Early Childhood Education Numbers Increase

One of the key platforms in my campaign for Molonglo is a focus on early childhood education.

My daughter benefited from attending an early learning program in that it helped her understand how to learn and really assisted her socially once she moved into the primary school system.

So I’m very pleased to see the number of children attending preschools in Canberra steadily climbing. 3,772 students are enrolled in preschool this year, which is a jump of 6.6% on 2007 figures. This comes on the back of 4.3% year on year growth in 2006.

The new P-2 schools which will commence in 2009 in Lyons, Southern Cross, Narrabundah and Isabella Plains have also attracted new students, rising from 126 last year to 168 in 2008.

As I experienced first hand, there is no limit to the value early education can provide kids. Getting a good early start with education helps them later in life, with studies showing positive effects include higher school retention rates, more kids moving into tertiary education and enhanced social well-being.

National Student Assessment

I see Dr Andrew Leigh has an interesting question about the National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Program, happening on 13-15 May.

He asks if the purpose of the test is to compare results nationally, is there a problem if the tests are marked at state/territory level, as will be the case?

Dr Leigh’s suggestion is to ensure the papers are not identifiable by state and arrange for different states to mark different school year’s tests.

The tests will be conducted in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 which means my daughter, who is in Year 5 at an ACT public school will be tested. I’ve got to say I’m nervous about the pressure this will put on her. There are 180 minutes of tests over three days for Year 5 students and while I might be being over protective, this seems fairly intense for a 10 year old.

That said, if we can utilise the national results to improve teaching and learning outcomes and not just use the information for reporting, then it will be a good thing.

While acknowledging the importance of educating kids in literacy and numeracy, we do need to accept there is much more to a balanced education than “reading, writing and arithmetic”.

School Standards Authority

Education Minister Andrew Barr has proposed the creation of an independent statutory body called the Schools Standards Authority to oversee education standards in the Territory. This is a smart approach to the future governance of our education system.

The Authority would take responsibility for a range of areas including curriculum frameworks, teacher registration, student achievement, registration of non-government schools and home education.

It seems eminently sensible to bring responsibility for standards across all schools into the one body, where we can establish strong accountability mechanisms, achieve a consistent approach and develop economies of scale in terms of standards administration across the range of school types in Canberra.

Early Learning Initiatives

Having seen the clear benefits my daughter received when she attended an early learning program as a 3 and 4 year old, I am convinced we’re on the right track with the early learning initiatives announced by Education Minister, Andrew Barr.

In 2009, four new preschool to year 2 schools will open at Southern Cross, Lyons, Isabella Plains and Narrabundah, helping deliver an integrated approach to early learning, childcare and family support.

Early learning not only prepares young minds for the structured learning of school, but helps youngsters develop the social skills and confidence that allows them to adapt to a school’s more complex social environment.

Our kids and communities can only prosper with a similar focus and commitment in the future.