Release type: Media Release

Date:

Next steps in school education reform

Ministers:

The Hon Jason Clare MP
Minister for Education

The Australian Government and every State and Territory have now signed up to the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which we finalised this year. 

The $16.5 billion is the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian Government ever and is tied to real practical reforms. 

Yesterday Education Ministers agreed to the next steps in school education reform. 

They include work to: 

  • create a new Australian Teaching and Learning Commission,
  • improve the maths curriculum in the first three years of school, and
  • update the national professional standards for teachers. 

Australian Teaching and Learning Commission 

Ministers agreed in principle to establish a new Australian Teaching and Learning Commission. 

The Commission would bring under one roof: 

  • the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA);
  • the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL);
  • the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO); and
  • Education Services Australia (ESA). 

The Commission would allow for greater co-ordination between curriculum, teaching, assessment, research, and reporting, with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. 

A Working Group will provide advice to Ministers in February on the potential detailed design of the Commission. 

Ministers made clear that this will involve consultation with teachers, school leaders and school staff, First Nations people and unions. 

Maths Curriculum 

Education Ministers agreed to start work on curriculum reform beginning with maths. 

On the advice of ACARA, Education Ministers have initiated a targeted review of the maths curriculum in the first three years of school (F-2). These first three years of maths are critical. 

This maths curriculum review has been prioritised because: 

  • Maths learning is highly cumulative so we have to get the early foundations right.
  • Teachers have flagged challenges with the implementation of the current early maths curriculum. 

This is the first targeted review of the curriculum Education Ministers have agreed to as part of a ten-year curriculum review cycle. 

This is keyhole surgery to improve the parts of the curriculum that need it most. 

These curriculum reforms are about making sure we can prioritise key parts of the curriculum while responding to the feedback teachers have given about workload. 

National Teacher Standards Reform 

Ministers asked the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to scope a review of Teacher Standards. This was a recommendation of the recent Teacher Workforce Roundtable. 

The Teacher Standards have not been updated since they were adopted 15 years ago. 

AITSL will present a proposal to Education Ministers in February. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare: 

“This is the next big step in school reform. 

“A basic grasp of maths is critical. 

“The evidence is really clear. If you get maths, it helps to set you up for success. It’s critical for life and work. 

“Maths helps us make better decisions and boosts productivity. 

“And it’s really important that you get the basics early. 

“If you don’t get the basics right at the start, you can’t build on it. 

“The first three years of school are crucial for reading and maths. Every moment counts. 

“How maths is taught is really important. It is cumulative. You learn it step by step. 

“A number of principals and teachers have told us the current maths curriculum is too complex. 

“Others have told us teachers need more support to implement the curriculum, with clear advice on what to teach in what order. 

“That’s why we’re bringing forward work on the current maths curriculum for the start of school and creating better materials to help teachers. 

“This is just one of the things we need to do. 

“Explicit teaching is important and States are starting to roll that out. 

“We have also got to identify really early the children who are falling behind and need more help. 

“That’s what the Year 1 Numeracy Check is all about, and it starts to roll out next year. 

“We have also got to provide children who fall behind with more help. That’s why we are funding catch up tutoring. 

“It’s time we took a look at the Teacher Standards too. 

“We need standards that reflect what’s going on in the classroom today, that back in teachers and support great teaching.”