A: PRE-SCHOOL, INFANTS AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

 

PREMISE 7A

 

Education is a continuum, beginning at birth, and the first eight years of a child's life are the most important in determining the child's development. The relationship between a young child, their primary caregiver and their family is vital in the child's development. Children inadequately cared for in their pre-school years enter schooling at an educational and personal disadvantage. Genuine and active participation between parents, carers and authorities involved in child care and pre-school education is essential.

 

POLICY

Federation believes that:

 

7.1 The care and education of the pre-school child must be high on the list of

       government priorities in terms of funding, research and implementation of programs.

 

7.2    All pre-school age children should have access to free provision of pre‑school education.

7.3 Pre‑school programs are flexible and responsive to community needs.

7.4 Class sizes for pre‑schools be capped at 20, with a student to staff ratio of 20: 2.

7.5 All care provision should be of the highest standard and should recognise the educational value of structured play.

7.6 Qualified health professionals be available on site to assist early childhood workers identify early intervention needs.

7.7 Facilities for the care of children whose home and mother and father are not available to them during the day must be of optimum standard.

                  7.8 P&C Federation believes that it is necessary to distinguish between care for children under 3 years, care for those between 3 years and 5 years, and care for those over 5 years of age as their needs differ significantly.  However, liaison between persons and agencies involved in pre-school care and education and formal schooling is essential.

    

7.9 Governments should acknowledge the importance of early intervention by:

           (a)   ensuring that no child is deprived of this care for financial reasons;

           (b)   providing opportunities for parents to strengthen their parenting skills;

           (c)   providing adequate family support services;

     (d)   encouraging incorporation of areas suitable for supervised community based child care in all family housing developments.

7.10 Programs such as Schools as Community Centres be established in all Priority Schools Funding Program primary schools to support families through early intervention, capacity building and transition to school programs.

7.11 Effective transition to school programs:

            (a) establish positive relationships between children, parents and educators;

            (b) facilitate each child’s development as a capable learner;

            (c) differentiate between “orientation to school” and “transition to school” programs;

            (d) draw upon dedicated funding and resources;

            (e) involve a range of stakeholders;

            (f) are well planned and effectively evaluated;

            (g) are flexible and responsive;

            (h) are built on mutual trust and respect;

            (i) rely on reciprocal communication amongst participants;

      (j) take into account contextual aspects of community, and of individual families and children within that community.

7.12 The needs and wishes of the local community should be taken into account when determining infants and primary starting and finishing times. In particular, times for the two departments in the one school should coincide if the community so requests.

 

7.13  State and Federal Ministers of Education should furnish P&C Federation with copies of any reports on school entrance age.

 

 

B: MIDDLE YEARS

 

PREMISE 7B

 

                  (i)      P&C Federation believes that the middle years of schooling approach facilitates the transition from primary to secondary. Years 5-8 are a discrete developmental stage and require a focused approach to learning and teaching.

 

                (ii)      Systemic support of the middle years of schooling should include an allocation of resources to enable the two traditional halves of the K-12 continuum to work collaboratively.

 

C: SECONDARY EDUCATION

 

PREMISE 7C

 

P&C Federation believes that local, co-educational, comprehensive government high schools are the ideal model for providing high-quality secondary schooling catering for the needs of all students but recognizes and supports all established forms of public education.

 

POLICY

 

7.1  Government high schools must be staffed and funded to provide curricula appropriate to each student's abilities and needs, taking into account gender, ethnic origin, special talents, learning difficulties and other disabilities.

 

7.2  Government high schools should, where practicable, cooperate with each other to share resources, staff and facilities to maximise student choices. Special grants and specific arrangements should be made to assist remote schools which cannot take part in such co-operative schemes.

 

7.3  Government schools offering alternative models of secondary education (e.g. senior high schools, selective schools, single-sex schools, technology and other subject-specialist schools) should only be established if overriding need and educational benefit can be demonstrated and if staffing and other resources can be provided without adverse effect on local, comprehensive high schools.

 

7.4  Any government schools following alternative models should be as widely accessible as possible. If limitations on enrolments result from a limited number of places, allocation of positions should be on the basis of objectively assessed individual capacity to benefit educationally.

 

7.5  These schools should be established, maintained, modified and closed only with continuing consultation with parent organisations at local, regional and state levels as appropriate for the type of school concerned.

 

7.6  That the success or otherwise of senior government high schools be closely monitored in a manner that involves parent organisations. Such monitoring must look at the effects that senior high schools have on other district high schools. Further government senior high schools should only be established after a positive outcome from this monitoring process.

 

D: CONTINUING EDUCATION

 

PREMISE 7D

 

As education needs to continue throughout life and benefits both the individual and the community in economic and many other ways, the community, through governments, should make available sufficient resources to see that reasonable personal aspirations and community needs are fully served. To provide equality of opportunity for success in, as well as access to, education for all, it is essential that alternative educational pathways are available for those groups whose capability is not truly reflected in their School Certificate, Higher School Certificate or normal school results.

 

POLICY

 

7.7        Schools are a valuable community resource and should be used effectively. They should be the focus for local community education and community education groups should be encouraged to conduct their courses using school facilities. Similarly, school authorities should make full use of other community resources and facilities wherever these are appropriate for school-based courses.

 

7.8        All school facilities should be available to all students whether full-time or part-time. School facilities and their administration should be such that students who return to school after reaching the minimum leaving age are able to take individual courses, i.e. subjects of the total curriculum available, according to their needs and desires.

 

7.9        Courses offered in schools should not be restricted to traditional school subjects and every attempt should be made to offer as wide a variety of courses as possible. Such courses should be up to date and relevant to local community needs.

 

7.10    Employers should be encouraged to allow employees time off for educational purposes, irrespective of the direct vocational value to either the employee or the employer.

 

7.11    Recognising that many students benefit from a period away from full-time education before entry to a tertiary course, we believe that students who have made this choice should not suffer any disadvantage as a result. Measures should be taken to ensure that highly motivated persons desirous of entering any post-school course of study are provided with the means of doing so, e.g. bridging courses, open foundation courses.

 

7.12    Any method used to select students for tertiary institutions should not affect the freedom of schools to determine their own curricula or the right of schools to determine their philosophies. Schools should provide a curriculum that gives each student a real choice of further study and work. To avoid the undesirable distortions of school study patterns and limitations presently imposed on schools by the entry requirements of tertiary institutions, entry to these institutions should be on the basis of the student's demonstrated capacity in his or her chosen field. Specific pre-requisites should be available as bridging courses where possible and adequate information and counselling made available to students early in their secondary courses.

 

7.13    Tertiary institutions should make special provisions for students from rural areas and for all those students who wish or need to study away from home.

 

7.14    Retraining courses of a vocational nature should be readily available to persons whose occupations have become redundant or appear likely to become so. These should be of a broad technical nature rather than oriented too narrowly toward a particular job, as this provides more freedom of choice for individuals and allows for the inability to predict manpower requirements and for the rapidly changing nature of employment.

 

Action Items

 

1.      That P&C Federation calls on the DET to instigate a joint evaluation, with our P&C Federation, of three lighthouse schools in diverse geographical locations which have established, dedicated middle year’s programs for a minimum of three years. (2003)

 

2.      That P&C Federation calls on the DET to initiate a joint evaluation, with our P&C Federation, of three recently initiated (less than one year) linkages projects in diverse geographical locations and that these projects be reviewed after being established for two years. (2003)

 

3.      That P&C Federation and the DET jointly facilitate seminars around New South Wales to acquaint both parents and teachers with the benefits of middle schooling and the current status and information about the collegiate models of schooling. (2003)

 

4.      That P&C Federation request the Board of Studies to schedule the Year 10 final examinations at a later date to allow greater productive use of the Year 10 school year, and that this should be referred to the first meeting of 2004. (2003)