EMPOWERING LOCAL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:10): My question is directed to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister inform the house about what initiatives are being taken to support local schools in making local decisions with a view to improving educational opportunities for their students?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:11): I would like to thank the member for Ashford for this very important question. I was very pleased only last week to join the federal Minister for School Education, the Hon. Peter Garrett, at Hendon Primary School to discuss our next steps in supporting local decision-making in our schools. Can I thank the principal, the school community and students at Hendon; they made us feel very welcome.

This initiative will involve an investment of $4 million to support 61 of our public schools in developing their own innovative approaches to support local decision-making with, of course, the underlying goal being to improve educational achievement and opportunities for all of our students. This new national partnership will enable schools to promote new practices such as the one I saw last week, where Hendon Primary School and Seaton High School (another great school) employ a coordinator to work across the two schools to support gifted students as part of their SHIP program (students with high intellectual potential).

It is this very innovation that will be promoted under this national partnership. Indeed, every time I visit our schools around the state I see just what a difference that our leaders and teachers are making for children. Of course, there is a great deal of research that supports what parents know instinctively and students also know from their experience, and that is what an amazing difference outstanding leaders and teachers do make to the lives of our students.

Members would be well aware of the significant steps we have taken as a government to support local principals in this regard. For instance, last year the government introduced a very significant reform to support our principals in selecting the staff that best suit their local needs and their local circumstances. We have introduced a number of initiatives to reduce the administrative burden on schools, including the provision of extra support for principals in managing IT.

Indeed, it is these sorts of reforms here in South Australia that led David Gonski, in his review into school funding, to conclude that South Australia already has one of the most decentralised education systems in the country.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: This national partnership means that schools can access a grant of up to $50,000 to trial new approaches to improve their day-to-day work in areas such as school governance, finance, infrastructure, maintenance and, of course, local workforce management.