My School data shows disadvantaged NSW schools benefiting from Gonski

9 March 2016

New data from the My School website has shown how Gonski funding is helping disadvantaged NSW schools deliver improved results for students.

AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the release of ‘high gain’ schools by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, based on 2015 NAPLAN data, showed how disadvantaged schools had been able to improve literacy and numeracy after increases in funding.

“The ‘high gain” schools are those which ACARA has found to have delivered improvements in results which are “significant and worthy of acknowledgment” between 2013 and 2015,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“Many in NSW are disadvantaged schools which have received extra funding through the Gonski reforms, and are using it to provide increased one-on-one support and targeted literacy programs.

“Extra resources are leading to better results in a short amount of time, because students are able to get the support they need.

“We need Malcolm Turnbull to match Labor’s commitment to the full six years of needs-based funding which will invest an extra $4.5 billion into schools in 2018 and 2019.

“Without the full six years of funding, disadvantaged schools will not have the resources to give all students the support they need

Among the “high-gain” schools in NSW were.

  • Cabramatta High School - $2.2 million in extra funding in 2015
  • Liverpool Public School - $1.57 million in extra funding in 2015
  • Girraween Public School - $784,000 in extra funding in 2015
  • Burwood Girls High School - $679,000 in extra funding in 2015
  • Parramatta West Public School - $671,000 in extra funding in 2015.

“Schools in NSW have benefited from Gonski funding since 2014 but Gonski is directing more resources to the schools which need it most – the ones which educate our most disadvantaged students.

“In SA and Queensland, states which have also been delivering needs-based Gonski funding direct to schools since 2014, we are also seeing disadvantaged schools deliver high gains to students.

“We know that 1-in-7 15 year-olds struggles to read properly, and 1-in-5 struggles with basic maths. Disadvantaged students are five times more likely to be poor performers than students from wealthy backgrounds.

“It is not in our long-term social or economic interest to let these children leave school without the skills to get a job or lead a successful life.

“Needs-based Gonski funding targets those students, and gives them the support they need.

“The AEU is committed to campaigning for bi-partisan support for needs-based Gonski funding up until this year’s Federal election. Gonski is too important to give up without a fight.

Media Contact: Ben Ruse 0437 971 291