| Initiative |
What happened this year |
What has been achieved |
What this means for next year |
Supporting |
| School Improvement Review (SIR) |
Twenty-eight schools started school improvement reviews with their communities.
One hundred and eighty-eight schools had school improvement plans in place.
Changes to the department’s structure necessitate a review of the SIR, so interim arrangements were established for the process in 2005 and 2006 to provide time for the review to occur.
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Twenty-nine schools completed and signed partnership agreements with their school communities and finalised their school improvement plans.
Twenty-eight schools conducted the
parent opinion and staff organisational health surveys.
A further 25 schools not scheduled for a review this year also conducted staff organisational health surveys.
Training and accreditation of senior branch officers was conducted to help interpret and analyse organisational health survey data.
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Once the SIR process has been reviewed, a new cycle will begin in 2007.
In the interim, 69 schools will conduct the parent opinion and organisational health surveys.
The surveys will also be refined for use by schools and clusters for the new cycle in 2007.
Schools will undertake the organisational health survey as a means of measuring progress towards the targets of their partnership agreements.
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Goal 1.5 |
| Review of Teachers Registration Act 2000 |
The Minister announced a review of the Teachers Registration Act 2000 including a review of administrative aspects of the Act as well as the effectiveness of good character provisions and complaint mechanisms. |
The review commenced in Term 1 with the circulation of a discussion paper and subsequent extensive consultation with stakeholders in Term 2. |
It is anticipated that amending legislation will be introduced into Parliament in the autumn 2006 session. |
Goal 5.1 |
| Code of Conduct |
The Minister announced the development of a code of conduct for the department.
The code complements the State Service Code of Conduct, addressing specific departmental issues.
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Development of the code commenced. |
The code will be implemented in Term 3, 2005. Training, information and awareness-raising sessions for all staff will ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities under the code. |
Goal 3.1 |
| Organisational Health Survey |
The department conducted an agency-wide organisational health survey. |
Training and accreditation for the interpretation and use of the survey results was conducted. |
Business units, with assistance from trained senior officers, will use data collected to improve their ways of working. |
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| Burnie Secondary Education Review |
A comprehensive review of educational provision for secondary students in Burnie was completed.
Forums were held for school staff and parent and community members to consider the findings, with a view to establishing world class secondary education in Burnie.
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The findings from the research and the responses from the forums provided information to support a proposal to explore a new secondary learning organisation and structure in Burnie.
A steering group was formed to oversee the project.
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Proposals for a new model of provision will be explored with the broader community, including further consultation with students and primary school parents. |
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| Playground Blitz |
The Playground Blitz initiative was announced in November as part of the government’s Community Health and Well Being program. The initiative aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of children in schools and child care centres through the improvement of facilities for physical activity including playgrounds, sports fields, gymnasiums and sporting equipment, and also by encouraging further use of them by community organisations. |
Seven hundred and eighteen applications were received from schools and child care centres for sports and playground equipment.
Submissions were assessed on a needs basis and grant allocations were finalised.
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The grant allocations will be announced in early July 2005.
Projects will begin, providing opportunities to increase the number and choice of physical activities for children in schools and child care centres.
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Goal 5.1.1 |
| Talking Sexual Health |
The department worked collaboratively with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and non-government agencies to train secondary school teachers and support staff using the Talking Sexual Health resource.
Trainers were made available to train teachers to use the Talking Sexual Health resource in schools.
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In collaboration with DHHS, Family Planning Tasmania, Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases (TasCAHRD), youth health services and the University of Tasmania, a sexuality education interagency group was formed to coordinate sexuality education training for secondary school teachers. |
Talking Sexual Health training will continue to be provided to increase the numbers of teachers who are confident to use the resource in their schools.
Interagency collaboration will continue to sustain the program and to provide support to schools.
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Goal 3.1
Goal 3.2 |
| International Fee Paying Students |
Ten scholarships were made available to assist the promotion of Tasmanian international student education programs. |
The scholarships were used to support the Department of Economic Development’s student recruitment activities in new and developing markets. |
Students from outside the traditional source countries are likely to study in Tasmania. |
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