National School Reform Agreement Review finds schools need to lift student performance to gain Federal funding

Australian schools will have to meet strict new learning and student wellbeing targets to obtain Federal funding worth $26b a year after a shocking report found 90,000 children are failing basic tests.

The Productivity Commission’s Review of the National School Reform Agreement, released on Friday, recommended redesigning the agreement to pay more attention to lifting students’ academic results and supporting wellbeing.

Taxpayer spending on schools will be targeted to small-group ­remedial tuition, better teacher training, and more practical and professional support for dis­advan­taged and disengaged students.

The PC report revealed children whose parents dropped out of high school are falling five years behind their peers in high school, and are still reading at primary school level by the time they reach year 9.

Almost one in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students speak English as a second language, compounding increasing truancy and dropout rates.

It was also revealed many schools are punishing traumatised or disabled students, instead of providing the support and care they need to achieve best results.

The PC’s focused on the “most needed’’ areas of reform, including “clear and measurable targets for academic achievement’’, as well as a focus on student wellbeing, and specific targets to reduce the number of students failing minimum standards for reading, writing and maths.

The report also recommended small-group tuition and better teacher training be incorporated into the next agreement.

“Each year, almost 90,000 students do not meet minimum standards for reading or numeracy in NAPLAN (the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy),” commissioner Natalie Siegel Brown said.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students in outer regional and remote Australia, and students of parents with low educational attainment are three times more likely to fall behind than other students.

“The commission recommends each state and territory should set a target to reduce the share of­ students who are falling behind.”

The PC wants governments to focus on student wellbeing, with more support for teachers to identify and help troubled students, and pathways for students to get help outside school.

“Effective teaching is the single most influential ‘in-school’ factor for creating an effective learning environment. Compared to many countries, our teachers work longer hours but have less time for activities that make a real difference in the classroom,” Ms Siegel-Brown said.

“Teacher shortages also mean we are asking many teachers to teach subjects they are not trained to teach.”

Ms Siegel-Brown said governments had announced reforms to address these issues and the Commission suggested further reforms, which could help ease these pressures on teachers.

“Many students experience challenges to their wellbeing and can have difficulty engaging at school. We recommend the next intergovernmental agreement recognise wellbeing as a priority and governments take steps to support all schools to adopt effective wellbeing strategies,” she said.

The NSRA outlines eight National Policy Initiatives to lift outcomes in student achievement, attainment and engagement.