The Commission met virtually last week for its August meeting and discussed a number of key issues for the sector. 

Commission members were presented with data on new schools in both the Catholic and Independent sectors, as well as the latest update on the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (see story later in the Communique on the current ATWD collection). 

The Commission also approved four updated or new position statements. These statements are: 

• Senior Leadership Positions in Catholic Schools in Queensland 
• Accreditation to Teach in a Queensland Catholic School 
• Formation for Staff Members in Catholic Schools in Queensland 
• Accreditation to Teach Religion in a Queensland Catholic School. 

Following the Commission meeting, QCEC Chair Margaret White, Chief Operating Officer Chris Woolley and I met with the Queensland Bishops as part of the ongoing review of the QCEC Constitution. 

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) also met last week and heard for the first time from the federal Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge. 

Due to the current restrictions Minister Tudge presented online and provided an update on the Federal Government’s key planks in education policy.

As you may have read last week, the Minister is seeking further review of the draft Australian Curriculum.  He stressed the importance of having evidence-based practice embedded in the curriculum such as the explicit teaching of phonics. 

Other observations by the Minister were that the current draft revised Australian Curriculum documents did not consistently lift standards (and, in the case of mathematics, reduced them in his view), were almost impenetrable rather than accessible, and didn’t appropriately reflect Australia’s history.

In summary, the Minister made clear that he would not be supporting the revised drafts in their current form. The Minister also highlighted the challenges being faced in attracting, training and retaining teachers. He encouraged participation in the recently announced review of initial teacher education. 

On Friday we met with Commissioner of the Queensland Human Rights Commission, Scott McDougall and Review Project Leader, Jane Vasey as part of the consultation process for the review of Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. 

The purpose of the Act is to prevent discrimination and promote social inclusion in Queensland. The Act is 30 years old and in May 2021, the Attorney-General asked the Queensland Human Rights Commission to undertake a review of the Act. 

The Queensland Human Rights Commission has commenced preliminary consultation sessions with a wide range of community stakeholders as part of this process. They intend to prepare and release a discussion paper in November 2021.

Formal submissions will be called for after the release of the Discussion Paper.

Minister for Regional Education, Senator Bridget McKenzie, recently held a Virtual Roundtable meeting which I attended with Jacinta Collins from NCEC to discuss nationally consistent arrangements for boarding school students impacted by COVID-19.

The meeting gave participants the opportunity to provide their insights on management of COVID-19 border restrictions, discuss issues arising from recent state and territory border decisions and share their thoughts on any possible solutions.

Participants were also encouraged to share data and views on any key issues and difficulties with data collection. Senator McKenzie is hoping to develop and seek national agreement on a set of principles to guide the movement of boarding school students across LGAs and State/Territory borders. 

On Monday I joined RI/PJP Principals for our Term 3 meeting.

Principals were provided with a demonstration of an inclusive education comparative tool developed by QCEC, along with updates on COVID-19 matters, the NGRSF workplan and the School Officer Classification Trial. 

Guest presenters Ben Lovell and Amy Grieve from PIVOT Professional Learning also provided an update on the cluster report following the first cycle of the student perception survey currently being conducted with six Queensland Catholic schools. 

The next meeting will be held in Term 4 on Monday 25 October 2021. 

The Department of Education Director-General, Tony Cook, has announced his resignation to take up a Deputy Secretary role with the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful contribution Tony has made in his role as Director-General and to thank him for the excellent working relationship we have had with him and the Department under his leadership.

Tony’s last day as Director-General will be Friday 10 September, 2021.

I would like to congratulate Tony on his new appointment and wish him all the best for the future.

Deputy Director-General for the Office of Industrial Relations Craig Allen will be the acting D-G for Education following Tony’s departure.

QCEC Director Education Yvonne Ries and I met with representatives from the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) Queensland Inc. to discuss the funding model for specific needs support for rural and remote students. 

ICPA advocates for students in rural and remote settings and for boarding students. 
 
The Association is seeking to ensure that rural and remote students who require learning support and assistance in the early and middle years of schooling receive, at a minimum, the same level of support in their senior years.  

All registered Queensland Catholic School teachers should have received an invitation from the Queensland College of Teachers on Tuesday to take part in the Australian Teacher Workforce (ATWD) Teacher Survey. 

The purpose of the ATWD Teacher Survey is to provide a reliable, robust national dataset which links initial teacher education (ITE) data and existing teacher workforce data.

QCEC encourages registered teachers to participate in the survey as it will ensure the voice of Queensland Catholic teachers is heard and reflected in the national dataset to inform future reforms, policy and funding.

The ATWD survey will close on Friday, 8 October 2021. Find out more here.

NCCD Reflection and Planning Workshops are being hosted by QCEC throughout Terms 3 and 4, via online and face-to-face delivery modes. 

Queensland Catholic school NCCD teams, including school leaders, are encouraged to attend.

The workshops will guide participants through a process of focussed reflection to identify NCCD successes and areas for improvement in their own school.

Participants will interrogate their individual school data, including the 2021 NCCD census information and the results of the school’s 2021 NCCD Annual School Process Reflection for School Staff.

For more information, workshop dates and to register for a session in your diocese, click here. 

Queensland Catholic school teachers aspiring to certification as a Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher in 2022 are encouraged to enrol for introductory sessions and in-depth workshops throughout Terms 3 and 4.

These sessions will be hosted by QCEC in conjunction with facilitators from across the dioceses.

Places are limited so please register your interest for these events here.

Registrations are open for the QCEC Online Assessment Virtual Symposium on Thursday, 9 September.

The symposium will provide participants with insights into 2021 NAPLAN results, future directions in national standardised assessment, NAPLAN Online reports, learning analytics and digital resourcing enhancements for the upcoming, revised Australian Curriculum. 

Find out more about the event and register here by 7 September.

QCEC has been invited to share resources provided by Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) to help Queensland Catholic school staff, students and community members understand the issues of church support for palliative care instead of euthanasia.

Proposed legislation to allow voluntary assisted dying is currently before the Queensland Parliament and is expected to be debated when Parliament sits next month.

These resources are found on the BCE website here and can be used by Catholic School Authorities to distribute to staff and other members of their school community as appropriate to assist in the discussion of this complex issue.

Missed a Circular? Below is a list of Circulars that have been issued recently. Use your login to access them.   

2021 Circulars 
 
078     Information about the 2021 Federal Census 
079     Further information on the completion of the 2021 Federal Census 
080     Single use plastic ban 
081     HAT and LT Introductory Sessions and In-Depth Workshops 2021 & 2022      
082     QCEC Online Assessment Virtual Symposium 
083     Consultation for a new Queensland Women’s Strategy 
084     Commission meeting dates in 2022