Education and Training Directorate
Statement of Performance
For the year ended 30 June 2014
Circulated by authority of
MsJoy Burch MLA
Minister for Education and Training
September 2014
Education and Training Directorate
Statement of Performance
For the year ended 30 June 2014
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 class of outputs during the financial year ended 30 June 2014.
Leanne Cover
Acting Director-General
16 September 2014
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Description
Public primary school education spans the years from preschool to year 6. It is available, on average, for eight years with a preschool age of four years and a kindergarten starting age of five years. A balanced curriculum allows the 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. These include special needs schools, special classes or units in mainstream schools, additional support in mainstream classes and early intervention programs to children between the ages of two to five years who have a disability or a developmental delay.
Total Cost ($'000)
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Public Primary School Education | 315,852 | 316,210 | 0.1 | |
| 1.2 Public High School Education | 164,120 | 164,815 | 0.4 | |
| 1.3 Public Secondary College Education | 107,759 | 107,038 | (0.7) | |
| 1.4 Disability Education in Public Schools | 68,716 | 70,927 | 3.2 | |
| Total Output Class 1 | 656,447 | 658,990 | 0.4 |
Government Payment for Output ($'000)
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Public Primary School Education | 258,028 | 254,679 | (1.3) | |
| 1.2 Public High School Education | 139,397 | 137,590 | (1.3) | |
| 1.3 Public Secondary College Education | 90,032 | 88,806 | (1.4) | |
| 1.4 Disability Education in Public Schools | 61,002 | 60,460 | (0.9) | |
| Total Output Class 1 | 548,459 | 541,535 | (1.3) |
Early Intervention
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Number of eligible children with developmental delays and disabilities who attended an early intervention program | 400 | 397 | (0.8) | |
| b. Individual Learning Plans commenced within one month of the student's first attendance at an early intervention program | 100% | 98% | (2.0) | |
| c. Parent satisfaction with their children's progress in early intervention placement as measured by annual survey | 90% | 100% | 11.1 | Note 1 |
| d. Average cost ($) per child attending an early intervention program | 4,755 | 4,358 | (8.3) |
Early Childhood Education
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Number of enrolments in preschool in public schools | 4,425 | 4,583 | 3.6 | |
| b. Number of enrolments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in preschool in public schools | 220 | 212 | (3.6) |
School Participation
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Attendance rate of public school students in year 1 to year 10 | 91.5% | 92.2% | 0.8 |
Education and Care Services
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Number of visits to approved education and care services to administer the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Act 2011 and the Children and Young People Act 2008 | 504 | 544 | 7.9 | |
| b. Education and care services satisfaction with assessment and monitoring functionsb | 85% | 73% | (14.1) | Note 2 |
Disability Education
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Individual Learning Plans completed for students in special and mainstream schools who access special education services | 100% | 99% | (1.0) |
Senior Secondary Education
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Percentage of year 10 students who proceed to public secondary college education | 85% | 93% | 9.4 | |
| b. Percentage of year 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who proceed to public secondary college education | 80% | 85% | 6.3 | |
| c. Apparent retention of public school students from year 7 to year 12 c, d | 100% | 104% | 4.0 | |
| d. Apparent retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public school students from year 7 to year 12 | 75% | 65% | (13.3) | Note 3 |
| e. Percentage of year 12 students who receive a Tertiary Entrance Statement | 50% | 48% | (4.0) | |
| f. Percentage of year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who receive a Tertiary Entrance Statement | 20% | 18% | (10.0) | Note 4 |
| g. Percentage of year 12 students who receive a nationally recognised vocational qualification | 60% | 58% | (3.0) | |
| h. Percentage of year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who receive a nationally recognised vocational qualification | 50% | 71% | 42.0 | Note 5 |
Average Cost ($) Per Student Per Annum in Public:
|
Output Class 1: Public School Education
Accountability Indicators | 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Preschool | 6,419 | 6,357 | (1.0) | |
| b. Primary schoolsa | 14,509 | 14,321 | (1.3) | |
| c. High schools | 17,644 | 17,789 | 0.8 | |
| d. Secondary colleges | 18,364 | 18,013 | (1.9) | |
| e. Special schools | 57,455 | 58,242 | 1.4 | |
| f. Mainstream schools' student with a disability | 27,680 | 27,624 | (0.2) |
Notes to accountability indicator description:
a. For this indicator, primary school students are defined as kindergarten to year 6 to enable cross-jurisdiction comparisons.
b. The survey was conducted during June 2014. A total of 111 approved education and care 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. Non-responses were excluded.
c. The apparent retention rate is an indicative measure of the number of students who have stayed in school, as at a designated year level. It is the percentage of the respective cohort group that those students would be expected to have come from assuming an expected progression of one grade per year.
d. The apparent retention rate for the ACT may be higher than 100% as a result of cross border students attending ACT schools.
Notes to variance explanation:
- The result is indicative of the continuing high level of parent satisfaction with early intervention programs.
- 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 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. It is anticipated that adjusting to be part of the new system may have been a factor in the lower satisfaction rate. Comments received as part of survey feedback indicated levels of dissatisfaction in some circumstances may have been attributed to the new system rather than the way in which an individual authorised officer conducted the function.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are small populations and as such, relative small changes in the number of students create large movements. In relation to the result, 69 students commenced year 7 and 45 progressed to year 12. The target required 52 students to progress to year 12, a shortfall of seven students.
- There were 55 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in year 12 in 2013. Ten received a Tertiary Entrance Statement. The target of 20% required 11 students to receive a Tertiary Entrance Statement. The variance of -10% represents a shortfall of one student.
- The percentage of year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students receiving a nationally recognised vocational qualification in 2013 was substantially higher than expected, based on previous years' attainment. Over the previous four years, from 2009 to 2012, the highest percentage was 60.0 percent (in 2009), while the lowest was 51.8 percent (in 2011). The 2013 percentage represented 39 of the 55 students achieving a qualification.
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 Government grants.
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cost ($'000) | 4,287 | 4,108 | (4.2) | |
| Government Payment for Output ($'000) | 3,762 | 3,765 | 0.1 |
Accountability Indicators
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Non-government school registration reviews completed within the period required under the Education Act 2004 a | 100% | 100% | (4.2) | |
| b. Home education registration reviews for provisionally registered children be completed within three months | 96% | 100% | 4.2 | |
| c. Grants paid within the required period of receiving funds from the Commonwealth Government | 100% | 100% | Nil | |
| d. Satisfaction with the processes of the non-government education section b | 87% | 98% | 12.6 | Note 1 |
Notes to accountability indicator description:
a. The Education and Training Directorate is responsible for the management of the registration processes pertaining to new and existing ACT non-government schools. Whilst the Education Act 2004 does not prescribe a period for the completion of registration processes/reviews it requires non-government schools to be registered before any student is educated. During the reporting period all registration processes were completed prior to the commencement of the school educating any students, or before the expiration of the registration of a school seeking registration renewal.
b. Non-government Education processes formerly managed by the Non-government Education section comprise the registration of non-government schools and home educated students. Since 2012 these regulatory processes have been managed by the Liaison Unit. This survey measured satisfaction relating to the services provided by the Liaison Unit throughout 2013-14.
Notes to variance explanation:
- Fifty-four responses to the survey were received from non-government schools and registered home educators. Thirty-five respondents indicated they were very satisfied with the overall services provided by the Liaison Unit, seventeen indicated they were satisfied, one indicated they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and one indicated the question was not applicable.
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, monitoring and auditing territory and national funds for a variety of programs addressing skills development. 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.
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cost ($'000) | 37,528 | 28,243 | 30,719 | Note 1 |
| Government Payment for Output ($'000) | 37,208 | 30,719 | (17.4) | Note 1 |
Accountability Indicators a
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| f. Funded training initiative allocation rounds administered within published timeframes | 100% | 100% | Nil | |
| g. Registered training organisation audit reports provided within 30 days of completion of on-site audit | 100% | 100% | Nil |
h. Total Number of Students Undertaking Vocational Qualifications:
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i. all students | 29,500 | 30,068 | 1.9 | |
| ii. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students | 740 | 851 | 15.0 | Note 2 |
| iii. students with a disability | 1,900 | 1,889 | (0.6) |
i Participation in vocational education and training:
| 2013-14 Target | 2013-14 Result | Percentage variance from the target | Explanation of material variance (±10% or higher) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i. all students (percentage) | 8.2% | 8.0% | (2.4) | |
| ii. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (percentage) | 15.5% | 17.2% | 11.0 | Note 2 |
Notes to accountability indicator description:
a. Previous indicators a. to e. were discontinued and advised in the 2013-14 Budget.
Notes to variance explanation:
- The lower than anticipated result primarily relates to the delayed timing of course completions and transfer of funding to 2014-15 associated with the Productivity Places program and national Skills Reform program.
- The increase is in part due to a targeted effort to improve data quality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and partly due to an increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders students.