❓ Details the funding model for secondary students enrolled in both a physical school and the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), outlining the portion of funding retained by the physical school based on the number of SIDE courses taken. It also clarifies funding retention for specific student characteristics and regional schools.
AnsweredQoN 5427Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In the case of a secondary student enrolled at a school who studies a subject delivered via the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), I ask: (a) What portion of the funding allocated under the Student Centred Funding Model to the school the student physically attends, is lost to the school; and (b) If a student’s entire subject delivery was through SIDE, would there be any funding allocation for the school which the student is physically attending?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 October 2019
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Education and Training
Response time
12 days
Western Australian public schools make local decisions regarding the courses they offer based on a range of considerations, the most important of which is the demand for the courses by the students.
This flexibility enables schools to design senior secondary pathways that best meet the specific needs of their students and their community.
There are more than 50 commonly offered ATAR courses that schools select from, and no school chooses to provide all courses to students. Students who wish to study courses that their local school is unable to provide can enrol in one or more courses through the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), ensuring all students have access to a broad range of pathways regardless of their location.
High schools and senior high schools in 2019 retain approximately 84 per cent of the per-student funding for each year-long course studied via SIDE by Year 11 and 12 students. For those students studying five year-long courses at SIDE, the school retains approximately 20 per cent.
Schools also keep all student characteristic funding for eligible students (ie Aboriginal students, students facing social disadvantage, students with English as an additional language and students with disability) regardless of the number of SIDE subjects studied.
Other regional schools such as remote community schools, regional primary schools with secondary students and regional district high schools retain their entire per-student funding.
While schools may not have specialist staffing costs for those students studying via SIDE, they retain the remainder of the funding to assist with supporting the student and the operational costs of running a school.
Schools contributing a portion of the per-student allocation for those students studying by SIDE is not new – it predates the Student Centred Funding Model which was introduced by the previous government in 2015.
This flexibility enables schools to design senior secondary pathways that best meet the specific needs of their students and their community.
There are more than 50 commonly offered ATAR courses that schools select from, and no school chooses to provide all courses to students. Students who wish to study courses that their local school is unable to provide can enrol in one or more courses through the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), ensuring all students have access to a broad range of pathways regardless of their location.
High schools and senior high schools in 2019 retain approximately 84 per cent of the per-student funding for each year-long course studied via SIDE by Year 11 and 12 students. For those students studying five year-long courses at SIDE, the school retains approximately 20 per cent.
Schools also keep all student characteristic funding for eligible students (ie Aboriginal students, students facing social disadvantage, students with English as an additional language and students with disability) regardless of the number of SIDE subjects studied.
Other regional schools such as remote community schools, regional primary schools with secondary students and regional district high schools retain their entire per-student funding.
While schools may not have specialist staffing costs for those students studying via SIDE, they retain the remainder of the funding to assist with supporting the student and the operational costs of running a school.
Schools contributing a portion of the per-student allocation for those students studying by SIDE is not new – it predates the Student Centred Funding Model which was introduced by the previous government in 2015.
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