Key Points
A Rebecca White Labor Government will ensure no Tasmanian child gets left behind at school by providing support to all kids who need extra help with reading, writing and maths.
We’ll support this with a record investment in the attraction, retention and recruitment of teachers, valuing the people who help our kids learn.
And we’ll make sure kids are learning in quality, modern classrooms, and kids with dyslexia and learning disability get the support they need too.
As part of our record investment in education, Labor will:
- Provide extra one-on-one and small group learning support to all kids who need it
- Employ up to 300 new educational tutors and 30 new speech pathologists to support catch up learning
- Ensure literacy education for all students is backed with evidence-based instruction, 100 new teachers and students are supported with decodable readers
- Expand dyslexia and learning disability support
- Provide $130m to build and upgrade schools
- Create a $10m stream of funding for sporting grounds, indoor rec centres and playground upgrades
- Conduct an independent review in to Tasmanian educational outcomes
- Create a workforce strategy on boosting teaching numbers in line with Federal Reforms and Initiatives
- Work openly with stakeholders to deliver on Disability Royal Commission recommendations
- Offer job security to 200 teachers on short-term contracts, and new recruitment and retention incentives.
Why we need it
After 10 years of a Liberal government, our education outcomes are at the bottom of the class of all other states and it’s our students who are paying the price.
We can, and must do better.
“A Labor Government with record investment in education will unlock a brighter future for all Tasmanian kids”
The details
Labor has a plan to give every Tasmanian student a better education.
Labor’s positive plan for schools will make sure our kids get more tailored support with their schooling, and more one-on-one time when they need it.
It is important because we know education is the key investment we can make to unlock economic and social prosperity.
1. Catch Up Learning
There is strong evidence that tutoring and small group learning is an effective learning method for students who may be behind their peers.
Small-group tuition works because the tutor can focus exclusively on a small number of students, identify their precise learning needs, and work closely with them to get them back on track. A student’s personal relationship with their tutor can also boost their confidence and help them feel better about going to school.
Labor will employ up to 300 qualified tutors to provide sessions in literacy and numeracy to students in groups of 1-6 at a time. The learning may be onsite in school hours, online at home or a combination of the two.
For further intensive support, specialist staff will focus one-on-one with students by employing a further 30 speech or occupational therapists.
Tutors may be:
- Qualified teachers
- Provisional (pre-registration) teachers
- Retired teachers
- Casual teachers
- Educational Support Specialists
- Speech or occupational therapist or paraprofessionals working under their direction.
We will also commit $800k over 4 years to allow Square Pegs to expand existing services to people of all ages with dyslexia and Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) particularly to those with lower SES households.
2. More Teachers
A Rebecca White Labor Government will employ 100 new teachers to support a greater focus on lifting reading and writing results.
We’ll also offer permanent jobs to 200 teachers on short term contracts.
Our schools are struggling every week with teacher shortages.
We know 1 in 5 teachers are on short term contracts and they are leaving state schools in search of permanent work.
We will prevent any further loss of talented teachers by offering job security.
To further support our educators, we will create a workforce strategy to boost teaching numbers in line with Federal reforms and initiatives.
3. New home readers for every school
A Labor Government will provide $1m to update home readers in every school. These will include rich, engaging texts so kids and parents can enjoy home reading time.
Importantly, our literacy program will focus on evidence-based instruction and supported with decodable readers to help kids learn.
Labor strongly supports the Department of Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) literacy reforms including three tiered instructional model and extending structured literacy right through the grade 6.
4. Neglected Schools Fund
A Rebecca White Labor Government will provide $130m to build and upgrade schools around the state.
This will include completion of new school builds at Sorell, Brighton and Legana.
And upgrading the following 15 schools which have been languishing on the priority one list, some for over 6 years.
- Burnie Primary School;
- Campbelltown District High School;
- Clarence High School;
- Deloraine High School;
- Dodges Ferry Primary School;
- Havenview Primary School;
- JRLF East Derwent Primary School;
- Lindisfarne North Primary School;
- Mowbray Heights Primary School;
- Port Dalrymple School;
- Princes Street Primary School;
- Ringarooma Primary School;
- Risdon Vale Primary School;
- Rosetta Primary School; and
- South George Town Primary School.
There will be additional funds dedicated to a new Devonport Support School and upgrades to the Burnie Support School.
As a part of this program, a $10m stream will be made available to upgrade:
- Playgrounds
- Recreational spaces
- Sport areas
5. Independent Review
A Labor Government will commission a comprehensive independent review of Tasmania’s education system to better understand why Tasmania's system has consistently underperformed other states and territories.
The Liberals refuse to commit to this.
We must pull every lever we can to achieve better outcomes for our kids and states future.
6. Disability Royal Commission
Within the first 100 days, a Labor Government will commence consultation on progress of Tasmania’s response to the Disability Royal Commission 222 recommendations ahead of the mid-year response time for all states. We will work openly with stakeholders by providing a dashboard to improve transparency on the work undertaken.
At full rollout, the total cost of this policy is $45m/pa, plus $130m in capital expenditure.