPLAN testing.”

“This is important because digital skills are already critical to social and economic participation, and will be a must-have for the future job market.”

Mr Taylor said the use of data is crucial in driving better outcomes across multiple areas, with a more transparent system key to ensuring greater equity and a more effective use of resources.

“Improved public reporting on how students are tracking – including tracking attendance rates - stronger use of data and evidence, and a culture that promotes the sharing of learnings across jurisdictions, are all essential foundations for a better and fairer education system.”

“They will help identify where to invest and contribute to greater community confidence in Australia’s schooling system and what can be achieved for all young Australians.”

Strengthening parents and the broader community’s engagement in children’s education is another key priority for The Smith Family.

“Decades of research shows that parental engagement in their child’s education leads to better academic and social outcomes. Furthermore, engagement of schools with the wider community provides students with access to complementary learning opportunities, as well as role models and networks for life beyond school. This is particularly important for schools with high levels of disadvantage.”

Mr Taylor said the five-year agreement has the power to bring a long-lasting, positive change to thousands of children and young people.

“For those children who’ve just started school, this agreement will last until they are in high school. And for those young people who started high school this year, this agreement will see them through to their Year 12 graduation.

“This is why we must make sure we prioritise the most effective ways to make education better and fairer, so we can ensure that our most vulnerable young people can make the best of their education and create better futures for themselves. A good education not only changes an individual’s life, but betters society as a whole."

Media Enquiries:
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor | Ph: (03) 9473 4309 | Mob: +61 412 803 566 | E: Reid.Jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Naomi Kaplan | Media Advisor | Mob: +61 411 758 596 | E: Naomi.Kaplan@thesmithfamily.com.au
Caitlin Dickson (Wed-Fri) | Senior Media Advisor | Mob: +61 466 955 633 | E: Caitlin.Dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 162,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome . For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au