NATIONAL REFORMS. Parties acknowledge the significant existing national, state, territory, and sectoral effort and investment in Australia’s education system. All governments and schooling sectors are committed to improvement and to building on the significant strengths of Australia’s education system and the progress already made. In considering national reform activities in the context of this 2025 Agreement, the following taxonomy is applied: National Reform Directions National Reform Directions capture activities committed to by Parties to the 2025 Agreement which will contribute to the Objectives and Outcomes in Part 2. National Reform Directions are commitments to areas of action by all Parties, with flexibility in delivery provided to reflect existing state and territory reform agendas, local needs, and the diverse context in which schooling is delivered across Australia. Details of activities against the National Reform Directions will be outlined in Bilateral Agreements for each state and territory. National Enabling Initiatives National Enabling Initiatives are specific activities that require collaboration between all Parties to be achieved. National Enabling Initiatives will enable Parties to effectively implement future reform efforts and system-level improvements. Implementation milestones for National Enabling Initiatives are outlined in Schedule B. National Reform Directions Parties commit to continue (and/or build on if specified) existing efforts in the areas of equity and excellence, wellbeing for learning and engagement, and a strong and sustainable workforce for all students and particularly those in priority equity cohorts through: Equity and excellence Initiatives that identify student learning needs early and provide tiered and targeted, intensive supports, in line with evidence-based teaching and a ‘multi‑tiered systems of support’ approach Wellbeing for learning and engagement Initiatives which support student engagement in learning, for example through greater student participation, attendance, inclusion and/or enhanced school-family engagement A strong and sustainable workforce Implementing initiatives which support the attraction and retention of the teacher workforce, for example, actions under the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan and/or recommendations of Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel Parties acknowledge that states and territories will continue existing reform activities aligned to the National Reform Direction to reflect their individual contexts and existing efforts, and the funding arrangements in Part 3. The detail regarding any specific activities to be undertaken in respect of the National Reform Directions will be outlined in the Bilateral Agreements at Schedule D. Parties will co-operate with the non-government school sector in the implementation of National Reform Directions where appropriate, reflecting that the non-government school sector will have flexibility in delivery of each National Reform Direction to reflect their individual contexts and existing efforts, and noting that states and territories will not be responsible should a non-government approved authority not meet its obligations under the Act. The implementation of Bilateral Agreements is a condition of Commonwealth funding to states and territories under subsection 22(2) of the Act. States and territories will not be held accountable for non-government approved authorities not meeting its obligations under the Act. Nor will the non-government school sector be held accountable for a state or territory not meeting its obligations under this 2025 Agreement. National Enabling Initiatives The Parties agree to the National Enabling Initiatives set out at Schedule B. Each National Enabling Initiative project will have a Project Plan, endorsed by Education Ministers, which will appropriately scope the project, set out the Parties’ joint commitment to coordination of effort, specific actions to be taken by Parties, and a timeline for implementation (see the milestones outlined in Schedule B). Consistent with Action 20 of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, a Teacher Workload Impact Assessment will be prepared, in consultation with states and territories, the non-government school sector and unions, as part of the development of the Project Plan which is presented to Education Ministers Meeting on each National Enabling Initiative. Ministers will have regard to this assessment when considering each Project Plan. The implementation of the National Enabling Initiatives as outlined in Schedule B is a condition of Commonwealth funding to states and territories under subsection 22 of the Act. Education Ministers Meeting may vary Schedule B over time. The cost of National Enabling Initiatives will be met by Parties according to the cost sharing principles outlined in Schedule C, or as otherwise agreed by Education Ministers Meeting, including alternate cost sharing arrangements for specific National Enabling Initiatives where agreed. Parties will co-operate with the non-government school sector in the implementation of National Enabling Initiatives, noting that states and territories will not be responsible for the non-government school sector or a non-government approved authority not implementing National Enabling Initiatives. If the Education Ministers Meeting agrees in future to any new National Enabling Initiatives as related to sections 22(1)(a) and 77(2A) of the Act, these will be separately progressed through Education Ministers Meeting processes. The Commonwealth, in consultation with states and territories and through the Australian Education Senior Officials Committee, will annually report to the Education Ministers Meeting, on the progress of action on the National Enabling Initiatives.
Appears in 1 contract
Sources: Interim School Funding Agreement
NATIONAL REFORMS. Parties acknowledge the significant existing national, state, territory, and sectoral effort and investment in Australia’s education system. All governments and schooling sectors are committed to improvement and to building on the significant strengths of Australia’s education system and the progress already made. In considering national reform activities in the context of this 2025 Agreement, the following taxonomy is applied: National Reform Directions National Reform Directions capture activities committed to by Parties to the 2025 Agreement which will contribute to the Objectives and Outcomes in Part 2. National Reform Directions are commitments to areas of action by all Parties, with flexibility in delivery provided to reflect existing state and territory reform agendas, local needs, needs and the diverse context in which schooling is delivered across Australia. Details of activities against Implementation details for the National Reform Directions will be outlined in Bilateral Agreements for each state and territory. National Enabling Initiatives National Enabling Initiatives are specific activities that require collaboration between all Parties to be achieved. National Enabling Initiatives will enable Parties to effectively implement future reform efforts and system-level improvements. Implementation milestones for National Enabling Initiatives are outlined in Schedule B. National Reform Directions Parties commit to continue (and/or build on if specified) existing efforts in the areas of equity and excellence, wellbeing for learning and engagement, and a strong and sustainable workforce for all students and particularly those in priority equity cohorts through: Equity and excellence Initiatives Whole-of-system and/or whole-of-school approaches that identify student learning needs early and provide tiered and targeted, intensive supports, in line with evidence-based teaching and a ‘multi‑tiered systems of support’ approach A Year 1 phonics check and an early years of schooling numeracy check (once available) is made available to schools in Australia to support teachers and school leaders to identify student learning needs early Initiatives that encourage student uptake of high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education opportunities Wellbeing for learning and engagement Initiatives that support connections between schools and other non‑school services to support students to come to school ready to learn, for example through full-service school models where appropriate Structured initiatives that support wellbeing for learning and engagement, for example in-school wellbeing coordinators or access to School Counsellors, psychologists, mental health workers and/or youth health nurses Initiatives which support student engagement in learning, for example through greater student participation, attendance, inclusion and/or enhanced school-family engagement A strong and sustainable workforce Implementing initiatives Initiatives to develop, recognise, reward and/or deploy highly expert teachers, particularly in schools which need additional support, for example Highly Accomplished or Lead Teachers or equivalents Access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning for teachers and school leaders and the provision of quality-assured curriculum resources that have been developed in partnership with the teaching profession Initiatives to strengthen teacher and school leader wellbeing, for example actions to support the safe and respectful schools, strengthen Aboriginal and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Islander cultural safety, and reduce teacher and school leader workload Initiatives to increase teacher attraction and retention including those that encourage students to take up a career in teaching and increase the diversity of the teacher workforce, for exampleexample initiatives focused on increasing the number of Aboriginal and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Islander educators, or through implementing actions under the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan and/or recommendations of Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel Parties acknowledge that states and territories will continue existing reform activities aligned have flexibility to determine the appropriate level of activity in delivery of each National Reform Direction to reflect their individual contexts and existing efforts, and the funding arrangements in Part 3. The detail regarding any the specific activities to be undertaken in respect of the National Reform Directions will be outlined in the Bilateral Agreements at Schedule D. Parties will co-operate with the non-government school sector in the implementation of National Reform Directions where appropriate, reflecting that the non-government school sector will have flexibility in delivery of each National Reform Direction to reflect their individual contexts and existing efforts, and noting that states and territories will not be responsible should a non-government approved authority not meet its obligations under the Act. The implementation of Bilateral Agreements is a condition of Commonwealth funding to states and territories under subsection 22(2) of the Act. States and territories will not be held accountable for non-government approved authorities not meeting its obligations under the Act. Nor will the non-government school sector be held accountable for a state or territory not meeting its obligations under this 2025 Agreement. National Enabling Initiatives The Parties agree to the following National Enabling Initiatives set out at Schedule B. Initiatives: Review of the SRS base and loadings calculation methodology. The review should include a cost neutral option. Implementation of the Unique Student Identifier for school students. Undertake collective work to better understand and provide advice to Education Ministers on: socioeconomic diversity, its impact on schools and student learning and approaches to addressing these impacts school attendance, its impact on learning and mechanisms to advance evidence-based approaches to addressing non-attendance, including school refusal. Review of the Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia to ensure it remains a relevant tool, including by considering the range of student level outcome data captured, appropriate disaggregation of data, and possible new and updated measures. This Review will include consideration of the costs and benefits (with primacy given to any impact on teacher workload) of: a new measure of student engagement a new equity in learning gain measure, to enable measurement of student learning growth national measures of access, participation and outcomes for students with disability to establish a better understanding of the education experiences and outcomes of schooling for students with disability extending the Australian Teacher Workforce Dataset to ensure that comprehensive data, based on teacher registration, is collected to better understand workforce trends, including on early career retention and diversity, and extending the Australian Teacher Workforce Survey to capture data on out-of-field teaching. Development of an early years of schooling numeracy check to support teachers to assess their students’ numeracy skills and identify and respond to students who need tailored support. Each National Enabling Initiative project will have a Project Plan, endorsed by Education Ministers, which will appropriately scope the project, set out the Parties’ joint commitment to coordination of effort, specific actions to be taken by Parties, Parties and a timeline for implementation (see the milestones outlined in Schedule B). Consistent with Action 20 of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, a Teacher Workload Impact Assessment will be prepared, in consultation with states and territories, the non-government school sector and unions, as part of the development of the Project Plan which is presented to Education Ministers Meeting on each National Enabling Initiative. Ministers will have regard to this assessment when considering each Project Plan. The implementation of the National Enabling Initiatives as outlined in Schedule B is a condition of Commonwealth funding to states and territories under subsection section 22 of the Act. Education Ministers Meeting may vary Schedule B over time. The cost of National Enabling Initiatives will be met by Parties according to the cost sharing principles outlined in Schedule C, or as otherwise agreed by Education Ministers Meeting, including alternate cost sharing arrangements for specific National Enabling Initiatives Initiatives, where agreed. Parties will co-operate with the non-government school sector in the implementation of National Enabling Initiatives, noting that states and territories will not be responsible for the non-government school sector or a non-government approved authority not implementing National Enabling Initiatives. If the Education Ministers Meeting agrees in future to any new National Enabling Initiatives as related to sections 22(1)(a) and 77(2A) of the Act, these will be separately progressed through Education Ministers Meeting processes. The Commonwealth, in consultation with states and territories and through the Australian Education Senior Officials Committee, will annually report to the Education Ministers Meeting, Meeting on the progress of action on the National Enabling Initiatives.
Appears in 1 contract
Sources: Better and Fairer Schools Agreement