The WA government plans to establish a new school review unit to identify and assist underperforming schools, moving away from a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. The unit will focus on improving literacy, numeracy, and academic standards.

AnsweredQoN 339Legislative Assembly
Asked
21 June 2007
Portfolio
Education and Training

QuestionView source ↗

SCHOOLS - PERFORMANCE
Will the minister outline the government’s plan to identify and assist schools that are under performing? Mr M. McGOWAN

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for Southern River for his question. Once again I acknowledge his outstanding and comprehensive knowledge about education. I thank him for his advice on the subject. Mr E.S. Ripper : He’s a nice person too! Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a nice person and he is well respected around the Parliament. A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Southern River for his question. Once again I acknowledge his outstanding and comprehensive knowledge about education. I thank him for his advice on the subject. Mr E.S. Ripper : He’s a nice person too! Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a nice person and he is well respected around the Parliament. A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.
I thank the member for Southern River for his question. Once again I acknowledge his outstanding and comprehensive knowledge about education. I thank him for his advice on the subject. Mr E.S. Ripper : He’s a nice person too! Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a nice person and he is well respected around the Parliament. A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.
Mr E.S. Ripper : He’s a nice person too! Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a nice person and he is well respected around the Parliament. A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.
Mr M. McGOWAN : He is a nice person and he is well respected around the Parliament. A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.
A few days ago I announced that the state government will put in place a new school review unit to assist schools that are having difficulty to ensure that we can deal with their issues. At the moment, district directors deal with all schools on a one-size-fits-all basis. They look at a school and how it is performing on an annual basis, without consideration for whether it has been acknowledged that the school has done well or whether it has been acknowledged that it has not been doing well. We have come up with a more specialised process. The new school review unit will be a relatively independent body. It will draw on expertise. It will analyse the schools that are having difficulty. It will consider what can be done to improve literacy, numeracy and academic standards and the performance of staff. It will prepare a report that will go to the Director General of the Department of Education and Training and any recommendations will be treated seriously. There are 800 public schools around the state, and those that are struggling will be able to improve their performance. It will be very supportive of schools. It is not about naming and shaming schools. We are about standards and quality. If a school is not doing well, we have to confront that issue. We want district directors focused on the schools that are not doing well. We want them to get off the backs of schools that are doing well. The review unit may conduct random analysis of schools around the state. It may look at those schools that are doing well and introduce its practices into schools that are struggling. This is all about the Carpenter government’s agenda of standards and quality in education. It follows on from the introduction of new syllabus, which will be reviewed by a national panel; the functional review I announced recently; the appointment of the new director general; the behaviour centres I announced a few days ago; the trialling of Saturday morning counselling for students who are misbehaving; the construction of new schools; and, the $190 million that is being invested in training. Those things are all about standards and quality. We are putting effort and money into public education in Western Australia.

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