Equity Guidelines

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Equity Funding

The Blueprint for Government Schools highlighted the disparity in student outcomes across the government school system, with some young people not achieving acceptable outcomes. It recognised that some schools and some regions have a high concentration of poor student outcomes. There are large variations in outcomes between students within schools and between schools with similar student populations.

In response to this, the Department has committed to a mission of ensuring the provision of high-quality education and training that:

  • raises achievement
  • reduces disparity
  • leads to opportunity.

To support this mission the Equity initiative incorporates funding for:

  • Student Family Occupation Prep-12 (SFO)
  • Middle Years Equity and
  • Secondary Equity.

Details of this funding can be found in the Guide to Student Resource Package

(Secure site requiring Edumail Username/Password).

This funding is targeted at schools with a significant number of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, and with lower than expected student outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Socio-economic background has been identified as a key predictor of student success. Consequently, Equity funding supports school programs that focus on students at risk of not achieving success at school, with particular emphasis on improving student achievement in literacy and numeracy.

Goals of Equity funding

Equity funding should be used by schools to improve the learning outcomes of students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Funding should be used to:

  • improve student literacy and numeracy achievement
  • improve learning skills, including skills in monitoring and managing their own learning
  • increase the level of student engagement, participation and retention
  • raise the expectations of students, teachers and parents in relation to the learning outcomes of these students
  • cultivate and enhance partnerships between schools and families.

Evidence based advice for use of Equity funding

Findings from these major DEECD program evaluations and research

indicate that the following strategies are influential in supporting sustained improvement in student achievement:

  • a whole-school approach characterised by:
  • high-quality leadership
  • a clear vision
  • agreed goals and targets
  • high expectations of students, teachers and parents in relation to student outcomes, and
  • strategic and coordinated use of resources.
  • professional learning to strengthen teacher capacity to cater for diverse learning needs through:
  • reference to research, and
  • access to high-quality models of exemplary practice and teacher resource materials, including the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) training and the National Research Council's How People Learn (2000).
  • ongoing evaluation and monitoring of student progress through:
  • systematic use of data (e.g. literacy and numeracy outcomes data; student satisfaction and attendance data, AIM results) to identify students at risk, and
  • use of diagnostic and developmental assessment tools to regularly monitor progress (eg. The Students At Risk Mapping Tool can be used for identifying and monitoring students and cohorts of students.)
  • provision of curriculum programs that cater to:
  • the diverse learning needs of students,
  • facilitate team teaching,
  • support close connections between intervention initiatives and regular classroom programs, and
  • facilitate additional assistance within classrooms, with limited and strategic use of withdrawal for students.
  • development of programs that create and maintain positive and productive partnerships with families and community organisations.

Equity funding should be used to support these approaches.

Accountability

Initiatives implemented using SRP Equity funding should be an integral part of whole school planning and evaluated by schools in the context of the School Accountability and Improvement Framework. Schools are expected to report the performance outcomes achieved through Equity funded programs in their school accountability documents.