{"id":69837,"date":"2023-09-18T00:10:44","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T04:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=69837"},"modified":"2023-09-18T00:10:44","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T04:10:44","slug":"70-of-australian-students-with-a-disability-are-excluded-at-school-the-next-round-of-education-reforms-can-fix-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/70-of-australian-students-with-a-disability-are-excluded-at-school-the-next-round-of-education-reforms-can-fix-this\/","title":{"rendered":"70% of Australian students with a disability are excluded at school \u2013 the next round of education reforms can fix this"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The National School Reform Agreement is made about once every five years in Australia. This is the main way the federal government can steer changes in how Australian schools are run.<\/p>\n

The current reform agreement ends in December 2024, and the new one is starting to be developed. One of the early\u00a0priorities<\/a>\u00a0is to improve outcomes for all students, \u201cparticularly those most at risk of falling behind\u201d. An expert panel will\u00a0deliver a report<\/a>\u00a0to all education ministers by the end of October to inform negotiations.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a wide-ranging\u00a0NDIS Review<\/a>, looking at the sustainability of the scheme, is also due to report around the same time .<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Bruce Bonyhady, the chair of the independent review, said state governments need to build \u201cfoundational supports<\/a>\u201d in schools to reduce the strain on the NDIS. This\u00a0follows our recent research<\/a>\u00a0that showed huge issues with the way students with disability are included in school life. For example, 70% of surveyed students with a disability report being excluded from events or activities at school.<\/p>\n

Negotiations around the next school reform agreement alongside the NDIS Review provide a real opportunity to better educate and support students with disability.<\/p>\n

What is the National School Reform Agreement?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The National School Reform Agreement is a\u00a0joint agreement<\/a>\u00a0between the federal and state governments that aims to improve student outcomes across schools. It also deals with funding arrangements. Each state or territory makes its own agreement with the federal government.<\/p>\n

The Albanese government\u00a0extended the current agreement<\/a>\u00a0by a year, with the new one due to begin in January 2025.<\/p>\n

Within the bilateral agreements are activities that support particular student cohorts. But the current setup is not working adequately for students with disability.<\/p>\n

In January this year, a Productivity Commission\u00a0review<\/a>\u00a0noted many of the bilateral agreements either did not include specific reform actions for students with disabilities, or did not include details of how this would happen. It also noted there is no NAPLAN data collected on students with disabilities \u2013 so it is very difficult to measure academic progress.<\/p>\n

The commission suggested linking NDIS data to school reporting. While this would be welcome, it won\u2019t capture students with disabilities who are not part of the NDIS. And it won\u2019t capture the issues people face at the boundaries of the NDIS and education where there is debate over who should provide funding and support.<\/p>\n

Unprecedented demand on the NDIS<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Meanwhile, the NDIS is not necessarily able to provide the support school students need.<\/p>\n

The NDIS was originally designed to provide funding to individuals with significant and permanent disabilities, estimated to be 10% of the\u00a04.4 million<\/a>\u00a0disabled Australians. Today, more than\u00a0610,000<\/a>\u00a0individuals receive support from the scheme \u2013 around 14% of Australians with disability.<\/p>\n

There has been a particular growth in terms of the number of children in the scheme. More than half of those in the NDIS are under 18 and\u00a011% of five- to seven-year-old boys<\/a>\u00a0are participants.<\/p>\n

Some commentators have argued this\u00a0is not sustainable<\/a>, with the NDIS budget estimated to reach A$35 billion this year.<\/p>\n

Bonyhady says he believes the increase in numbers may be due to a\u00a0systemic issue<\/a>. With limited supports outside the NDIS, parents are left with little choice but to try and secure a place on the scheme.<\/p>\n

The NDIS was never intended to replace existing mainstream services such as education and health. But ambiguities about responsibilities for funding often lead to service gaps.\u00a0Our research<\/a>\u00a0has consistently shown students with similar characteristics can receive inconsistent support, depending on:<\/p>\n