School education: a quick guide to key internet links

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This Quick Guide provides links to information about:

The national policy and administrative framework for school education
Australian Government funding for schools
individual schools
statistical sources—including student achievement statistics and other international statistics
Indigenous school education
Australian organisations
international organisations and overseas education departments and
state and territory government websites.

National policy and administrative framework

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians agreed to by the Australian Government and state and territory government education ministers in 2008, sets the goals and directions for Australian schooling.
The Department of Education and Training (DET) has major responsibility for Australian Government school education programs.
Australian Government school education programs and funding for Indigenous school students are administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which has primary responsibility for Indigenous affairs, and the Department of Education and Training.
The Education Council is a standing council of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Its membership includes Australian Government and state and territory government education ministers and New Zealand ministers with portfolio responsibility for school education and/or early childhood. It replaced the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) from 1 July 2014. The Education Council’s website includes an archive of the publications and communiques of the SCSEEC and its predecessors.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is responsible for the development of the Australian curriculum, the National Assessment Program, which includes the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), and national data collection and reporting, which includes My School.
The National Report on Schooling in Australia, published by ACARA since 2009, provides an overview of school education in Australia, key statistics and funding information. Earlier editions (1989–2008) were published by the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) and its predecessors and are available on the Education Council’s website.
The annual Report on Government Services, published by the Productivity Commission, provides an overview of school education in Australia, key statistics and funding information—it provides comparative data for the Australian and state and territory governments.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) provides ‘national leadership for the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments in promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership’. AITSL has developed standards and provides resources across three focus areas—initial teacher education (including maintaining an accredited programs list), school leadership and teaching.
School term dates.

Australian Government funding for schools

From 2014

Australian Government funding for schools is provided under the Australian Education Act 2013 (the Act) and the Australian Education Regulation 2013.
The Act was amended in 2017 and changes to Australian Government school funding arrangements are in place from 2018. DET’s Quality Schools fact sheets explain the changes and the transitional arrangements that are in place for 2018.
The School Funding Estimator, available on the DET website, provides estimated Australian Government per student funding for all schools for each year from 2018 to 2021 and for 2027 as well as some brief overall funding information.
The National School Resourcing Board was established in 2017 to undertake reviews of the Australian Government’s arrangements for school funding. The Board’s first review is the Review of the Socio-economic Status (SES) Score Methodology.

Prior to 2014

M Harrington, Australian Government funding for schools explained: 2013 update, Background note, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 8 March 2013. Explains the previous funding arrangements and includes a brief history of Australian Government funding for schools and historic funding and statistical information.
The Report on Financial Assistance Granted to each State in Respect of (year). This annual report provided funding information by program, and a summary of general recurrent and capital grants for individual non-government schools, under the previous systems of Australian Government funding for schools. From 2009, summary information about government schools was not included because of changes in school funding arrangements introduced in 2009. The last issue was for 2013.

Information about individual schools

The My School website, managed by ACARA, provides information about all schools in Australia and includes key statistical data, financial information and school-wide National Assessment Program (literacy and numeracy) results.
The Australian Schools List, developed by ACARA, provides an update of all schools and campuses in Australia obtained from state and territory school registration authorities. The information includes school location, school type and school sector attributes.
The School Funding Estimator, available on the DET website, provides, for all schools, estimated Australian Government per student funding for each year from 2018 to 2021 and for 2027 as well as some brief overall funding information.
M Harrington, Schools by Commonwealth Electoral Division, Parliamentary Library, Canberra. Information includes school name, school type (primary, secondary, combined, special) and address. For non-government schools, campus information and affiliation are also provided. The website includes a list of school enrolments by electorate. (Note: this item is only available to members of Parliament.)

Statistics

Schools, Australia, published annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The National Report on Schooling in Australia provides an overview of school education in Australia, key statistics and funding information. Earlier editions (1989–2008) were published by the MCEECDYA and its predecessors.
The annual Report on Government Services, published by the Productivity Commission, provides an overview of school education in Australia, key statistics and funding information—it provides comparative data for the Australian and state and territory governments.
See also links to Indigenous school education statistical information in the ‘Indigenous school education’ section below.

Student achievement statistics

The National Assessment Program (NAP), managed by ACARA, includes the annual National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and three-yearly NAP Sample Assessments in Science Literacy, Civics and Citizenship, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a three-yearly international survey of the reading, mathematics and science capabilities of 15-year-old students.
Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS), a project of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), is a five-yearly international assessment of the reading ability of students in Year 4.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), an IEA project, is a four-yearly international survey of the mathematics and science achievement of students in Year 4 and Year 8.

Other international statistics

Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators provides annual comparative data on the education systems of member and partner countries of the OECD.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.

Indigenous school education

Australian Government school education programs and funding for Indigenous school students are administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), which has primary responsibility for Indigenous affairs, and the Department of Education and Training.
The DPMC’s Indigenous school education programs are provided under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (see also the Government’s 1967 Referendum—50th Anniversary Indigenous Education Package).
The Children and schooling component of the National Partnership on Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment provides funding for initiatives in remote and very remote schools (latest details of this funding are set out in Budget Paper No. 3 2017–18).
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 2015 (the Strategy), agreed to by Australian Government and state and territory government education ministers, sets out the principles and priorities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.
The National Indigenous Reform Agreement (Closing the Gap) (the Agreement) established the education targets for Indigenous Australians. Progress against the targets is reported in the Productivity Commission’s performance assessment report on the Agreement and the Prime Minister’s annual Closing the Gap report.
Productivity Commission statistical reports:

Australian organisations

The following are some educational organisations that represent the interests of school education stakeholders and/or undertake research relating to school education. The Australasian Education Directory (available through Informit) provides a comprehensive listing of educational organisations.

Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia
Australian Council for Educational Research
Australian Council of Deans of Education
Australian Council of State School Organisations
Australian Education Union (AEU)—includes links to state and territory AEU branches and associated bodies
Australian Parents Council—represents the interests of parents of non-government school students
Australian Primary Principals Association
Australian Secondary Principals Association
Independent Education Union of Australia
Independent Schools Council of Australia
National Catholic Education Commission—includes links to state and territory Catholic Education Commissions

International organisations and overseas education departments

International organisations

The European Community’s Eurydice Network provides information about, and analysis of, European education systems and policies.
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)—Early Childhood and Schools
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Overseas education departments

Canada—the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada is an intergovernmental body of the Canadian provincial ministers of education. It provides links to the education ministries of each Canadian province. Note: there is no federal education department.
China—Ministry of Education
Great Britain—Department for Education
New Zealand—Ministry of Education
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development—list of education ministries of member countries. Note: not all information will be in English.
Singapore—Ministry of Education
United States:
- federal Department of Education—includes links to state education departments
- Education Commission of the States provides access to information about federal and state education policies, legislation, research and statistics.

State and territory government websites

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

New South Wales (NSW)

Find a NSW government school
Find a NSW non-government school
Department of Education
NSW Education Standards Authority—includes responsibility for non-government schools.

Northern Territory (NT)

Queensland

South Australia (SA)

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia (WA)

Find a WA government school
Find a WA non-government school—Catholic schools and independent schools
Department of Education
School Curriculum and Standards Authority
Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia

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