1,400 state school principals and senior education leaders have travelled from across Queensland to Brisbane for the first in person Principals’ Conference since 2019.
Opening the conference, Education Minister Grace Grace announced that targeted consultation would begin on the department’s new Equity and Excellence Strategy: realising the potential of every student, an exciting vision for the future of education in Queensland.
“Equity and Excellence supports the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to providing good jobs through support for our valuable principals, teachers and school support staff, and better services across Queensland through the provision of world-class education for our children and young people,” Ms Grace said.
“We are looking at how we can take the best of what we do already and ensure every student and all staff have access to the same opportunities, no matter where they are in Queensland.
“Proposals include educational precincts where schools can share resources and collaborate more closely, a virtual academy that beams specialist teaching expertise to even the most remote parts of our state, and a new Educational Futures Institute that elevates the professional development of our school leaders and teachers.”
Under Equity and Excellence, specific points in schooling will be targeted.
“Every school will focus on key points in each student’s learning journey to set them on a path to lifelong success,” Ms Grace said.
“This will be the start of school, junior secondary, and the transition from school to further education and employment.
“Outcomes for every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student are also embedded in the strategy.
“We will continue to invest in state schooling infrastructure, with a particular focus on building the kind of environments that are conducive to learning for all students.
“Equity and Excellence is a vision for a high performing, contemporary education system that is unashamedly focused on learning outcomes, and ensures no child is left behind.
“While this has always been the ambition for Queensland state schools, COVID meant the last few years have required more of a reactive approached, focused on logistics, RATs, and keeping our students safe.
“It’s now time to refresh and refocus, to make the aspiration of a truly world-class education system a reality for us all.”
Minister Grace said extensive work had already been done to develop the strategy, and now targeted consultation would begin with principals, school leaders, and other stakeholders.
“We have consulted with educational experts, undertaken market research with parents and talked with key stakeholders to identify system initiatives and school priorities that will make the most difference in outcomes for children, young people, families, and communities,” Ms Grace.
“Now it is over to the real experts – the people who work in and around our state schools every day – to finalise the strategy and inform implementation.
“Their views will be critical in bringing the strategy to life.
“The Palaszczuk Government has already delivered record breaking investment for our youngest Queenslanders, including $1 billion to reduce the price of kindy, around $10 billion into state school infrastructure since 2015, a game changing resourcing model for students with disability, and a $100 million wellbeing program bringing psychologists and GPs into our schools to name just a few.
“Equity and Excellence is all about building on these achievements and ensuring the best possible opportunities are offered to every single student in every single state school.”
The Equity and Excellence Strategy is expected to be finalised ahead of Term 1, 2023.
