A new numeracy guarantee that will focus on upskilling teachers and providing resources for parents will be introduced across South Australia in a further bid to lift maths results.
The guarantee, which follows South Australia's introduction of a numeracy check for Year 1s in 2026, is part of improvement reforms that make up part of the recently signed Gonski agreement.
It comes as the Malinauskas Labor Government has committed to increase public school funding by more than $300 million, following the Commonwealth Government's $1.3 billion increase in funding announced in January, taking the total increase in public school funding to $1.25b over the next 10 years.
The Federal Government will raise its public schools funding from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) and the Malinauskas Labor Government will continue to contribute an overall share of 75 per cent of the SRS for public schools.
This Bilateral Agreement supports the goals of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement – Full and Fair Funding 2025 – 2034, signed in January. It marks a major change to how public schools in South Australia will be funded.
This agreement will guarantee that South Australia's public schools are fully funded under the Gonski model, reaching 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).
The new Agreement means more money, more resources and more support will be provided to public schools over the next decade to ensure every child, in every school, has a fair go.
As part of the agreement, there are key improvement measures that will be focused on, in order to lift results and ensure supports for students are targeted.
A major change to South Australia will be the introduction of the numeracy guarantee.
South Australia led the charge with ensuring maths improvements were included in the agreement – following its numeracy check trial – and is the first state in the country to have a literacy and numeracy check for Year 1 students.
The State Government will continue to build on this focus by introducing a numeracy guarantee that includes:
- Upskilling for all primary school maths curriculum leaders to drive whole-school maths improvement.
- A new academy to support all early career teachers in teaching maths more effectively.
- More professional learning for teachers in maths – starting at preschool and going across year levels.
- Free online numeracy resources for all parents to use with their children.
- An improved SA mathematics curriculum so students gain the mathematical knowledge and find joy in maths.
- Roll out the numeracy check for all Year 1s at public schools.
The numeracy guarantee means all public school students having access to a world-leading maths curriculum, with teachers better trained in teaching mathematics, and parents having the tools they need to best support their child with mathematics.
These efforts are aligned with the latest Grattan Institute report The Maths Guarantee, which calls for better teacher training, more support for schools to teach maths, and making improving maths a priority in all schools.
The historic Gonski agreement also furthers the goals of the South Australia Public Education Strategy, with equity and excellence, wellbeing, and a sustainable workforce as the priority reform areas to improve student results.
The additional funding is also tied to other reforms that will include:
- Support for students through anti-bullying and violence prevention initiatives.
- Supporting a strong and sustainable workforce through attraction and retention initiatives, training and mentorship opportunities.
- More tailored supports such as small group tutoring.
- Increasing attendance rates.
- Supporting transitions from school to the workforce.
As put by Blair Boyer
This agreement is not just for the current generation of public school students, but the next generation and the one after that.
I'm proud of the work we have done to achieve this outcome, working in partnership with Australian Education Union, our professional associations and the Federal Government to make this possible. I spent many months negotiating with Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and I am grateful that his commitment to public schools has seen this incredible outcome for our students.
As a state, we identified early on that maths results were declining so we implemented the numeracy check to help with early intervention supports. I am pleased to see this Gonski agreement will also focus on numeracy for students right across the country, as we led the charge in this field.
This commitment will allow us to focus on what we need to do to improve educational outcomes, including how we can better attract and retain our teaching workforce.
Funding for our schools, and the education for our young people is critical – we cannot simply coast along with the bare minimum – and I'm proud that we now have an agreement in place to ensure that the supports are exactly where our students need them.
