Goal 5 - Vibrant, Inclusive and Growing Communities where People Feel Valued and Connected

Supporting benchmarks:

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Activity directed towards achieving the benchmarks during 2006-07

Engaging Our School Communities Taskforce

Members of the Engaging Our School Communities Taskforce, established in 2006, represented community groups, parents, schools and councils. They explored areas such as increased opportunities for school engagement with parents and carers and increased community access to school facilities.

In December 2006, the taskforce report was released, with 20 recommendations to further enhance school partnerships with community groups. A DVD documenting examples of best practice where schools were successfully involving parents and their local communities was distributed to all schools.

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Support for Youth Transitions

Increased opportunities were made available for 15 to 19 year-old school leavers to participate in the Tasmanian public VET system. Participation increased from 7,500 in 2004, to 8,600 in 2006.

Over $5 million was allocated to assist young Tasmanians to make successful transitions from compulsory education to further education, training and employment. Initiatives included expanding individual pathway planning and transition support for Year 10 students, the continuation of the Youth Learning Officer (YLO) network to work intensively with disengaged young people and the establishment of area taskforces to coordinate and improve service delivery for young Tasmanians.

Pride and Prejudice Program

The Pride and Prejudice program, a comprehensive, quality web-based professional resource for teachers, was fully implemented in two schools across the state. This resource provides support for teachers and students to develop a better understanding of the changing attitudes to homosexuality in the school community.

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Inclusive Schooling Professional Learning

Individual Educational Planning for Students with Disabilities and Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities spaced learning workshops were offered to teachers and Guaranteeing Futures staff. The focus of these programs was twofold: supporting the learning of students with disabilities through educational planning in inclusive settings and the development of transition planning processes and practices in secondary and senior secondary education.

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