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Transforming Systems

Our final session, Transforming Systems, delves into the critical role of equitable and effective funding and regulatory models in shaping educational outcomes. Currently, systemic and sectoral inequities, and political cycles hinder our ability to create a truly equitable and high-performing education system. 

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A core issue is the need to deliver complete and transparent funding of all schools to 100% of the School Resourcing Standard as a minimum. There has been considerable progress this year toward reaching this goal through the negotiations for the Better Fairer Schools Agreement, yet, many schools,  will remain underfunded for some years to come.  

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Education resourcing requires a long-term vision and stability that transcends political fluctuations. Currently, political priorities and battles often disrupt education planning and hinder sustained progress. How can our Australia Federation come together to consider more sustainable funding distribution models at an arms length from politics?

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The current definition of ICSEA, based on broad socioeconomic indicators, often fails to capture localised pockets of disadvantage, leading to inadequate resource allocation. A comprehensive review of ICSEA, incorporating more granular data and accounting for the concentrations of disadvantage that are increasing, would improve our chances of ensuring equitable funding.

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Beyond funding, how can we move more quickly to address the complex challenges faced by highly disadvantaged communities through whole-of-government responses? These challenges often involve interconnected issues like poverty, housing instability, and limited access to essential services. Coordinated action and collaboration between various government departments and agencies are essential for providing integrated support and resources to these communities and empowering schools to focus on their core mission of education.

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The inconsistent and inequitable accountabilities in the way schools are regulated is another critical area for reform. Currently publicly funded non-government schools have no restrictions on the fees they can charge; they can pick and choose who can attend, and they can expel a student without approval from the minister or departmental secretary. These factors are undoubtedly contributing to residualisation and enrolment attrition in the public system. Should there not be a commensurate accountability and obligation for the use of public money for all schools? There is growing interest in establishing a fairer, common set of regulations for all schools, and this should be on the national reform agenda. 

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Our current approach to measuring school success is  narrow, relying heavily on ATAR scores. How can we acknowledge the many forms of success our schools deliver, and recognise a broader range of outcomes in providing a more accurate and equitable assessment of school and system performance.​​

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This session invites you to contribute your expertise and insights. How can we ensure equitable and effective school funding and regulatory models? How can we move beyond short-term political cycles and embrace long-term planning in education? How can we develop a more holistic approach to measuring school success? What is required to reorganise our schooling system to enable flexible learning pathways and sustain our school communities for successful futures?

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