NSW Department of Education 2018 Annual Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NSW Department of Education Annual Report 2018 education.nsw.gov.au NSW Department of Education Letter of submission to Ministers The Hon. Sarah Mitchell, MLC The Hon. (Don) Donald Thomas Harwin, MLC Minister for Education and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Early Childhood Learning 52 Martin Place 52 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000 Sydney NSW 2000 Dear Ministers, In compliance with the terms of the Annual Reports (Departments) Act 1985, the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 and Regulations under those Acts, I submit the 2018 NSW Department of Education Annual Report for your presentation to the NSW Parliament. The report provides a summary of our services, achievements and operational activities for 2018. This provides the NSW Parliament, the NSW Government and the community with information on our performance over the past year. It covers our services in the areas of early childhood education, public schools and Aboriginal affairs. In addition, the report contains the department’s audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30 June 2018 and appendices as required by legislation. Yours sincerely, Mark Scott AO Secretary NSW Department of Education May 2019 1 Annual Report 2018 Table of contents Letter of submission to Ministers 1 Our school infrastructure meets the needs of a growing population and enables 36 future-focused learning and teaching Secretary’s foreword 3 Community confidence in public About us 5 education is high 39 Our vision 5 Our education system reduces the impact of disadvantage 41 Our purpose 5 Performance report: With Aboriginal Our goals 5 people and communities 44 Our students 6 Our performance targets 44 Aboriginal Affairs 7 Our priorities: With Aboriginal people and communities 45 Aboriginal people and communities 7 The NSW Government plan for Our organisation 8 Aboriginal affairs (OCHRE) 45 Performance report: In early childhood 13 Culture and healing 46 Our performance targets 13 Growing NSW’s first economy 46 Our priorities: In early childhood 14 Strengthening governance and capacity 47 All children make a strong start in life and Strengthening our foundations 47 learning and make a successful transition 14 to school Financial statements 48 Performance report: At school 17 Financial highlights 48 Our performance targets 17 Financial statements 50 Our priorities: At school 27 Appendices 77 Every student is known, valued and cared for in our schools 27 Every student, every teacher, every leader and every school improves every year 29 All young people finish school well prepared for higher education, training and work 32 Education is a great place to work and our workforce is of the highest calibre 33 education.nsw.gov.au 2 NSW Department of Education Secretary’s foreword We launched our Strategic Plan 2018-2022 at the It’s important to us that, once they get to school, beginning of 2018. It challenges our schools and every child is known, valued and cared for – and education system to place students at the centre this needs to be the case all the way through to the of everything we do. Our purpose is to prepare end of high school. To guide that aspiration, children for rewarding lives as engaged citizens in we tasked three expert principals-in-residence a complex and dynamic society. Our vision is to be with finding the best practice in the state. Australia’s best education system – and one of the Together with our Centre for Education Statistics finest in the world. and Evaluation, they developed a digital toolkit that provides resources and support for schools. These are lofty ambitions, but I am confident that we are putting the right strategies in place to To improve quality teaching in schools, we are make them happen. This has been a busy year increasing the number of teachers at Highly and I am pleased to say that we are making Accomplished and Lead teacher levels. In good progress. June 2018, the department held its first Highly Accomplished and Lead teacher forum. We have We are currently implementing the School established a Mastery of Teaching Program. We Leadership Strategy, which is a big part of how are also working hard to lift the administrative we will help every student, every teacher, every burden from teachers and principals so they leader and every school to improve every year. In can focus on teaching and learning to improve 2018, we engaged more directors, educational student outcomes. In 2018, we’ve made significant leadership, and created a new school leadership progress, saving an estimated 280,000 hours role to provide principals with better guidance per year across the department. and practical support. In 2018, we established the School Leadership Institute, where we will train the We developed a new strategy for supporting next generation of school leaders. We reviewed our students with disability in our schools. We want to educational services area and focused on having make sure we are supporting our most vulnerable the right support wrapped around schools, tailored students and our most complex learners with an to meet their specific needs. inclusive strategy that is committed to diversity We know that setting high expectations for all is and ensures great opportunities for all. the key to student success. In 2018, we continued to implement the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy Our work to improve the lives of Aboriginal people 2017-2020. The aim of this new approach is to in NSW is ongoing through OCHRE (opportunity, identify where every individual student is on the choice, healing, responsibility, empowerment), the continuum, pay close attention to what they can NSW Government’s community-focused plan for do and decide the next step in their learning. Aboriginal affairs. The first independent evaluation We also provided support to schools as they of the plan supported our conviction that OCHRE implemented NSW syllabuses for the is focusing on the outcomes that Aboriginal people Australian curriculum. This included online and in NSW believe are important. face-to-face professional learning. In rural and remote locations, we also provided dedicated In 2018, we developed the Department of virtual networks and local initiatives. Education’s first Reconciliation Action Plan, which we will launch in 2019. My vision is that We know that success in school starts early, which the department, and each individual in it, shares is why we are very excited about a landmark a deep respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait expansion of the Start Strong program. From Islander peoples as Australia’s First Nation Peoples. 2019, the department will extend funding to 3-year-old children in community preschools. This Through our work on Education for a Changing will make NSW the first state in Australia to provide World, we continued to focus on how to equip all children with access to two years of preschool. young people for a world that will be transformed 3 Annual Report 2018 Secretary’s foreword by technology. In 2018, we hosted a panel of academics, practitioners and business personalities to discuss the implications for education of artificial intelligence and other emerging trends. We also commissioned and launched a report on these themes, Future Frontiers Analytical Report: Preparing for the best and worst of times. We are continuing to deliver on the NSW Government’s significant investment in school infrastructure. Around $6 billion over the next four years will provide more than 170 new and upgraded schools. There is $847 million available for school maintenance over four years, along with $500 million for the Cooler Classrooms program to provide air conditioning to schools. Whether working from our new corporate home in Parramatta, our regional offices, or in one of more than 2,200 public schools across the state, we are determined to place children and young people at the centre of our system. We are working as one team in the service of our students. Mark Scott AO Secretary NSW Department of Education education.nsw.gov.au 4 NSW Department of Education About us Children and young people are at the centre of Our goals all our decision-making. Our Strategic Plan 2018-2022 outlines the We ensure young children get the best start following goals: in life by supporting and regulating the early childhood education sector. 1. All children make a strong start in life and learning and make a successful transition We are the largest provider of education in to school. Australia, with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of 2. Every student is known, valued and cared for in the NSW student population. Our public schools our schools. service the diverse range of communities across 3. Every student, every teacher, every leader and the state, enabling all children and young people every school improves every year. to have access to quality education. 4. Every student is engaged and challenged to We respect and value Aboriginal people as continue to learn. Australia’s First Nation Peoples. We also work closely with the non-government school and 5. All young people have a strong foundation higher education sectors. in literacy and numeracy; a deep content knowledge; and confidence in their ability to Our vision learn, adapt and be responsible citizens. 6. All young people finish school well prepared To be Australia’s best education system and one for higher education, training and work. of the finest in the world. 7. Education is a great place to work and our Our purpose workforce is of the highest calibre. 8. Our school infrastructure meets the To prepare young people for rewarding lives needs of a growing population and enables as engaged citizens in a complex and future-focused learning and teaching. dynamic society. 9. Community confidence in public education is high.