Reports and Publications

Developing a new national children’s education and care workforce strategy
In March 2019, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) undertook preliminary research and analysis of the children’s education and care workforce on behalf of all Australian governments. The resulting report, Progressing a national approach to the children’s education and care workforce, was noted by Education Ministers in December 2019, who subsequently endorsed the development of a new national workforce strategy.

ACECQA is leading the development of the strategy and supporting action plan, for consideration by Education Ministers in mid 2021. Recognising that the complexity of workforce issues cannot be addressed by any one jurisdiction or organisation, the strategy will be developed as a joint partnership between governments and the sector.  Progressing a national approach to the children’s education and care workforce is a point in time analysis of the children’s education and care workforce and while it was written before the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, its content remains relevant when considering the children’s education and care workforce.

Encouraging healthy eating in schools
Two documents are available regarding efforts to encourage healthy eating in schools:

• Joint statement from the former COAG Health Council and Education Councils.
• The Good Practice Guide supporting healthy eating and drinking in schools.

National School Reform Agreement: 2019 Annual Report on progress in implementing the National Policy Initiatives
On 4 September 2020, Education Council approved the 2019 annual report on the implementation of the national policy initiatives under the National School Reform Agreement. The report has been completed as per clause 53(a) of the National School Reform Agreement using the template at Schedule C. The report captures a full year of progress towards implementing the national reforms against the original timing of milestones detailed in Schedule B as at that period of time.  

Review of Senior Secondary Pathways into work, further education and training
The Review of Senior Secondary Pathways into work, further education and training is one of eight national policy initiatives under the National School Reform Agreement. In June 2019, Education Council appointed Professor Peter Shergold AC to Chair the review, along with a panel of experts. The Review Panel was tasked by Education Council with exploring the efficacy of senior secondary education in preparing young people for diverse pathways to work and future learning; investigating current certification and university entrance requirements; considering barriers to equitable access of pathways; and examining best-practice options for the students transitioning between senior secondary years and from school into work, training or further study. The final report of the Review, Looking to the future, was delivered to Education Council in June 2020. Education Council will consider the recommendations of the independent panel over the coming months and develop a formal response to the report. Further information is available at www.pathwaysreview.edu.au.

National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access Review Report 
[please note an emended version of this report was uploaded on 30 October 2020 to correct a transcription error that lead to data for Western Australia/South Australia and Northern Territory/Australian Capital Territory being reversed. The error relates to data in Figure 10; a reference to Figure 10 on page 87; and Appendix G]

The review has found that the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access (NP UA) has made a substantial contribution to the provision of preschool in all states and territories. All jurisdictions – state, territory and federal - remain strongly committed to the delivery of quality early childhood education and the objectives of this agreement.

The review has involved detailed consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, who have clearly articulated the value of the NP UA and recognised its contribution to access to early childhood education.
The NP UA has brought about a massive lift in preschool participation across Australia in less than 10 years, although there is more to do to encourage vulnerable and disadvantaged cohorts to engage in early childhood education and to resolve the unanswered questions of some jurisdictions around equity in national preschool funding arrangements.  While preschool objectives in Australia are uniform, delivery models differ across the eight states and territories consistent with jurisdictional flexibility. In some jurisdictions, education is the primary driver of engagement and participation in preschool, where other delivery models interact with workforce participation.

The Review Report finds this flexibility has been a key strength in the provision of universal access to preschool, though further work is required to maximise participation in early childhood education in each jurisdiction. The mix of services and the allocation of state and commonwealth funding between them differs across jurisdictions. This reflects local circumstances, historic infrastructure investment and different pathways to achieving universal access.

These contextual differences help to explain differing views held by some jurisdictions about findings in the report relating to the intersection between NP UA funding and the Child Care Subsidy, which both accrue to children who are enrolled in preschool through centre based day care (CBDC) providers. These differences require further consideration that will require the exploration and examination of funding data from CBDC providers, which the Review did not consider. Some jurisdictions do not consider that questions of funding equity in preschool have been resolved. Western Australia and Tasmania, in particular, have strong concerns in relation to Findings 9, 10 and 24 of the Review Report.

The review recommends that further work would need to be undertaken to design future funding models.
Education Council agrees that the report is an input into consideration of a long-term national approach for early childhood education policy and funding arrangements.


Review of the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority
The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) is an independent national authority that assists governments in administering the National Quality Framework (NQF) for children’s education and care. The independent Review of ACECQA was recently completed and a summary Review report is now available here. An accessible word version is attached here.

The purpose of the ACECQA Review was to ensure that ACECQA’s operations remain fit for purpose in the current early childhood education and care environment, and in line with the objectives and guiding principles of the Education and Care Services National Law.  The Review was conducted by independent consultants KPMG between April and October 2019 on behalf of the Education Council, and was supported by all jurisdictions. The Review was informed by consultations with peak bodies and organisations involved in the early childhood education and care sector. 

On 10 December 2019, the Australian Government announced its decision to continue funding ACECQA from 1 July 2020. This decision was informed by the findings of the ACECQA Review and will enable ACECQA to continue to perform its role under the NQF.
More information about ACECQA and the NQF is available here.   

Review of the National Architecture for Schooling in Australia
In August 2019, Education Council commissioned an independent review of Australia’s national architecture for schooling to identify options for, and make recommendations on, the most effective and efficient institutional and governance arrangements for the national architecture. The Review was informed by targeted consultations with the Australian Government, State and Territory governments, national representatives of the non-government school sector, and representatives of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), and Education Services Australia (ESA).  Accessible word version attached here.

Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
Young Australians are at the centre of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Education has the power to transform lives. It supports young people to realise their potential by providing skills they need to participate in the economy and in society, and contributing to every aspect of their wellbeing. This Declaration sets out our vision for education in Australia and our commitment to improving educational outcomes for young Australians. It builds on past declarations signed in Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne, which have guided our journey over three decades.

NAPLAN Reporting Review
The NAPLAN Reporting Review was commissioned by the Education Council of COAG.  It was conducted by Emeritus Professor Bill Louden, and endorsed by the Education Council in June 2019.  The review was framed by four Terms of Reference, namely: Perceptions of NAPLAN and My School data, including the potential for misinterpretation or misuse of data; How My School and NAPLAN reporting contribute to understanding of student progress and achievement; How schools use achievement data, including NAPLAN, to inform teaching; and How My School and NAPLAN data are reported to students and parents.

Public submissions to the NAPLAN Reporting Review are found here:

 Index- Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3 – Volume 4

National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026: Action Item L, Share and synthesise research and evaluation findings to identify successful STEM interventions and inform school practice
In December 2015, Education Council endorsed the National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026: a comprehensive plan for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Australia. The strategy includes 12 national collaborative actions. In June 2019 Education Council endorsed a report on one of these actions, Action Item L: Share and synthesise research and evaluation findings to identify successful STEM interventions and inform school practice. The focus of Action Item L is to collect and analyse information about STEM-related initiatives with completed or planned evaluations and, where available, the research and evaluation results. The Australian Government and all state and territory governments, contributed information for the report. 
The report analyses initiatives in terms of various characteristics, including the type of intervention, targeted group and scale, and includes evaluation findings where available. A key finding is that, although many of the initiatives have evaluations planned, there is very little robust data on which to assess the outcomes of the initiatives. The report recommends that the exercise be repeated in 2-3 years to gather information from future evaluations, and include initiatives from non-government schools where possible. The exercise also compiled detailed program summaries, which help to illustrate the wide variety of school STEM initiatives being run in Australia.

2017 data on students in Australian schools receiving adjustments for disability
The annual Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) collects information about Australian school students who receive an adjustment to address disability. Nationally consistent information on students in Australian schools receiving adjustments for disability enables schools, education authorities, and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school.  This document reports 2017 NCCD data.

Optimising STEM Industry-School Partnerships: Inspiring Australia's Next Generation (April 2018)
In December 2015, Education Council endorsed the National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026: a comprehensive plan for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Australia. Education Council established the STEM Partnerships Forum as a national collaborative action under the National STEM School Education Strategy.

This report contains 2016 data from the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Schools Student with Disability (NCCD). Under the NCCD model, teachers use their professional, informed judgement based on evidence to determine the level of adjustment that students with disability are being provided with, and the broad category of disability under which each student best fits.  Through participation in the collection, schools are embedding better support for all students with disability in their routine day-to-day practice.

2016 NCCD Continuous Quality Improvement Project
The Commonwealth Department of Education and Training engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to undertake the 2016 Continuous Quality Improvement Project for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Schools Students with Disability (NCCD), the purpose of which is to review the quality and consistency of the 2016 NCCD data, identify trends across jurisdictions and sectors, identify drivers of variability and make recommendations for improvements for the NCCD in 2017.

Decision Regulation Impact Statement for changes to the National Quality Framework (word and PDF)
This Decision Regulation Impact Statement (Decision RIS) recommends preferred options for improving the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care. The Decision RIS follows the public release of the Consultation RIS and incorporates stakeholders’ views and comments received during the ten week stakeholder consultation process from November 2014 to January 2015.  The Decision RIS provides feedback on proposed options canvassed in the Consultation RIS throughout the abovementioned period. As such, the Decision RIS provides a ‘point in time’ analysis. This Decision RIS identifies the nature of the issues to be addressed and explains the rationale for the preferred options. It also assesses the costs and benefits of the options under consideration.  This Decision RIS follows the guidelines of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in the Best Practice Regulation Guide. It has been approved for release by the COAG Education Council.

Improving educational outcomes: Emergent data on students with disability in Australian schools
Over the three years since 2013, the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) has been progressively implemented in Australian schools, with 20% of schools participating in 2013, 73% in 2014 and 99.9% in 2015. As a result, schools and governments are reporting for the first time in a nationally consistent way on the number of students in Australian schools requiring an educational adjustment (as required under the standards) to access education because of a disability.

The 2015 NCCD Continuous Quality Improvement Project Quality Assurance Summary Report
On 10 May 2013, Education Ministers endorsed the model for a Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD provides an opportunity to recognise all students with disability who are being provided with an adjustment to participate in education on the same basis as other students, whether or not they receive targeted funding or support.

All Australian Government, Catholic and independent education authorities (EAs) have progressively implemented the NCCD across schools in Australia from 2013 to 2015 with 2015 marking the first year that all schools participated in the NCCD. It was therefore an opportune time to reflect on the most recent collection and identify areas to further improve the quality and consistency of the NCCD. This is important in informing future policy decisions for students with disability. On behalf of the Joint Working Group to Provide Advice on Reform for Students with Disability (JWG), the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (the Department) engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia (PwC) to undertake the 2015 NCCD Continuous Quality Improvement Project (2015 NCCD CQIP). A core component of the project was to review the quality and consistency of data collected through the 2015 NCCD.

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) Wave III 
Report on reducing the administrative burden under the National Quality Framework (NQF). The study reveals a number of positive findings, including consistently high levels of support for the NQF and a significant decline in perceptions of overall burden associated with the administrative requirements of the National Law and Regulations.

National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) School Education Strategy 
The National STEM School Education Strategy was endorsed by Education Council on 11 December 2015. The purpose of the strategy is to build on a range of reforms and activities already underway. It aims to better coordinate and target this effort and sharpen the focus on the key areas where collaborative action will deliver improvements to STEM education.

Summary of STEM Summit

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy was endorsed by Education Council in September 2015. It sets the principles and priorities that act as a framework to guide jurisdictions in developing and implementing localised policies and actions to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people outlines the first of a series of national collaborative actions.

ACIL Allen Evaluation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010–2014

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010 – 14 (Action Plan) comprised 55 actions to ‘assist education providers to accelerate improvements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational outcomes and contribute to the achievement of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) closing the gap targets’'. ACIL Allen Consulting, in collaboration with Phillips KPA and Professor Mark Rose from La Trobe University, monitored implementation and outcomes associated with the Action Plan through a longitudinal evaluation conducted across three years — 2011 (phase one), 2012 (phase two) and 2013 (phase three).

Final Evaluation Report
Data Appendices for the Final Evaluation Report

Review of the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education
Australian Government on behalf of all parties to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. 

 

Preparing Secondary Students for Work – A framework for vocational learning and VET delivered to secondary students  (the Framework) sets out a vision where all secondary students experience quality vocational learning and have access to quality VET courses and both vocational learning and VET are seamlessly integrated into secondary schooling and valued by parents, students, teachers and employers.
 
The Framework supports the establishment of a contemporary, flexible and responsive VET system, which fully equips young people with the skills industry needs and creates a better skilled workforce.

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) Wave II 
Report on reducing the administrative burden under the National Quality Framework (NQF). The second wave of surveys, completed in February and March 2014, show that administrative burden is reducing as processes are streamlined and the sector adapts to the NQF.