Educational Disadvantage Index

8 Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (19 February 2020). In relation to the updated Index of Educational Disadvantage for South Australian Schools:

(a) Provide the number of schools in each category before and after the update, and the number of students in each category before and after the update?

(b) What was the methodology for the review and what factors are accounted for in defining a school's category?

(c) Has the review of categories resulted in more or less money being disbursed that would have occurred under the previous category allocation?

(d) How many and which schools have a principal at a level that will drop when the position is next up, given a change in category?

(e) Overall is the index of educational advantage lower for SA students in public schools than ten years ago?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education): I have been advised of the following:

(a) The list below outlines number of schools in each category before and after the update, and the number of students in each category before and after the update.

Note: Student numbers are based on 2019 February head count

(b) The below outlines the methodology used and the factors which are used to define a school's Index of Educational Disadvantage (IoED) category.

The IoED is a socio-economic index, used by the Department for Education to allocate resources to schools to address educational disadvantage related to socioeconomic status.

The index is calculated using four measures:

Aboriginality which is based on the average of 2017, 2018 and 2019 school enrolment data.

Student mobility which is based on the average of 2016, 2017 and 2018 school enrolment data.

Parental economic resources which is based on the 2016 ABS Census data (released in 2018) using 2019 student addresses, noting that until this update the previous IoED relied on 2006 Census data.

Parental education and occupation which is based on the 2016 ABS Census data (released in 2018) using 2019 student addresses, noting that until this update the previous IoED relied on 2006 Census data.

(c) The review allocated the same total amount of money to schools; however schools that received less funding as a result of the change in index received transition funding in 2020 so that they receive the same amount as they did in 2019. The total amount of additional transition funding paid in 2020 is $7.2 million. It should be noted that a number of schools have appealed their reclassification and it is anticipated that this process may result in further additional funds going to schools, over and above what was previously provided.

(d) It is not possible to determine whether a principal classification will drop based on the change in category, as this is only one part of the methodology for determining principal classification. It should also be noted that schools have moved in both directions, so the impact, in as much as there is one, would go both ways.

(e) The index is a relative index and the number of schools in each category are very similar for the current and former indices.