Thursday 14 June 2018

Students turning off from year 5

It was reported in the West Australian newspaper: Hiatt, Bethany, The West Australian, 12 June 2018, p3 that the WA Primary Principals Association (WAPPA) had just released a report "Engagement and Progress in Middle and Upper Primary Years".

Hiatt reports that the Report targets a lower rate of funding for the primary years 4 to 6 as a likely cause of:


  • Primary schools now exhibit higher levels of student violence, antisocial behaviour and mental health issues than in the past;
  • Students' rate of academic progress slowed after year 3;
  • Students' interest in in their learning dropped away from year 5.
The funding rates cited by Haiti from the Report are:

  • Students in years 4-6 are funded at $6779 per year;
  • Students in years preprimary - year 3 are funded at $8135 per year; and
  • High school students are funded at more than $9000 per year.

It was noted by the WAPPA President that after year 3 students tended to move from classes of 24 to 32.

Hiatt offered this quote from the President:

"Our argument is that if we can do more to keep the kids engaged in the primary years, right through to the end of primary school, their achievement and progress will more likely be better, their social , emotional and behaviour issues will be less and we'll have less of a problem starting high school."

The problem was cited as being Australia-wide.

Now I have to say that all this whetted my appetite to see the whole Report and I am chasing this up at the moment, resolving an issue that finds the report difficult to download. I am eager to see the evidence of how funding and slightly higher class sizes are deemed to be the culprits.

I am not sceptical, but am concerned at the quotation included above.  Out of the context of the Report it appears to be somewhat self evident and I am almost certain the President of WAPPA would not have wanted it outed in Hiatt's article.

Watch this space for comments once I have read the Report.

May the Force be with you!


GD






No comments:

Post a Comment