ACT schools rely too much on student-directed learning, without establishing the basics, claims the Canberra Liberals’ report, Bringing out the best in every child: An Education strategy for the ACT.
“We’re not in any way against inquiry-based learning; it’s a fantastic tool – but it’s not a one size fits all,” said Jeremy Hanson, Shadow Minister for Education. “It seems to be being pushed as a sort of magic way of doing education where it’s not.”
Yvette Berry, Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, disagreed that there were any problems with the rollout of inquiry-based learning in the ACT.
“Teachers use a holistic approach to educate a child; that includes inquiry-based education as well as explicit education. Both are very important in ensuring that a child gets a well-rounded education experience.”
The ACT Government adopted the Future of Education Strategy in 2018, after an 18-month conversation with 5,000 people (including 2,400 students). Under the Strategy, described as a personalised and holistic approach, all ACT public schools are adopting a student-centred approach to learning, and focusing on STEM subjects to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet, explained Yvette Berry, Minister for Education and Youth Affairs.
“Students want a greater say in what and how they learn,” the government’s website claims, so students are empowered to make informed decisions about how their learning and their learning environment operates. The Strategy also aims to empower teachers, school leaders and other professionals to meet students’ learning needs, build strong communities for learning, and strengthen systems to focus on equity with quality.
But it isn’t working, the Liberals claim, and the ACT education system has deteriorated for 15 years.
The report criticised the new Margaret Hendry School – the first built under the Future of Education Strategy. Students learn in open classrooms, working in multi-aged, multi-level student groups, guided by learning coaches (i.e., teachers). The result: poor academic outcomes and bullying. The National School Improvement Tool Review Report (March 2021) said Margaret Hendry students were mostly unaware of their learning goals, and were unsure of next steps for learning; while teachers believed more structured intervention approaches to literacy were needed.
Ms Berry said she was disappointed that the report focused on Margaret Hendry School – “a new school developing its culture during the pandemic”. It had conducted its assessment early to make sure it was getting everything right for its students.
Other problems with ACT schools
Bullying and violence are rife in schools and classrooms, the report claims. School infrastructure is ageing and under-funded; some schools are in “a dangerous state of disrepair”. Other classes are overcrowded. Schools designed for 500 children were now attended by 1,000, Mr Hanson said; while demountables might serve as temporary classrooms (some erected 40 years ago), they did not solve the problem of twice as many children using toilets, libraries, and other facilities.
Under the school autonomy model, teachers and principals spend more time managing than educating. There is little formal evaluation and review of policies and programs.
The Australian Education Union ACT Branch (AEU ACT) agreed that staffing, infrastructure, and workplace safety were core issues; it had raised these issues with the ACT Education Directorate.
“We will always agree with the view that there needs to be a focus on resourcing and safety in schools,” said senior industrial officer Patrick Judge. “We certainly agree that’s somewhere we need to see some improvement.”
ACT schools, like others around the country, found it difficult to source teachers. “Our teachers are dedicated and passionate about their work. The problem is that we don’t have enough of them right in the moment.”
When schools could not find a replacement teacher, classes were split up and students divided among other teachers. Teachers were working with students whom they didn’t know, or teaching classes that were over the ACT maximum size. Both Labor and the Greens had promised at the election to cap class sizes in all ACT public schools, AEU ACT noted.
As enrolment growth outstripped what had been planned for schools, teachers were holding classes in converted libraries, gyms, and even corridors; staff were working from storage rooms; and at some schools there were no withdrawal spaces for students with complex needs.
Staffing and infrastructure problems led to safety problems. Workplace injuries reached an unacceptably high level, AEU ACT claimed, particularly psychosocial risks.
The ACT Education Directorate’s staff reported nearly 1,000 work safety incidents each month for February and March – more than 800 each month involving occupational violence: students becoming upset with the teacher and lashing out in frustration.
“When you are short of resources, when you have a larger class size or are struggling with that inappropriate learning space, teaching from a converted library, it presents challenges in addition to what you normally have,” Mr Judge said. “It affects teachers’ ability to work safely with students with complex needs.”
The ACT Government is conducting an investigation into school infrastructure. Ms Berry said the government has committed more than $114 million to upgrade public schools over the next four years, on top of funding for regular repairs and maintenance, and follows a $99 million investment over the last four years.
