Range of major schemes to boost early childhood education

31/10/96

The State Government has today announced a range of major initiatives to boost early childhood education for young Western Australian children.

Among the initiatives announced by Education Minister Colin Barnett is the expansion of the Government's pre-primary program to create the opportunity for 13 years of full-time education, expansion of the kindergarten program and a change to the entry age cut-off date for children entering the Government school system.

Mr Barnett said the initiatives formed a comprehensive package aimed at focusing more resources on the critical early childhood education years and would offer WA children similar opportunities currently available in other States of Australia.

He said that it was in the early years of a child's life where an extra year of schooling would make the greatest difference to a child's development and lay the foundations for future educational success.

The change to offer 13 years of education from 2002 was a major part of the Government's commitment to focus more resources on the crucial first years of education.

"It is in these early formative years that the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy in particular are established and learning difficulties are identified," the Minister said.

"Since coming to office, the State Government has established a firm foundation in early childhood education with more than 11,200 children currently in the Education Department's four-days-a-week pre-primary program.

"The Government will progressively expand this program over the next few years to make it available to all parents who want to enrol their children in the Government education system.

"By the end of 1999, we will have spent more than $122 million on new buildings, modifications, equipment and staffing for implementation of initiatives in pre-primary and kindergarten programs in preparation for the 21st century, when further changes will be made in line with a change to the entry age cut-off date."

Mr Barnett said that the major initiatives in the next stage of the Government's early childhood program would see:

- kindergarten programs increase from two to four half-day sessions a week from 2001;

- pre-primary programs expand from four to five days a week and become the first year of full-time school from 2002;

- improved curriculum and teaching programs;

- more flexibility to allow children to progress at their own pace;

- the adoption of June 30 as the entry age cut off date for school in the Government education system. The current cut-off date was December 31; and -

- reduced class sizes in year one and two from 2003 and the implementation of a more flexible approach to reducing class sizes in individual schools prior to 2003.

Mr Barnett said the new early childhood education policy had taken into consideration a wide range of opinions in the WA community, expressed during an extensive consultation process earlier this year.

Four thousand letters were distributed to schools, both Government and non-Government, community pre-schools, P&C organisations, play groups and professional organisations requesting input. This was followed by the distribution of 17,000 information booklets highlighting the issue.

More than 1,000 responses were received on the early childhood education issues.

Of those who gave an opinion on the proposed change to the entry age cut-off date, 43 per cent indicated June 30 as their first preference; 24.5 per cent nominated December 31 or no change and nine per cent gave April 30 as their preference. The Catholic school sector also expressed its support to a change to the June 30 cut-off date.

Mr Barnett said that while it was not mandatory for the non-Government school sector to implement a change to the entry age cut-off date as Government schools would, indications were that both the Catholic and other non-Government schools would change accordingly, although implementation would be at their discretion.

Mr Barnett also said he had also received advice from the Early Childhood Education Council that the highest priority was to ensure that quality developmental programs were provided for young children, regardless of their age.

"With the current cut-off date of December 31, children with birthdays late in the year can enrol in a kindergarten program as long as they turn four by December 31," he said.

"These children can complete most or all of their kindergarten year as three-year-olds, their pre-primary year aged four and year one not yet six.

"For many this is simply too young, particularly in the kindergarten year as they are not emotionally or physically ready to take full advantage of the educational elements of the programs offered.

"Also, WA children are among the youngest in the country when they start year one. Children in all other States and Territories, except Queensland, are five to 12 months older than our children when they start year one.

"A change to the entry age cut-off date to June 30 will bring WA children closer into line with most other States, where entry age cut off dates fall in a band between April 30 and July 31.

"As well, 13 years of schooling is found in most other States and introducing this and a change to the entry age cut-off date in WA will ease the problems currently encountered by families who move between States and find that the education systems are not consistent enough to meet their needs."

Mr Barnett emphasised that children now in the education system or currently born but not in school would not be affected by the change to the school entry date. The first children affected by the new entry age cut-off date, who will enter kindergarten in the year 2002, will be born from July 1 next year.

The Minister said that implementation of the change to the entry age would be in a single step in 2001, with only children turning four between January 1 and June 30 in that year eligible to enter the Government's kindergarten program.

This will mean that only about half of the usual number of children will enter kindergarten in 2001, but at the same time, the kindergarten program will increase from two sessions to four half-day sessions a week.

"This smaller than usual group of children moving through the system over the ensuing 13 years will give us the opportunity to reduce class sizes in years one and two when smaller classes have greater educational benefit," Mr Barnett said.

"This will begin in 2003 but prior to then, the Government will implement a more flexible approach to reducing class sizes in the early primary years in individual schools.

"In 2002, this group will also be the first to participate in five full days of pre-primary in the year that it becomes the first year of full time school.

"As the Government's kindergarten program expands and the full time pre-primary program becomes the first year of school, the average age of children in each year from kindergarten to year 12 will be six months older.

Mr Barnett said that bringing the entry age cut-off date back six months from December 31 to June 30 ensured that all children:

- either turn four in the first half of their kindergarten year or are four when they start kindergarten;

- either turn five in the first half of their pre-primary year or are five when they start pre-primary; and

- either turn six in the first half of year one or are six when they start year one.

The Minister said that this would be reflected in relevant changes to be made to the curriculum and teaching programs.

Mr Barnett said that the Interim Curriculum Council was currently working on a new curriculum framework for all years of education from kindergarten to year 12.

He said that by the time the changes to kindergarten and pre-primary had taken place, Western Australia would have a curriculum which emphasised learning based on a child's development, flowing from one year of school to the next.

Hundreds of teachers in primary and district high schools around WA were also developing quality programs in cooperation with the Education Department and universities. These would be ready for implementation across the system by 2001.

Mr Barnett said the State Government had made a huge investment in young WA children since 1993.

"This package represents a substantial financial commitment. The cost savings generated by the reduced cohort of children moving through the school system will largely fund the expansion of the kindergarten and pre-primary programs in 2001 and 2002, and the reduction of class sizes in years one and two in 2003," he said.

"The changes I have announced today include further initiatives in early childhood education, which will effectively give WA children more education and bring us a step closer to national consistency.

"Early childhood education is a vitally important stage of a child's education.

"Recognising that the foundations of success are laid in a child's early years, this Government has focused on introducing innovative changes in early childhood education to benefit our children of the future."

The Education Department will supply information about the change to the entry age cut off date and the expansion of the kindergarten and pre-primary programs to all government schools, district offices and P&C Associations by mail in the next few days.

Information will also be supplied to playgroups and to Family and Children's Services. Brochures will be widely available in November.

An information telephone line will be open for anyone with questions on the changes to the early childhood education program.

The toll free telephone number is: 1800 625 985.

Media contact: Justine Whittome (09) 222 9699 or pager 480 5614