Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

domains in the 2010 NAPLAN tests. With only a few exceptions, the ACT performance hasimproved since NAPLAN 2009 relative to the national results. There nevertheless remains aneed to better understand the performance of ACT public schools in absolute as well asrelative terms. The broad socio-economic status of Canberra would suggest highperformance on NAPLAN testing, and it is difficult to separate this predisposition inmeasuring the “difference” made by the ACT public school system.DET staff have been responsible for nationally acclaimed innovative policy and programdesign, including in encouraging school-community partnerships through the CCCaresprogram. Canberra College has partnered with the Child, Youth and Women’s HealthProgram run by ACT Health to support the needs of pregnant or parenting students, providinga ‘one-stop-shop’ for educational and health services for their students. It has resulted ingreater student engagement and connection with external health agencies, higher rates ofcertificate completion and an increased sense of belonging. These achievements wererecently recognised through the Schools First awards program, with CCCares winning theinaugural Schools First National Award in November 2009 and $750,000.The drift in recent years of students from public to non-government schools is a nationwidephenomenon, and the ACT has traditionally had the lowest proportion of public schoolenrolments in Australia. The February 2010 census of ACT schools shows that, excludingpreschool enrolments, 57.3 % of students were enrolled in public schools. While theproportion of students enrolled in public schools has decreased slightly from 2009, the rate ofdecline over the past two years has slowed. However, the decline in secondary schoolenrolments continues to be a concern. Furthermore, there is a risk in the growth of privateschool enrolments of the public system coming under increasing pressure from growingproportions of children with special needs.Table 8 - Proportion of ACT Students Enrolled in Public Schools from 2006 to 2010 2162006 2007 2008 2009 2010% in public schools (excluding preschool) 58.9 58.4 57.6 57.4 57.3The issue of school closures became the subject of protracted and heated community debatefollowing the Strategic and Functional Review of the ACT Public Sector and Services and the2006-07 Budget. Decisions to close schools will always be difficult and provoke strongemotions. A broader recognition is required within the community that as part of an overallstrategy of investment in public education, and in light of clear evidence of lower academicperformance in schools lacking a critical mass of students and teachers, that it may well benecessary for governments to consider options for different models of service delivery in thefuture. The Review endorses in this context the Government’s moves to align Kaleen HighSchool and Lake Ginninderra College with the University of Canberra (UC).216 ACT Government (2010f) Census of ACT Government Schools August 2010. Canberra.Administrative Arrangements Changes: 163