The Newman Government has unveiled a bold new plan to lift student outcomes and ensure that Queensland is among the top performing states in literacy and numeracy in Australia by 2020.
Premier Campbell Newman and Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek today announced that a funding boost of $131 million would be provided to all Queensland state schools in 2014 through the Great Results Guarantee.
Mr Newman said that the majority of funding would be directed towards the early years of school, which research indicated was the key to achieving better outcomes.
“Queensland has a real opportunity to target funding where schools need it most and the Great Results Guarantee will do just that,” Mr Newman said.
“Queensland’s education system needs to be at the top of its game in order for the state to be able to innovate and rise to the challenges of tomorrow.
“By building a solid learning foundation, we can maximise student results and achieve this.
“The annual funding will come with a guarantee that every Queensland state school student will either; achieve the National Minimum Standard for literacy and numeracy for their year level or have a plan in place to address why they might be falling behind.
“These guarantees will be published on every school’s website, and we want parents and the school community to have input into these targets. Engaged school communities will only strengthen outcomes in the classroom.”
Mr Newman said Queensland simply could not rest on its laurels any longer and allow students to progress through school with mediocre levels of literacy and numeracy and overall achievement.
“The Great Results Guarantee will make a real difference on the ground in schools and contribute to this government’s wider school improvement agenda to achieve better student outcomes,” he said.
Mr Newman said the investment was the result of the Abbott Government’s $794 million Students First – A fairer funding agreement for schools initiative to be delivered over the next four years.
Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek said all state schools would receive their current level of funding plus a share of the $131 million.
“Every school will be better off under this plan,” Mr Langbroek said.
“There will be extra investment in the early years, which we know will achieve the best long-term results, by tackling poor literacy and numeracy before it’s too late.
“This is not a quick fix or a short-sighted media stunt like we have seen in the past from previous state and federal governments.
“The Great Results Guarantee will provide a safety net to capture students who are falling below the National Minimum Standard for literacy and numeracy and also prevent our high performing students from sliding backwards.
“It is an investment in Queensland’s future.”
For more information on the Great Results Guarantee go to www.education.qld.gov.au/resultsguarantee .