The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) has responded to the release of the 2024 NAPLAN results, calling for urgent funding reform to address what it describes as a clear link between social disadvantage and student achievement.
ASPA President, Mr Andy Mison, said that while the overall stability of the national results was pleasing, the data once again highlighted the urgent need to address systemic inequities in Australian education.
“We cannot ignore the clear correlation between socio-economic and socio-educational advantage levels and student achievement,” Mr Mison said.
“These results are not a reflection of our hardworking teachers, but rather a symptom of a system that continues to disadvantage students based on their postcode and their parents’ income and education levels.”
Mr Mison cautioned against simplistic solutions and urged governments and commentators to resist the temptation to bash teachers or seek silver-bullet fixes.
“We need to address the underlying economic and social conditions that create these inequities,” he said.
“This requires a whole-of-government approach, with serious investment and targeted support for disadvantaged schools and communities.”
ASPA reiterated its call for full funding of public schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) as the first step in addressing the achievement disparities evident in the NAPLAN data.
“Fully funding our public schools is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Mr Mison said. “It’s the best way to ensure that every child in Australia has the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background.”
ASPA is calling on state and territory governments to work with the Federal Government to deliver the necessary funding arrangements.
“Our children’s futures depend on it,” Mr Mison said.
ACARA says latest data shows NAPLAN results ‘broadly stable’
Findings from the NAPLAN National Results released today by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) show that results at a national level were similar to the results in 2023.
The data shows that while there were small increases and decreases across domains and year levels, overall the results were broadly stable.
“These results are a testament to the hard work and commitment of schools, principals and teachers, as well as students themselves,” said ACARA’s CEO Stephen Gniel. Read more.
