THE State Government aims to improve education outcomes for all students as ambitious academic, HSC attainment and school attendance targets are introduced to public schools to lift outcomes for students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

However, the NSW Teachers Federation says that while the government has revealed key performance targets, the most critical target needed to be met is full funding.

The NSW Government announced system-wide measures will provide clear guidance for school leaders, and are designed to lift outcomes for all students, including at comprehensive primary and high schools, selective schools, regional and rural schools, and Schools for Specific Purposes.

NSWTF president Henry Rajendra said new reports reveal confidence in public education sits at just 51 per cent, with a target to lift this to 53 per cent by 2027.

Targets, including lifting attendance and Year 12 completion rates, would be impossible to achieve without proper resourcing, Mr Rajendra said.

“No public school in NSW is funded to 100 per cent of the SRS, the minimum level governments agreed was required more than a decade ago. Yet every private school in the state is funded at or above this standard,” Mr Rajendra said.

“Right now, principals and teachers across New South Wales public schools are doing an amazing job but they are being asked to do too much with too little. Student needs are growing fast but the funding hasn’t kept up.

“Full funding of public schools will lift student engagement and student achievement. Closing the resources gap is also an essential part of closing the achievement gaps between students from different backgrounds.”

Under the new state government targets, schools will be required to strive for ambitious new goals, including increasing the average NAPLAN reading and numeracy scores in 2027 by 10.2 points for Year 5 Reading; 5.8 points for Year 9 Reading; 11.5 points for Year 5 Numeracy; and 5.7 points for Year 9 Numeracy.

Other targets include increasing the proportion of New South Wales students attaining Year 12 from 70.5 per cent in 2022 to 74 per cent in 2027; growing the number of students taking up university, training or work for school leavers from 88.1 per cent to 92 per cent in 2027; and increasing the average student attendance rate from 87.8 per cent in 2023 to 88.8 per cent in 2027

The new system-wide targets reflect specific improvement targets required of schools in the areas of reading, numeracy and completions.

With NAPLAN tests scheduled two academic years apart, data is now available to measure year group improvement after the Commonwealth introduced new NAPLAN baselines in 2023.

The State Government also hopes to bring teacher vacancies to a four-year-low, or a 40 per cent reduction since 2023, ensuring all students have a teacher in front of them; make Small Group Tuition permanent in all New South Wales public schools to support all students with critical foundational literacy and numeracy skills; trial a Number Screening Check for Year 1 school children; value the workforce by delivering the largest pay rise in a generation to NSW’s 95,000 teachers; give teachers job security by making permanent16,000 teachers and school support staff on temporary contacts; and implement the new knowledge-rich NSW Curriculum, underpinned by evidenced-based explicit teaching.

Alongside new academic targets, the Department has introduced a suite of system-focused measures to support teachers, schools and school-support staff wellbeing and retention, as well as prioritising key school infrastructure projects.

These measures include reducing teacher administrative time, cutting teacher vacancy rates, and attracting and retaining teachers, as part of recognition that a strong teaching workforce is critical to improving student learning.

Mr Rajendra is calling for the Albanese Government and Minns Government to finalise an agreement before the federal election to ensure public schools are funded at 100 per cent of the School Resource Standard.

He said two objectives must be achieved: The deal must be signed by the Prime Minister and Premier before the federal election is called, and the deal lifts all NSW public schools to 100 per cent of the minimum level funding required to meet the needs of all children without delay.

“Additional funding will allow schools to cut class sizes, give children more intensive one-on-one attention and provide more specialist support such as school counsellors,” Mr Rajendra said.

“It will also help cut the unsustainable workloads of teachers and give them more time to prepare high quality lessons for students.

“New South Wales is one of only two states without a long-term agreement on the future funding of schools. This needs to change now.

“Fully funding public schools is the only way to ensure every child gets the support they need to succeed, and we can recruit and retain enough teachers.”

Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar said there are high expectations for achievement in the public education system, with ambitious reading and numeracy improvement measures being put in place by every school during term 1 this year.

“All public schools aim to ensure all students show growth in their literacy and numeracy skills. We recognise that this is the cornerstone for a successful schooling experience for every student,” Mr Dizdar said.

“Our new measures will account for the achievements of all students, not just those in the highest bands.

“The pathways improvement measure will capture the transitions of all students into meaningful post-school pathways, whether that is tertiary education, technical and further education or paid employment,” he said.

The complete set of 16 measures is available here: https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/strategies-and-reports/plan-for-nsw-public-education/measuring-our-success

State Government and NSW Teachers’ Federation Media Releases