Queensland Teachers' Union Submission to the Senate Inquiry
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Queensland Teachers’ Union Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Development and Implementation of National School Funding Arrangements and School Reform March 2014 2 Contents Introduction ................................................................................................... 4 Background .................................................................................................... 5 Section 1: Précis of previous submissions ...................................................... 6 A. Queensland state schools in rural and remote settings ............................. 6 B. Queensland state schools in regional centres ............................................ 9 C. Queensland state schools in metropolitan areas ..................................... 11 Section 2: National Partnerships schools on the road to success .................. 14 A. Harris Fields State School ....................................................................... 14 B. Redbank Plains State High School ........................................................... 16 C. Glenala State High School ....................................................................... 17 D. Cairns West State School ........................................................................ 18 E. Urangan Point State School .................................................................... 20 Section 3: The “Great Results Guarantee” .................................................... 21 Distribution of federal funds in Queensland: The “Great Results Guarantee” ..... 21 A critique of the Queensland Great Results Guarantee funding model ............... 22 Recommendations ....................................................................................... 25 Appendix 1 - List of Queensland schools who made submissions in 2011 ..... 27 Appendix 2 - Great Results Guarantee – fact sheet and plan ........................ 41 Appendix 3 - Great Results Guarantee funding allocations ........................... 51 Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, QTU, PO Box 1750, Milton QLD 4064 3 Terms of Reference The Select Committee on School Funding has been tasked to inquire into and report on the development and implementation of national school funding arrangements and school reform, with particular reference to: a. the implementation of needs-based funding arrangements, from 1 January 2014, for all schools and school systems, including: i. Commonwealth funding, methods for the distribution of funds, funding arrangements and agreements with states and territories, as well as related accountability and transparency measures ii. funding arrangements for individual schools iii. the extent to which schools can anticipate their total future funding and links to educational programs in future years iv. the consequential equity of educational opportunity between states and territories, schools and students v. progress towards the Schooling Resource Standard vi. the implementation of schools reforms b. how funding arrangements will meet the needs of all schools and individual students, including Indigenous students, students with disability, small schools, remote schools, students with limited English, and students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds c. the Government’s proposed changes to the Australian Education Act 2013, related legislative instruments and their consequences d. the economic impacts of school education policy e. the Government’s consideration of expert findings, research, public consultation and reports in the development and implementation of school policy, including the selection of experts to provide advice on education policy f. any related matters. Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, QTU, PO Box 1750, Milton QLD 4064 4 The Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) submission will focus specifically on terms of reference a) (i) (ii) and (iii) and b). This submission builds on the submissions made to the 2011 Review of Funding for Schooling, and subsequent findings and report released in 2012, known as 'The Gonski Report'. This submission asserts that all the recommendations in the Gonksi Report should be implemented. The QTU firmly endorses the Gonski Report’s statements that: “Every child should have access to the best possible education, regardless of where they live, the income of their family or the school they attend. “...the key to achieving this vision is to strengthen the current national schooling reforms through funding reform.” Further, that Australia “must prioritise support for its lowest performing students”i. Introduction The QTU represents more than 43,000 teachers and principals working in the Queensland Government’s primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, TAFE colleges and other educational facilities. Our members work in every corner of this vast state, from large metropolitan schools to single teacher primary schools in remote locations. This submission is based on the QTU's belief that education is the basis on which our nation’s future economic prosperity and social equity will be built. This view is shared by everyday Queenslanders, who have recognised the importance of education. The number one priority, as voted by the delegates at the Brisbane Summit of the Queensland Plan is, Education that is flexible, affordable and accessible to all, including rural, remote and disadvantaged. In preparing this submission, the QTU draws on the hundreds of submissions made by individual Queensland schools in the 2011 review. We have summarised the key points and provided an overview of the 2011 submissions in section 1. In section 2 we provide case studies showcasing the success achieved by schools who have received extra funding under the National Partnerships program. Finally, in section 3, we discuss the Great Results Guarantee program, the Queensland Government’s current approach to distributing the additional funds provided by the federal government as a result of the Students First - A Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, QTU, PO Box 1750, Milton QLD 4064 5 fairer funding for schools initiative. It is our hope that this submission will convince the review committee of the need for increased funding for all schools and the introduction of a needs based funding model, as recommended by the Gonski Report in 2012. The QTU welcomes the opportunity to submit to this inquiry into the development of national school funding arrangements and school reform. Background The QTU endorses the position of the Australian Education Union regarding the 2011 Review of Funding for Schooling (the ‘Gonski Review’) and subsequent recommendations, as expressed in its submission. The AEU submission states that the Gonksi Review: “...established that as a nation we invest too little in education and that our funding arrangements are inequitable, inefficient and failing too many of our children. Driven largely by political accommodations rather than the needs of students and schools, they have resulted in achievement and educational attainment gaps between students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from more advantaged backgrounds which are greater than in any comparable nation. “It found that those most affected by the inequities in our funding system are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged students, including those with disabilities and special needs, and the schools that serve them; predominantly schools in the public sector.” Further, the AEU submission states that “the review made a series of recommendations for long overdue major reform of our schools funding arrangements. “At the heart of these recommendations was the call for a national commitment to substantially increased investment in education and a fairer, more equitable funding system. These two measures would help lift Australia’s educational achievement by ensuring all schools have the resources they need to educate every student to a high standard, no matter what their background.”ii The QTU hopes to convince the review committee of the need for increased funding for all schools and the introduction of a needs based funding model, as recommended by the Gonski Report in 2012. Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, QTU, PO Box 1750, Milton QLD 4064 6 Section 1: Précis of previous submissions When the federal school funding review called for submissions in 2011, close to 400 Queensland state school communities, approximately one third of all Queensland public schools, made detailed submissions to the review panel. The names of these schools are listed in appendix 1. The characteristics, challenges and opportunities in those communities remain the same in 2014. In précis, the following sets out profiles of Queensland state schools in: A. rural and remote settings B. regional centres C. metropolitan areas. A. Queensland state schools in rural and remote settings Number of state schools classified as remote - 151 Number of state schools classified as rural – 455 Information from submissions previously made by schools 1. Characteristics of school communities High proportion of small schools (fewer than 150 students), delivering education to up to eight year levels in one classroom. School communities range from long-established rural families to areas of high unemployment, low socio-economic status and a high dependence on welfare; in some rural residential areas, residents live with no power, running water or sewerage. Increasing enrolments of students: with special needs and increasing levels of physical disability;