My school updated with improved school attendance data
19 Dec 2014
Media release The My School website has now been updated to include 2014 school attendance data collected in a consistent fashion and with the average student attendance rates reported for Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students.
From 2015, this data, collated by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), will be reported twice a year along with a new measure of the proportion of students attending school more than 90 per cent of the time.
Minister for Education the Hon Christopher Pyne MP welcomed the data release which follows a decision by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 2013 to implement a range of measures to improve Indigenous school attendance.
“This data release is one element of our approach to ensure the stronger focus required to keep kids in schools and ensure safer communities,” Mr Pyne said.
“I am pleased that all governments have agreed to work together on additional strategies to improve Indigenous school attendance in remote schools and communities, recognising this will lead to better education outcomes.”
“The initial release of this consistent data set is an exciting new start, and I look forward to the use of this data over time to identify and implement effective strategies to improve student outcomes in line with our Students First approach to implement practical initiatives that are known to work,” he said.
In December 2013, COAG agreed to a range of measures to improve Indigenous school attendance. Specifically COAG agreed to improve student attendance rate reporting, including the publication of:
· attendance rate twice yearly for all students (and by Indigeneity, subject to privacy thresholds)
· the proportion of students attending school less than 90 per cent of the time (disaggregated by Indigeneity).
On 31 October 2014, the Education Council approved the implementation plan for COAG’s decision. This approach included an interim step to enable the publication of the 2014 student attendance rates by the end of the 2014 calendar year on the My School website.
For further information, visit www.myschool.edu.au.