Appendix 3: A7 Statement of performance
A13/07
Ms Diane Joseph
Director-General
Education and Training Directorate
Level 6, 220 Northbourne Avenue
BRADDON ACT 2601
REPORT OF FACTUAL FINDINGS – EDUCATION AND TRAINING DIRECTORATE
STATEMENT OF PERFORMANCE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
The Audit Office has completed the review of the statement of performance of Education and Training Directorate for the year ended 30 June 2013.
I have attached the statement of performance and unqualified report of factual findings.
I have provided a copy of the statement of performance and report of factual findings to the Minister for Education and Training, Ms Joy Burch MLA.
Yours sincerely
c.c. Mr Mark Whybrow, Director, Finance and Corporate Support
Ms Jenny Morison, Chair, Audit Committee
Mr Dougal Wilson, Manager, Risk Management and Audit
EDUCATION AND TRAINING DIRECTORATE
REPORT OF FACTUAL FINDINGS
To the Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly
Report on the statement of performance
The statement of performance of the Education and Training Directorate (the Directorate) for the year ended 30 June 2013 has been reviewed.
Responsibility for the statement of performance
The Director-General of the Directorate is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the statement of performance of the Directorate in accordance with the Financial Management Act 1996. This includes responsibility for maintaining adequate records and internal controls that are designed to prevent and detect fraud and error, and the systems and procedures to measure the results of the accountability indicators reported in the statement of performance.
The auditor's responsibility
Under the Financial Management Act 1996 and Financial Management (Statement of Performance Scrutiny) Guidelines 2011, I am responsible for providing a report of factual findings on the statement of performance.
The review was conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards applicable to review engagements, to provide assurance that the results of the accountability indicators reported in statement of performance have been fairly presented in accordance with the Financial Management Act 1996.
A review is primarily limited to making inquiries with representatives of the Directorate, performing analytical and other review procedures and examining other available evidence. These review procedures do not provide all of the evidence that would be required in an audit, therefore, the level of assurance provided is less than that given in an audit. An audit has not been performed and no audit opinion is being expressed on the statement of performance.
The review did not include an assessment of the relevance or appropriateness of the accountability indicators reported in the statement of performance or the related performance targets.
No opinion is expressed on the accuracy of explanations provided for variations between actual and targeted performance due to the often subjective nature of such explanations.
Electronic presentation of the statement of performance
Those viewing an electronic presentation of this statement of performance should note that the review does not provide assurance on the integrity of information presented electronically, and does not provide an opinion on any other information which may have been hyperlinked to or from this statement of performance. If users of this statement of performance are concerned with the inherent risks arising from the electronic presentation of information, they are advised to refer to the printed copy of the reviewed statement of performance to confirm the accuracy of this electronically presented information.
Independence
Applicable independence requirements of Australian professional ethical pronouncements were followed in conducting the review.
Review opinion
Based on the review procedures, no matters have come to my attention which indicate that the results of the accountability indicators, reported in the statement of performance of the Directorate for the year ended 30 June 2013, are not fairly presented in accordance with the Financial Management Act 1996.
This review opinion should be read in conjunction with the other information disclosed in this report.
Education and Training Directorate
Financial Statements
For the Year Ended 30 June 2013
Statement of Responsibility
In my opinion, the Statement of Performance is in agreement with the Directorate's records, fairly reflects the service performance of the Directorate in providing each classof outputs during the financial year ended 30 June 2013 and also fairly reflects the judgements exercised in preparing each output class.
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Description
Public primary school education is available, on average, for eight years with a preschool age of four years and a kindergarten starting age of five years. A balanced preschool/primary school curriculum covering the early and later childhood education allows students to develop the qualities needed for lifelong learning. Public high school education covers the years 7 to 10. ACT public high schools offer a broad and comprehensive education across all key learning areas. Public secondary college education covers years 11 and 12, offering courses catering for a broad range of student needs and interests.
A range of educational settings are available in ACT public schools for students with a disability: special needs schools; special classes or units in mainstream schools; and additional support in mainstream classes. The Directorate also provides early intervention programs to children between the ages of two to five years who have a disability or a developmental delay. Early learning and development programs identify and address the physical, emotional, social and educational needs of children from birth to five years.
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2012-13 Budget target |
2012-13 Amended targeta |
2012-13 Result |
Percentage variance from the budget or amended (if applicable) target |
Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Total Cost ($'000) |
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1.1 Public Primary School Education |
293,900 | 296,852 | 294,754 | (0.7) |
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1.2 Public High School Education |
156,606 | N/A | 158,354 | 1.1 |
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1.3 Public Secondary College Education |
102,274 | N/A | 103,862 | 1.6 |
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1.4 Disability Education in Public Schools |
65,671 | N/A | 65,889 | 0.3 |
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Total Output Class 1 |
618,451 | 621,403 | 622,859 | 0.2 |
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Government Payment for Output ($'000) |
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1.1 Public Primary School Education |
243,022 | 245,469 | 245,757 | 0.1 |
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1.2 Public High School Education |
133,020 | N/A | 133,286 | 0.2 |
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1.3 Public Secondary College Education |
85,389 | N/A | 85,548 | 0.2 |
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1.4 Special Education in Public Schools |
57,947 | N/A | 57,850 | (0.2) |
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Total Output Class 1 |
519,378 | 521,825 | 522,441 | 0.1 |
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a. Targets of cost and government payment for Public Primary School Education and Total Output Class 1 were amended due to the transfer of Children's Policy and Regulation Unit to the Education and Training Directorate from the Community Services Directorate under the Administrative Arrangements 2012 (No. 2) Notifiable Instrument NI2012-593.
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Output Class 1: |
2012-13 |
2012-13 |
Percentage |
Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracya |
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Literacy mean achievement score of: |
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a. all year 3 students in reading |
425 | 442 | 4.0 | |
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b. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 3 students in readingb |
369 | 376 | 1.9 | |
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c. all year 5 students in reading |
507 | 512 | 1.0 | |
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d. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 5 students in readingb |
451 | 445 | (1.3) | |
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e. all year 7 students in reading |
555 | 547 | (1.4) | |
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f. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 7 students in readingb |
509 | 496 | (2.6) | |
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g. all year 9 students in reading |
598 | 586 | (2.0) | |
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h. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 9 students in readingb |
556 | 531 | (4.5) | |
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i. all year 3 students in writing |
430 | 411 | (4.4) | |
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j. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 3 students in writingb |
389 | 366 | (5.9) | |
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k. all year 5 students in writing |
491 | 481 | (2.0) | |
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l. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 5 students in writingb |
444 | 425 | (4.3) | |
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m. all year 7 students in writing |
531 | 504 | (5.1) | |
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n. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 7 students in writingb |
488 | 439 | (10.0) | Note 1 |
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o. all year 9 students in writingc |
565 | 542 | (4.1) | |
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p. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 9 students in writingb, c |
521 | 474 | (9.0) | |
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Numeracy mean achievement score of: |
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a. all year 3 students |
419 | 407 | (2.9) | |
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b. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 3 studentsb |
366 | 347 | (5.2) | |
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c. all year 5 students |
490 | 499 | 1.8 | |
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d. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 5 students b |
439 | 437 | (0.5) | |
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e. all year 7 students |
555 | 535 | (3.6) | |
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f. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 7 studentsb |
505 | 486 | (3.8) | |
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g. all year 9 students |
595 | 588 | (1.2) | |
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h. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 9 studentsb |
552 | 542 | (1.8) | |
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Senior secondary education |
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a. Percentage of year 10 students who proceed to public secondary college education |
85% | 91% | 7.1 | |
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b. Percentage of year 12 students who receive a Tertiary Entrance Statement |
50% | 50% | 0.0 | |
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c. Percentage of year 12 students who receive a nationally recognised vocational qualification |
60% | 64% | 6.7 | |
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Disability education |
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a. Individual Learning Plans completed for students in special and mainstream schools who access special education services |
100% | 98% | (2.0) | |
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Early intervention |
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a. Number of eligible children with developmental delays and disabilities who attended an early intervention program |
400 | 392 | (2.0) | |
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b. Individual Learning Plans commenced within one month of the student's first attendance at an early intervention program |
100% | 99% | (1.0) | |
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c. Parent satisfaction with their children's progress in early intervention placement as measured by annual surveyd |
90% | 100% | 11.1 | Note 2 |
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d. Average cost ($) per child attending an early intervention program |
4,735 | 4,476 | (5.5) | |
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Education and care servicese |
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a. Number of visits to licensed education and care servicesf |
324 | 421 | 29.9 | Note 3 |
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b. Education and care services satisfaction with assessment and monitoring functionsg |
85% | 64% | (24.7) | Note 4 |
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c. Cost per visit to licensed education and care services |
2,901 | 2,073 | (28.5) | Note 5 |
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Average cost ($) per student per annum in public: |
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a. Primary schoolsh |
14,062 | 13,704 | (2.5) | |
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b. Preschools |
6,394 | 6,092 | (4.7) | |
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b. High schools |
16,974 | 17,024 | 0.3 | |
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c. Secondary colleges |
17,227 | 17,700 | 2.7 | |
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d. Special schools |
57,771 | 56,192 | (2.7) | |
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e. Mainstream schools' student with a disability |
28,506 | 26,259 | (7.9) |
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Notes to accountability indicator description:
a. The reported results for these indicators are based on the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) conducted in May 2012. NAPLAN is an annual assessment of students' skills in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in four areas of learning: reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN has been conducted annually in May across all Australian states and jurisdictions since 2008.
b. A transcription error occurred during preparation of the 2012-13 budget papers that resulted in 2013-14 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Numeracy and Literacy National Assessment Program targets being published as 2012-13 target data. The error was corrected through Notifiable Instrument NI2013-56.
c. Mean achievement scores of all year 9 students in writing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 9 students in writing in the 2012-13 budget papers were labelled as all year 7 students in writing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 7 students in writing under indicators 'o' and 'p' due to a typing error. These errors were corrected through Notifiable Instrument NI2013-56.
d. Parents and carers were surveyed for their satisfaction with the progress of children in early intervention programs. Early intervention programs are offered to children aged two to five years with developmental delay or disability. All 79 respondents provided response to the question: Overall how satisfied are you with your son/daughter's educational program. Satisfied and moderately satisfied responses were counted for measuring satisfaction result.
e. Indicators received from the Community Services Directorate effective 10 November 2012 under the Administrative Arrangements 2012 (No. 2) Notifiable Instrument NI2012-593.
f. Visits to licensed/approved education and care services are made to assess and rate the services under the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care. The framework aims to improve the quality of early childhood education and care.
g. The survey was conducted during May - June 2013. A total of 72 services completed the survey. Responses were collected on a five point scale of strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree or strongly disagree. Strongly agree and agree responses were counted as satisfied. Not applicable responses were excluded.
h. For this indicator, primary school students are defined as kindergarten to year 6 to enable cross-jurisdiction comparisons.
Notes to variance explanation:
1. For 2012 there was a general decrease nationally in performance for year 7 in writing compared with 2011. ACARA has suggested a lower level of engagement with the task as one possible reason.
2. The result is indicative of the continuing high level of parent satisfaction with early intervention programs.
3. The number of visits to education and care services increased in order to meet the requirements of assessment and rating of the services under the National Quality Framework.
4. The target of 85 percent was set prior to the implementation of the National Quality Framework. Changes to the functions of the Children's Policy and Regulation Unit (CPRU) as the Regulatory Authority responsible for the administration of the National Quality Framework is likely to have impacted on the result. From 1 June 2012, the CPRU commenced the quality assessment and rating of education and care services. The CPRU provides an overall rating for each service. This is a more rigorous assessment of each service against nationally agreed standards. The results of this assessment are published nationally on registers. At the time of conducting the survey, the majority of services were adjusting to the new standards and had received compliance or assessment visits from the CPRU. Of those who had been rated, the majority of services were assessed as 'Working towards the National Quality Standard'. The change in the CPRU role may have impacted on the level of satisfaction they have reported. In addition, the 2012-13 Survey was the first to include ACT Public Preschools. Prior to the implementation of the National Quality Framework ACT Public Preschools were excluded from external regulation. While respondents to the survey are anonymous it is anticipated that adjusting to be part of this new system may have been a factor in the lower satisfaction rate.
5. The reduced cost per visit is due to a higher than expected number of visits. The number of visits increased to meet the requirements of National Quality Framework.
Output Class 2: Non-government Education
Output 2.1: Non-government Education
Description
The Directorate contributes to the maintenance of standards in non-government schools and home education through compliance and registration, and the accreditation and certification of senior secondary courses through the Board of Senior Secondary Studies. The Directorate also undertakes the administration and payment of the Commonwealth and ACT Governments' grants.
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2012-13 Target |
2012-13 Result | Percentage variance from the target |
Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Total Cost ($'000) |
3,797 | 3,663 | (3.5) |
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|
Government Payment for Output ($'000) |
3,629 | 3,240 | (10.7) | Note 1 |
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Accountability Indicators |
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a. Non-government school registration reviews completed within the period required under the Education Act 2004 |
100% | 100% | 0.0 |
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b. Home education registration reviews for provisionally registered children be completed within three months |
96% | 99% | 3.1 |
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c. Grants paid within the required period of receiving funds from the Commonwealth Government |
100% | 98% | (2.0) |
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d. Satisfaction with the processes of the Non-government Education sectiona |
87% | 92% | 5.7 |
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a. The former Non-Government Education section was merged with the Liaison Unit in early 2012. Stakeholders of the section are non-government schools officials, non-government schools associations, registered home educators and ACT Home educators' network presidents. The stakeholders were surveyed for their satisfaction with the process or overall services. Out of 38 respondents, 37 provided responses to the question: How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the overall services provided by the Liaison Unit throughout 2012-13. Satisfied (15) and very satisfied (19) responses were counted to measure satisfaction.
Note to variance explanation:
1. The reduction is due to lower than anticipated Commonwealth funding received for the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership. The partnership is a joint initiative between the Australian Governments and the Catholic and independent schooling sectors. The partnership has been designed to support all teachers and school leaders to strengthen the quality of teaching in classroom.
Output Class 3: Vocational Education and Training
Output 3.1: Planning and Coordination of Vocational Education and Training Services
Description
The Directorate is responsible and accountable for the provision of strategic advice and management of vocational education and training (VET) and higher education in the ACT. This includes administering territory and national funds for a variety of programs addressing skills development for entry level and existing workers as well as adult and community education. The VET system in the ACT responds to the demands and requirements of industry and the community. The Directorate gathers advice from industry stakeholders to predict industry trends and identify the future training requirements of the ACT.
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2012-13 |
2012-13 |
Percentage |
Explanation of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Total Cost ($'000) |
36,301 | 30,412 | (16.2) | Note 1 |
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Government Payment for Output ($'000) |
35,452 | 33,364 | (5.9) |
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Accountability Indicators |
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a. Total number of hours under programs available for competitive purchase |
1,800,000 | 2,239,816 | 24.4 | Note 2 |
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b. Total reported number of training commencements under available programs a |
6,800 | 5,336 | (21.5) | Note 3 |
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c. Total number of enrolments of existing workers under additional programs b |
434 | 1,549 | 256.9 | Note 4 |
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d. Percentage of apprentices satisfied with their training under Australian Apprenticeships c |
80% | 77% | (3.8) |
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e. Retention rate of existing workers training towards a qualification under additional programs |
85% | 72% | (15.3) | Note 5 |
a. Refers to Australian Apprenticeships under User Choice programs and the Priorities Support Program (PSP). The reported numbers are gathered from the Directorate's vocational education and training management system. User Choice is a national funding policy for Australian Apprenticeships promoting choice in training services provided to employers and Australian Apprentices. Australian Apprenticeships encompass all apprenticeships and traineeships. They combine time at work with training and can be full-time, part-time or school-based. PSP provides access to training for people who cannot readily access other government funded training because of disability; lack of success in previous education or training; inadequate literacy and/or numeracy levels; lack of emotional readiness and confidence to undertake other education and training; length of time since previous education and training; and cultural difference.
b. Refers to the Productivity Places Program (PPP). PPP was a joint funding agreement between the ACT and the Australian Government for the training of job seekers and existing workers (2009-12). While this agreement concluded in June 2012, participants in the program will continue to be funded until 31 May 2014 enabling them to complete their training. The program funds qualifications of Certificate II, III, IV and diploma for job seekers and qualifications of Certificate III, IV, diploma and advanced diploma for existing workers.
c. Apprentices and/or trainees who undertook a contract of training with an employer and a training provider under the Australian Apprenticeship scheme were surveyed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research for the Student Outcomes Survey 2012. Apprentices and/or trainees who responded to the question 'Overall, I was satisfied with the quality of the training' were used to measure the satisfaction with the training. Responses of 'agreed' and 'strongly agreed' on a five point scale were counted as satisfied responses. The opinion of those who did not answer the question cannot be determined and were removed from the total population as per the NCVER methodology.
Notes to variance explanations:
1. The decrease primarily relates to timing of PPP course completions.
2. The variance is due to improved data recording. In 2012, the Directorate changed from activity-date-based to payment-date-based calculations for this outcome. This change has eliminated the possibility of under reporting due to the lag between the conduct and reporting of activity in the current web-based enrolment management and reporting system (VEERA) particularly around the end of financial year.
3. The Australian Government commenced a new contract with Australian Apprenticeships Centres (AACs) on 1 July 2012. In the ACT two AACs whose contracts were not renewed, signed up a large of number of apprentices before the end of their contract on 30 June 2012. The three new AACs took longer than expected to be fully operational. The Australian Government also introduced major changes to employer incentives on 1 July 2012. This influenced employer and AACs behaviour and resulted in reduced commencements during 2012-13.
4. The existing worker enrolments under this indicator are funded through the PPP national partnership. The target of 434 was derived from ACT targets agreed in the partnership on the basis of a predicted retention rate of 35 percent. However, the actual retention rate for ACT existing workers in this reporting period was 72 percent.
5. The PPP national partnership commenced in the ACT in September 2009. The target of 85 percent was based on retention rates recorded in the beginning years of the program, which were, on average, 85 percent or higher. The retention rates may have been artificially high due to the following factors: (a) qualifications can take up to three years to complete and (b) new cohorts were commencing approximately twice per year. In 2012-13, PPP was concluded. No new commencements occurred in this period.