School education

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Strategic objective: Every student succeeding

We have committed to Equity and Excellence in education so that all children and young people are confident and creative lifelong learners. Our investment in education ensures children and young people have every opportunity to realise their potential at school and establish strong foundations to live happy, healthy lives and contribute to our communities in the future.

Equity and Excellence: realising the potential of every student

Equity and Excellence is the department’s long-term strategy for a progressive, high-performing education system. This reflects our commitment to equity and excellence in education set out in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.

Launched in February 2023, Equity and Excellence outlines our commitment and approach to reducing barriers and realising the potential of all students through 3 focus areas.

Educational achievement – knowing each student’s learning progress and making sure they are on track for positive educational outcomes.
Wellbeing and engagement – focusing on staff and student wellbeing, belonging and creating positive environments for teaching and learning.
Culture and inclusion – valuing the diversity of our staff, students and school communities and creating inclusive teaching and learning environments.

Equity and Excellence was informed by targeted consultation with over 1,400 state school principals and key stakeholders at the Queensland Principals’ Conference and Business Day held in October 2022. Principals and stakeholders overwhelmingly supported the vision of Equity and Excellence, with 97% of principals agreeing with the 3 focus areas.

At the centre of the Equity and Excellence are 5 system initiatives to ensure sustainable improvement, including the following.

Educational leadership and teaching expertise – empowering educators and leaders to build professional expertise across their career through high-quality, targeted development opportunities.
Digital innovation in teaching and learning – embedding future-focused learning practices that connect students and teachers across the state.
Educational performance and support – setting system priorities and clear expectations for schools with differentiated support targeted to school context and need.
Integrated responses and educational precincts – integrated planning, design and delivery of education across schools, early years services and community partners to respond to changing community needs.
Revitalised educational infrastructure – driving sustainable investment to optimise and renew educational infrastructure across our school network.

Embedded across our strategy is a commitment to improving outcomes for Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students to ensure every student can realise their potential.

More information about some of our actions to implement Equity and Excellence is outlined in the annual report.

Successful transitions to school

A strong start to school helps build the foundations for every student’s learning progress.

In 2022–23, over $600,000 was allocated to selected schools as part of the department’s Step up into Education initiative. The initiative is the department’s commitment to improve children’s transition into schooling through effective partnerships and best practice approaches to early years curriculum and pedagogy.

Educational performance and support model

Schools perform best when they receive clear guidance on priorities and expectations, and tailored support that meets their unique needs.

A new educational performance and support model is being introduced as part of Equity and Excellence to provide schools with greater clarity of expectations about priorities and a more cohesive model of supervision and support across Queensland. The new model is informed by school context to ensure system supports are differentiated in line with each school’s needs.

The new model commenced from July 2023, with new school supervisors recruited to provide system support to schools. These supervisors will be responsible for the direct supervision and performance management of principals and to broker differentiated support to schools, as determined by school context, and school and student performance outcomes.

Student wellbeing

Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of students is the department’s top priority. Through the Queensland Government’s commitment of $106.7 million over 3 years for the Student Wellbeing Package, the department is increasing wellbeing support available to students in all Queensland state schools.

As at 30 June 2023, an additional 250 psychologists or similar wellbeing professionals employed through the Student Wellbeing Package in 2022–23 were supporting students’ wellbeing and mental health in schools across the state, bringing the total number of wellbeing professionals employed to 347.

Implementation of the General Practitioners (GP) in Schools Pilot also continued in 2022–23 to support selected Queensland state schools with secondary-aged students to access a free primary healthcare service at school 1 day per week. Providing this service at school removes barriers students face to accessing timely and appropriate healthcare. In 2022–23, an additional 22 schools selected to participate in the GP Pilot commenced providing a primary healthcare service, bringing the total number of schools providing a service to 49.

Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey

The Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey gives schools the opportunity to gain a better understanding of their students’ engagement and wellbeing and drive continuous improvement within schools. The survey provides an evidence-informed approach to positively and proactively support students’ mental health, school engagement and wellbeing within each school’s context.

The survey is offered to schools on a voluntary basis each year in Term 2 for students in Years 4 to 12. In 2023, close to 121,000 students from 572 schools participated.

We are continuing to make the survey more inclusive so more students can share their views on engagement and wellbeing. Work is underway to develop versions of the survey for students experiencing barriers to accessing the survey, such as students with cognitive disability. We are also using a co-design approach to explore opportunities to measure cultural aspects of wellbeing for Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students.

Respectful relationships education

In October 2022, the department released the Respect program and Respectful Relationships Education Hub (the Hub) to strengthen respectful relationships education delivery in Queensland schools.

The Respect program provides age-appropriate materials to help build a culture of respect, by challenging attitudes about violence and gender constructs known to lead to violence, while also supporting students to develop pro-social behaviours to support equitable and respectful relationships.

The publicly available Hub provides information on respectful relationships, consent and reporting of sexual assault and harm. The Hub was developed to provide schools, high school students and families with information on these important topics.

Professional development and specialist advice is also available to Queensland state schools through a $15.5 million investment over 3 years to ensure teachers have the resources and capability they need to implement respectful relationships education.

Share the Dignity

Difficulty accessing essential period products should never be a barrier to learning.

In 2022–23, the department continued to deliver on the Queensland Government’s commitment of up to $2.5 million over 3 years to provide students in selected schools with access to free period products through a partnership with Share the Dignity.

Dignity Vending Machines (DVMs) were installed in an additional 76 schools in 2022–23, bringing the total number of DVMs installed through the partnership to 138.

The 2022–23 Queensland State Budget committed an additional $32.1 million over 4 years to expand the partnership with Share the Dignity. Through the expanded initiative, all Queensland state schools, outdoor and environmental education centres and student residential facilities will have the opportunity to register for a DVM to provide free period products to students at their school in Semester 2 2023.

Youth Engagement Strategy

From 2022–23, a further $45.5 million over 4 years will be invested to deliver the Youth Engagement Strategy, ensuring that every young person is supported to succeed at school and transition to further study or work. Initiatives under the strategy include the following.

Regional Youth Engagement Services, which locate and case manage early school leavers and support them back into education or employment.
FlexiSpaces, which equip schools with high-quality, bespoke built environments that provide flexible learning opportunities for students at risk of disengaging from school.
Link and Launch, which supports Year 12 completers not engaged in education, training or employment in the 2 years after finishing school by working with them to make a successful transition into study, training or work.
Student, Child and Family Connect, which identifies vulnerable students and establishes individualised and multi-agency approaches to assist them to re-engage with learning.

Students with disability

The department is committed to ensuring students with disability can access an inclusive and equitable education to realise their potential.

The department commenced a 2-year transition for 2023 and 2024 to the new students with disability – reasonable adjustments resourcing model. The $80.6 million investment allocates state schools with teacher and teacher aide resources to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability so they can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers without disability.

For the first time, additional resources are provided to state schools to support students with disability based on need and adjustments required, regardless of disability type. The new model is informed by the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability and recognises all disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, dyslexia and mental health conditions.

The new model also provides a higher level of resourcing in Prep, giving schools the important resources needed to set our youngest students up for success.

In 2023, resources have been allocated for around 78,000 state school students with disability. This is approximately an extra 40,000 students compared to the previous model.

Support for rural and remote education

All students, no matter where they live, should have access to high-quality education.

In 2022–23 the following initiatives supported students and teachers in rural and remote areas.

Centres for Learning and Wellbeing provide capability development, mentoring and coaching for beginning principals, middle and experienced teachers, resilience building for staff and inter-agency wellbeing support for staff and students.
Take the Lead, a targeted leadership capability development program for high-performing Queensland state school candidates for leadership roles in Queensland rural and remote schools.
The Rural and Remote Education Access Program provides funds for eligible state schools and their communities to improve the educational outcomes and opportunities for students who are disadvantaged because of their geographical isolation, so that student’s learning outcomes match those of other students.
The Queensland Virtual STEM Academy (QVSA), provides opportunities for female, First Nations, rural and remote, and socio-disadvantaged students who would benefit from a STEM learning community.
The HarvestEd Agricultural Student program, a partnership between the department, QVSA and the Asia Education Foundation that supports rural and remote students to engage with the agricultural industry.
Rural and Remote Arts Education Program, delivered in partnership with the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art enhances opportunities for rural and remote students and staff to engage with the arts.

More information on initiatives that support rural and remote education are available.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program

Improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students remains a key priority to support students to see themselves, their identities and cultures reflected in their learning.

In partnership with tertiary education providers, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program (ATSIAP) provides students the opportunity to extend upon their school studies, build critical networks of like-minded peers and participate in on-campus university experiences to support positive post-school transitions.

In 2023, 70 students from 20 schools registered to participate in the junior secondary and senior secondary ATSIAP initiatives, which consist of a statewide academic challenge where students apply traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and approaches to solve a contemporary problem.

First Nations Languages Program

The department supports Aboriginal peoples’ and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ aspirations to learn and teach their languages and cultures in Queensland schools.

Learning these languages can enhance Aboriginal students’ and Torres Strait Islander students’ links to culture, family and Country, and strengthen their sense of identity and belonging. For all students, learning an Aboriginal language or Torres Strait Islander language can be an active step towards reconciliation and a distinctive means of understanding and describing the Country in which they live, including the relationship between the land, the environment and the people.

In 2022–23, over 150 state schools collaborated with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples to co-design language programs for 26 different First Nations’ languages. As at 30 June 2023, there were 44 schools teaching First Nations’ languages.

Homework Centres

Homework Centres benefit families by providing a supervised and appropriate learning environment where students from any year level can complete homework before they go home from school.

As part of an $8 million commitment over 4 years to deliver Homework Centres in 120 state schools across Queensland, participating schools receive funding for an additional 270 teacher aide hours and resources to support Homework Centre operations, including healthy snacks for participating students.

Water safety

The department is committed to ensuring all young Queenslanders have the opportunity to gain water safety knowledge and skills, with 98.7% of state schools currently delivering water safety and swimming education programs. For schools unable to deliver a water safety and swimming education program, the department is working collaboratively with external providers to reduce barriers and improve access.

In 2022–23, the department provided $3.5 million to support state schools to deliver water safety and swimming education programs. Additionally, water safety and swimming education funding is available annually to primary and special schools without a pool to implement a water safety and education program that works best for their students and school community. This support helps reduce the cost for schools and families and ensures that every child is learning how to be safe around water.

Service area performance

Objective: Queensland students engaged in learning, achieving and successfully transitioning into further education, training and work.

Description: Delivering Prep to Year 12 in Queensland state schools to prepare young people for successful transitions into further education, training and work administering funding to Queensland non-state schools.