National Partnerships in Victorian Government Schools

The Victorian Government, in partnership with the Australian Government, is providing approximately $279 million to support further improvement in government schools. This funding along with other available resources is being integrated to support a State-wide improvement strategy that is seamless at school level.
The Smarter Schools National Partnerships will offer an opportunity for schools to participate in one or more of the National Partnership initiatives in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy, Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities, and Improving Teacher Quality.
Selection of Schools
Government schools have been selected for participation in the partnerships where they have a significant number of students performing at or below the national minimum standard in literacy and/or numeracy or a high Student Family Occupation index (low socio-economic status). They have also had their need for additional support and their readiness to utilise this support confirmed by Department of Education and Early Childhood Development regional offices.
Schools not selected to participate in the National Partnerships have access to a range of other Departmental support, including system, regional and network improvement initiatives.
National Partnership Initiatives
Participating schools will engage in initiatives such as building teacher and leadership capacity, improving the monitoring and use of student performance information, school partnerships with the community and support agencies, and advice for parents on how to support their child’s learning.
Reporting and Accountability
Consistent with existing accountability and reporting arrangements, government schools will include National Partnership initiatives as part of their school strategic plan and annual implementation plan and report on progress in their Annual Report.
Additional Information
- Further details on Victoria's approach to the National Partnerships, incorporating government, Catholic and independent sectors are available at Smarter Schools National Partnerships
- The School Improvement and National Partnerships resources site (password required) has been established to facilitate the sharing of documentation and information with regions and participating government schools in Victoria. This site is open to DEECD central and regional office staff and schools participating in the National Partnerships.
Links
- National Partnerships - In the News (articles and media references)
- The Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership