Results are in: First school report card

This week the Albanese Government is releasing the first report card on the implementation of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement. This week also marks one year since every state and territory signed up to that Agreement.

When Labor came to government in 2022 every non-government school was fully funded or on track to be. But no public school outside the ACT was.

The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement fixes that. Once and for all. It’s the biggest new investment by an Australian Government in public education ever. An additional $16.5 billion in public schools across the country over the next decade and an extra $50 billion in the decade after that.

The agreement is not just about funding. It’s not a blank cheque. It includes clear targets and practical reforms for school attendance, literacy and numeracy and students finishing high school.

That includes evidence-based teaching, phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify children who need additional support and small group tutoring for students who need to catch up and keep up.

It also includes reforms to support the health and wellbeing of students, and to boost the strength of our most important asset in every school – our incredible teachers.

The report card shows early signs of good news.

From 2017 to 2023 the number of kids finishing high school declined. Now this is starting to turn around. In 2017 we hit a peak of 84.8% but every year after that it dropped to 79.1% in 2023. Now it’s starting to turn around.

Over the last decade, school attendance rates have also dropped. They dropped from 92.7% in 2014 to 86.5% in 2022. This has also started to turn around.

Teacher shortage data follows a similar trend. Between 2017 and 2023 the number of people starting a teaching degree dropped by 22%. In the last few years, it has bounced back – up 20%. This year preliminary data indicates domestic undergraduate university offers are up another 6.3%.

Last year NAPLAN showed improved results, particularly in numeracy.

That’s good, but it’s just the start. There’s a lot more to do.

That’s what the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is all about.

Quotes attributable to Federal Education Minister Jason Clare:

“Attendance is going back up. Teacher numbers are going back up. The number of students finishing high school is going back up.

“This is good news but it’s just the start. There’s a lot more work to do. That’s what this Agreement is all about.

“It’s the biggest investment in public schools ever and it’s not a blank cheque.

“It’s tied to real reforms.

“Things like evidence-based teaching, phonics checks, numeracy checks and small group tutoring.

“The Liberals did a lot of damage when they were last in power.

“They cut funding to public schools and after that, attendance dropped, the number of teaching students dropped, and the number of kids finishing high school dropped.

“Literacy and numeracy rates also flatlined.

“We’re fixing this.

“This report shows we’re making progress, but there’s a lot more work to do.”