4725.0 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing: A focus on children and youth, Apr 2011
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 23/05/2012 Reissue
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EDUCATION: BEING AT SCHOOL This article is part of a comprehensive series released as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing: A focus on children and youth. Note: In this section 'children' refers to people aged 5–14 years and the terms 'youth' and 'young people' refer to people aged 15–19 years. Information for children was provided by the parent or guardian or, where they were not available, by a close relative or other household member with responsibility for the child. Data presented are from the ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 4714.0) and the Survey of Education and Work, 2008 and 2009 (cat. no. 6227.0).
Being at school provides children and young adolescents with opportunities to obtain basic literacy and numeracy skills and develop social skills that are needed to continue with their education. Staying on at school and completing Year 12 can also have positive effects on young people's wellbeing. Evidence suggests that those who complete Year 12 are more likely than those who leave school earlier to be employed full-time and to earn higher wages (Endnote 1). SCHOOL ATTENDANCE In 2008, almost all (98%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5–14 years were reported to be usually attending school (including 3% who were in preschool and 9% who were in kindergarten or preparatory school) (Endnote 2). Of those who usually attended school (excluding preschool), 95% were reported to usually attend five days per week. MISSING SCHOOL WITHOUT PERMISSION Irregular attendance can disrupt the learning experience and contribute to a lack of improvement in educational outcomes for children (Endnote 3). Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children usually attending school, only a small proportion were reported to have missed school without permission in the last year (8% or 9,800 children) (Endnote 4). This excludes children attending preschool or being home schooled. Children living in non-remote areas were less likely to have missed school without permission than children living in remote areas (6% compared with 14%). Children in Years 7 to 9 were more than twice as likely to have missed school (13%) as those in Kindergarten/prep to Year 6 (6%). This pattern was evident for children living in remote and non-remote areas and for boys and girls overall. 2.1 MISSING SCHOOL WITHOUT PERMISSION(a)(b) BY REMOTENESS AND SEX, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5–14 years—2008 (a) Children who were reported to be usually attending school. (b) In the previous year. (c) Difference between Kindergarten/prep–Year 6 and Year 7–Year 9 is statistically significant. Source: 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey Children aged 5–14 years who had missed school without permission were more likely than those who had not missed school to have experienced one or more stressors, including:
BULLYING AT SCHOOL In 2008, one in eight (12%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5–14 years reported being bullied at school because of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. Overall, the proportions of boys (13%) and girls (11%) who had experienced bullying were similar, however rates were higher among children living in non-remote areas, where 13% of children had experienced bullying compared with 8% of children in remote areas. For more information on bullying at school, see Social and Emotional Wellbeing: Bullying at School in The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (cat. no. 4704.0). COMPLETING THE HIGHER YEARS OF SCHOOLING AND FURTHER EDUCATION Between the ages of 15 and 19 years young people generally need to make a decision about whether or not they will stay on and complete the non-compulsory years of schooling. This decision can have a significant effect on their future wellbeing. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Strait Islander youth aged 15–19 years in 2008:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 15–19 years in non-remote areas were more likely to be studying at secondary school than those in remote areas (47% compared with 38%). However, the proportions of youth in non-remote and remote areas who were studying at tertiary institutions such as university, TAFE or business college, were not significantly different. 2.2 PARTICIPATION IN FORMAL EDUCATION BY REMOTENESS, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged 15–19 years—2008 (a) Difference between non-remote and remote areas is statistically significant. (b) Comprises TAFE or technical college, business college, industry skills centre, and university or other higher educational institutions. (c) Difference between non-remote and remote areas is not statistically significant. (d) Derived measure based on responses about highest educational attainment, highest level of non-school qualification, and highest year of school (primary or secondary) completed. Source: 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who were currently studying was lower than that for non-Indigenous young people, particularly for tertiary institutions such as university, TAFE or business college. Nationally, according to the 2008 and 2009 Surveys of Education and Work (Endnote 6), among non-Indigenous youth aged 15–19 years:
2.3 PARTICIPATION IN FORMAL EDUCATION BY INDIGENOUS STATUS, youth aged 15–19 years—2008 (a) Difference between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous rate is statistically significant. (b) Comprises TAFE or technical college, business college, industry skills centre, and university or other higher educational institutions. (c) Difference between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous rate is not statistically significant. (d) Derived measure based on responses about highest educational attainment, highest level of non-school qualification, and highest year of school (primary or secondary) completed. Source: 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey; 2008 and 2009 Survey of Education and Work. SCHOOL COMPLETION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF WELLBEING In 2008, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 15–19 years who were currently studying or had completed Year 12 or a higher qualification were more likely than those who were neither studying nor had completed Year 12 or a higher qualification to:
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