Public Schools

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (16:48): I take the opportunity today to update the house and the community about some of the information in relation to the way that the Department for Education and the Marshall Liberal government are supporting students with disability in the South Australian public school system. This is a very important task of government to ensure that all our students, our children and our young people are given the best possible opportunity throughout their education to access a world-class education to set them on a pathway towards success in life, towards being able to be their best selves.

Of course, there are many contexts in which we support our children in the government school system: in mainstream schools in the classrooms, with funding allocated to provide additional support in the classroom; in special schools; in disability units; and special classes. I can advise the house that in the term 1 census this year 82.6 per cent of students with a disability attend mainstream schools and 17.4 per cent attend a special option. That is 1,022 in special schools in South Australia, 872 in disability units and 1,383 in special classes.

To help people understand the difference between those three terms, special classes are located in mainstream schools and cater for junior primary, primary or secondary students who require substantial adjustments to the curriculum. Students are provided with a high level of support and opportunities to learn in conjunction with their age-appropriate peers and are included as much as possible. It is certainly reasonably normal that from time to time students might move from a special class to a mainstream setting in certain circumstances or, indeed, back the other way.

Disability units in special schools are a bit different, although in certain circumstances sometimes students move between them as well. Disability units are located within some primary and secondary schools. They cater for students who require extensive adjustments to access the curriculum, extensive adjustments being individualised, comprehensive and ongoing, and in addition to accessing curriculum students often need support with their personal care. Our special schools are mostly co-located within mainstream schools, although a couple are standalone. They provide extensive adjustments to curriculum, high levels of personal care, and students enrolled in disability units in special schools often have a similar profile.

In relation to the supports available for students in the mainstream settings, I am pleased to advise the house that in 2020 in excess of $305 million was expended in support for children with disability, including specialised education options, individual funding, including the Inclusive Education Support Program (IESP) and the Resource Allocation Adjustment Panel. That site-based funding compares with $241 million in 2018. It is a 26 per cent increase in funding in the first 2½ to three years of the Marshall Liberal government.

That additional funding has supported more children and students than ever before. As at the term 3 census last year, that was 21,115.7 FTE students supported under the IESP and represents an increase of 10.5 per cent from the previous year, when it was 19,111. The largest increase has occurred in areas of autism and complex social and emotional behaviour. Changes have been made to the current IESP funding allocation process to reduce the workload pressure associated with the submission of reviews while making sure our schools and preschools are equipped to provide the support needed to children and students with functional needs.

These changes have included in recent weeks an announcement that we are pausing IESP reviews for at least two years but with funding to continue. That has been significantly welcomed by a range of educators. We have provided additional funding for children in care at key transition points in our schools and preschools, noting the additional challenges that can present, and we have also provided one-off funding to support children in care already enrolled at schools to help those schools provide the service that is needed.

Individual funding applications under the IESP consider the functional needs and adjustments required for the child or student. Thanks to the introduction of this new model, students are now funded according to their functional need rather than their disability diagnosis or label, as such a diagnosis or final assessment is not anymore always a prerequisite for requesting additional funding. Schools still have access to IESP funding while students are waiting to be assessed, including by way of up-front grants provided to schools and preschools. During this time, schools are able to provide learning support to these students to continue their education.

This is a tremendously important body of work and it is a body of work that I thank our educators right across South Australia for undertaking. There is always more to do and every year I believe we are getting better at doing this work. The commitment that I make and the commitment that the Marshall Liberal government has made is that the funding in this area will continue to increase to support the level of demand that is needed in our system and to support the best interests, wellbeing, welfare and the education of these very important children and young people.