Better Schools Funding

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister advise the house how the Better Schools funding is being implemented by Coorara Primary School and Pimpala Primary School to assist student achievement?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills) (14:21): I thank the member for Reynell for her question. We are starting to get a really clear picture now of the way in which the Better Schools funding is making a difference to schools on the ground, and a difference to the performance of students at those schools. Principals are starting to tell us that the funding is starting to make it possible for their schools to implement initiatives that are absolutely targeted at the individual needs of children.

It is allowing more one-on-one or small group support, specialist intervention programs, professional development for teachers, and so on. Students who have been struggling in those very important foundation skills of numeracy, reading and spelling are now beginning to achieve at school. If I can quote the words of The Australian reporter Natasha Bita, 'Gonski has been fertilising green shoots of success.'

At two Morphett Vale primary schools, Pimpala and Coorara primary schools, Gonski money is funding tailored support and intensive intervention for students and professional development of staff in supporting students with specific needs. Both were around the middle range of the SES band, but they do have substantial disadvantage to address.

Pimpala Primary School has been using its funding of about $11,000 in 2014 and $17,000 in 2015, and it will be $25,000 in 2016, to develop individual support to students in literacy and numeracy as well as professional learning for teachers and SSOs. Principal Karen Knox has said that the overall quality of classroom support across the school has been lifted:

The training means that our teachers and SSOs are better equipped to support children who are having difficulties, as well as extend the more able students to strive to achieve their personal best.

She attributes the school's progress in NAPLAN to the improvements in supporting teaching. More than 90 per cent of Pimpala's year 3s reached the DECD education standard or higher, and more than three-quarters of the year 5 students showed middle to upper progress in reading and numeracy on their year 3 NAPLAN results. Year 7s achieved similar improvement on their year 5 scores, with 79 per cent showing middle to upper progress in reading and 73 per cent middle to upper improvement in numeracy.

At Coorara Primary school, Better Schools funding has been $36,000 in 2014, $56,000 in 2015 and $75,000 for this year. This trend in the escalation in the money underscores the importance of years 5 and 6; it builds each year, and if we miss out on years 5 and 6 from the commonwealth while we are maintaining our own commitment, we miss out on a significant portion of the funding that is intended to build each year in order to properly respond to student needs. At Coorara they have been investing in students' reading skills, in particular, and have identified a group of students that would most benefit from that intervention.

Funding has allowed the school to establish professional learning teams which monitor each child's progress and plan teaching units to address the specific needs of each student. Additionally, some staff have been trained in reading intervention programs to equip them to provide intensive support for students. The result has been a sharp improvement in reading skills, with running records showing 75 per cent of participating students progressing by 10 or more levels, which is more than a year's worth of predicted progress.

Principal Rebecca Reid has said that the Better Schools funding is allowing the school to continue to cater to a wide range of learning needs to help the students who need extra help get it quickly. These are examples of Gonski money making a tangible difference. In stark contrast to the statement that was made by the federal minister to the independent schools conference last week where he claimed that money makes no difference, it makes a very real difference, a tangible difference to students where it is required.

An honourable member: Money makes no difference?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: That's what minister Birmingham said to the independent schools last week.