Education State: More Confidence For Every Parent And The Best Chance For Every Child

The Andrews Labor Government is making Victoria the Education State, providing $747 million in extra funds to deliver great schools for every community and great teachers in every classroom.

$566 million of the funding will be targeted to help schools and students most in need, to break the cycle of disadvantage.

The extra funding will flow from the start of the 2016 school year, over four years.

It’s all part of our plan to help kids learn, give parents confidence and provide the resources that teachers need. Under the plan, every single student in every single government school will be better off.

The 2015/16 Victorian Budget was the single biggest injection of education funding in Victorian history by providing almost $4 billion in additional funds. We are building and upgrading schools and helping families with the costs of uniforms, glasses, camps, excursions and more.

Our Budget built the foundations of the Education State, but the next step is all about helping our kids learn, giving parents confidence, and giving teachers the resources and skills they need to do what they do best.

We need to focus on strong school leadership, better teaching, more collaboration between teachers and schools, and resources targeted at student need – all of it backed up by expert advice and robust evidence.

Over the last few months, thousands of Victorians told us that our schools are ‘good’. The system isn’t broken, but more work needs to be done. We must take our schools from good to great, and we must support the kids who need extra help.

That’s why, from the start of the 2016 school year, we are investing:

• An extra $566 million over four years and $171 million ongoing in programs targeted at kids who need extra help at school – giving them the individual, tailored attention they need
• $21.6 million to support government school teachers teach the new Victorian Curriculum – including mandatory new subjects like digital coding and respectful relationships
• $82.2 million over four years and $24.8 million ongoing for approximately 150 locally-based staff to provide operational support and advice to principals, so they can focus on students
• $27 million over five years to train 200 Primary Maths and Science Specialists working in 100 of our most disadvantaged schools
• $12.1 million over four years and $3 million ongoing to double principal training numbers and increase training for aspiring principals
• $13.2 million over four years and $4.8 million ongoing to establish and operate LOOKOUT Education Support Centres for the 6,000 school-aged kids in out-of-home-care
• $8.6 million over two years to help re-engage Victorian students who drop out of school and training each year
• The remainder $18 million to complete a new online assessment portal that will help teachers track students’ progress against the new curriculum efficiently

The extra support being provided to teachers and principals will be accompanied by a new emphasis on collaboration and accountability, including a set of statewide targets that will help focus on students.

We want to see more students reaching the highest levels of reading, maths and science. At the same time, we want our schools to give students the skills they need for work and life: confidence, resilience, and the capacity for critical and creative thinking. We also want more kids to take part in physical activity at school.

This is also about breaking the link between a child’s social and economic background and how well they do at school. Our aim is to significantly reduce the number of kids who drop out of school and training every year.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“This is about confidence for every parent and a chance for every child.”

“Our education system isn’t broken – but we can absolutely make it better. We can break the cycle of disadvantage and build a brighter future for everyone.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, James Merlino

“The world is changing, and our education system has to keep up with it. We need more maths and science teachers, digital coding in the classroom, and schools that prepare our kids for work and life.”

“We’re making Victoria the Education State. Schools will get $747 million in extra funds over the next four years, with billions of dollars already flowing into the education system to improve buildings and improve young lives.”