Enabling Equity: Education Quarterly, Issue 10 2024
The recent State of Our Schools survey results revealed that only five per cent of teachers believe their school is well resourced when it comes to delivering education programs for students.
It is ominous to think what the percentage would be among teachers making learning adjustments for the more than 200,000 students in our schools with learning difficulties.
With 86 per cent of students with specific learning needs in our mainstream classrooms, the case for a fully-funded public education system is clearer now, more than ever.
For as long as NSW public schools are under-funded, so too are our most vulnerable students.
The failure of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to fully fund the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) means that each year public schools miss out on $600 million in funding to educate students with disability.
The Commonwealth also provides no funding for the one-third of students with disability in public schools who are judged to have their needs met through differentiated teaching strategies.
The survey results further indicated alarming decreases in student wellbeing, with more than two-thirds of teachers and principals reporting declines or significant declines over the past 18 months.
Complex student need directly translates into an intensification of workload for teachers. Teachers of under-funded and, in some cases, inadequately placed students with disability, make every effort to proceed with and adapt planned educational programs while addressing unfolding challenges and maintaining their duty of care for every child.
However, navigating these complexities often demands more of teachers, so it is again of little surprise that the survey also revealed the working hours of teachers average 50 hours a week.
In order to support students with disability, governments must urgently meet their funding obligations; doing so will improve outcomes for students with disability and reduce the workload placed on teachers.
The SRS funding gap this year alone has been estimated at $1.9 billion, funding that could provide additional staffing entitlements, qualified teachers and valuable time for teachers working with students with disability.
In December last year, the independent Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System’s expert panel made clear to governments the full funding of public schools was “urgent and critical” and a precondition for improving results, equity and student wellbeing.
It is time all governments committed to funding students with disability.