Initiatives and Programs
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's initiatives play an important role in building Victoria’s education and training system.
Some of the Department's key initiatives are highlighted below. Information about initiatives announced in the current year's budget can be found in the Victorian State Budget section of this website.
Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform
The creation of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development last August – presented a unique and unprecedented opportunity to link early childhood services and schools.
The Government has released the Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform discussion papers for public comment.
Feedback from the public consultation process will help shape the final Blueprint, to be released later this year.
For more information about the initiative, see: Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform and the Media Release.
Building Futures
Building Futures is the government’s policy and process for all capital investment in school infrastructure.
The Building Futures policy guides investment in Victorian school infrastructure and ensures that expenditure on educational assets generates significant gains in educational achievements. The policy puts improved education outcomes for students at the core of all planning and investment decisions.
This policy is a key component in ensuring Victorian Government capital investment provides all Victorian communities with access to a modern curriculum, individualised learning opportunities and excellent school facilities. This will contribute to raising student achievement levels and reducing disparity in outcomes among schools and localities.
The policy is integrated with other key Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) policies and processes:
- Blueprint for Government Schools, which provides seven Flagship Strategies to improve student outcomes;
- Asset Approval Framework, outlining the business rules for capital developments; and
- Schools as Community Facilities Policy Framework, designed to help schools and communities to develop innovative partnerships to share the use of school facilities.
For more information about the initiative, see: Building Futures
Leading Schools Fund
The Leading Schools Fund is a school transformation and renewal initiative for Victorian schools with a secondary component. It was designed to support the improvement of school performance and the achievement of Government goals and targets.
The Leading Schools Fund, a flagship strategy of the Blueprint for Government Schools, is a school transformation and renewal initiative for Victorian schools with a secondary component.
For more information about the initiative, see: Leading Schools Fund web site
Ultranet
The Ultranet is an intuitive student-centred electronic learning environment that supports high quality learning and teaching, connects students, teachers and parents and enables efficient knowledge transfer.
The Ultranet will help to improve student learning, support the work of teachers, enable DEECD to better support Victorian government schools, and enhance active partnerships with parents.
The Ultranet will provide a complete online learning environment in which parents, students and teachers can create, access and share curriculum content, collaborate in learning activities and record progress against individual learning plans/goals.
The Ultranet is a government priority under the 07/08 Victorian State Budget.
For more information, see Ultranet.
Victorian Student Number
A Victorian Student Number (VSN) is proposed for students in Victoria. The VSN will be unique to each student, and will improve the monitoring of student movement and achievement across the education and training system.
For more information, see Victorian Student Number (VSN) for Students in Victoria.
Victorian Schools Plan
The Victorian Schools Plan will rebuild, renovate or extend every Victorian school by 2017, and 500 schools by 2011.
For more information about the initiative, see: Victorian Schools Plan
VicSmart
VicSmart is an $89.3 million initiative which is providing fibre optic broadband network to all Victorian Government schools.
For more information about the initiative, see: VicSmart.