1308.8 - In fACT - Statistical Information on the ACT and Region, Nov 2009
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/11/2009
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EDUCATION
Schools There are currently 127 schools in the ACT, 83 government schools and 44 non-government schools. The number of government schools has declined by 13 since 2005 with the number of non-government schools remaining the same.
In February 2009, the majority of school students attended government schools. Enrolment in government schools was most pronounced in the primary school level where 60% of school students attended government schools and 40% attended non-government schools. In the high school/college levels just over half (54%) of all students attended government schools at February 2009, while 46% attended non-government schools. School Students
Excluding preschool students, figures in the table above show a decrease in student numbers for every year in the government sector from 35,721 in 2005 to 34,488 in 2009 or an overall decline of 4%. There has been an increase in student numbers for every year in the non-government sector (excluding preschool students) from 24,554 in 2005 to 25,586 in 2009 for an overall increase of 4% (or 1,032 students). Apparent Retention Rates Apparent retention rates measure the number of students in Year 12 as a percentage of their secondary schooling commencing cohort group (Year 7 for NSW, Vic., Tas., and the ACT and Year 8 for Qld, SA, WA and the NT). To calculate the rate, the total number of full-time students in Year 12 is divided by the number of full-time students in the base year. The resultant figure is converted to a percentage. Care should be exercised in the interpretation of these results, as this method of calculation does not take in to account a range of factors, including students repeating a year of education, migration and other net changes in the school population. In small jurisdictions such as Tas., NT and the ACT relatively small changes in student numbers can create apparently large movements in retention rates. The ACT has historically exhibited higher than average apparent retention rates than Australia. The graph above shows the apparent retention rate declined by 6 percentage points between 1998 and 2008 for the ACT (from 91% to 85%). Comparatively, all other states and territories, as well as Australia, have exhibited steady or increasing apparent retention rates over the same time period. Factors which could explain this decline in the ACT include more students choosing vocational education as a means of completing secondary schooling, students moving interstate between Year 7/8 and Year 12, repeating a year of education and other net changes to the school population. Student/Teaching Staff Ratio The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) primary school teaching staff in the ACT increased by 20 FTE teachers over the period 2004 (2,050) to 2008 (2,070). Over that period the student/teaching staff ratio reduced slightly from 15.4 FTE in 2004, to 14.9 FTE in 2008. Teaching staff numbers (FTE) in secondary schools decreased by 32 from 2004 (2,323) to 2008 (2,291) with the student/teaching staff ratio slightly increasing from 12.2 in 2004 to 12.4 in 2008. Comparatively, student/teaching staff ratios for Australia were 15.8 for primary and 12.0 for secondary in 2008.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) In Australia VET providers are Technical and Further Education Institutes (TAFE), universities, secondary schools, industry organisations, private enterprises, agricultural colleges, community education providers and other government providers. Between 2004 and 2008 the number of students enrolled in publicly-funded VET in the ACT increased by 11% from 22,325 students to 24,684. The ACT experienced an increase in VET student numbers of 3% between 2007 and 2008, whilst nationally there was an increase of 2% for the same period.
The 15-19 year age group had the highest participation rate between 2004 and 2008 with a slight increase in the rate from 20% in 2004 to 23% in 2008. The age group with the second highest participation rate over the same period was the 20-24 year age group, where the rate remained steady around 18%.
The field of education with the highest number of students over the 2004 to 2008 period was Management and commerce, with 5,687 students in 2004 and 6,658 students in 2008, an increase of 17%. Society and culture had the second highest number of students with 4,189 students in 2004 and 4,330 students in 2008, an increase of 3%. Natural and physical sciences had the lowest number of students with 380 in 2004 and 395 in 2008. Architecture and building was the field that recorded the greatest percentage increase in student numbers between 2004 and 2008 (90%), followed by Food, hospitality and personal services (29%). Information technology experienced the greatest percentage fall in student numbers between 2004 and 2008 with a decrease of 17%. However, between 2007 and 2008 Information technology student numbers increased by 9%. Higher Education Higher education in the ACT includes the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Canberra (UC), and the Signadou campus of the Australian Catholic University (ACU). Enrolments in higher education in the ACT have increased from 25,271 students in 2003 to 26,837 students in 2007, an overall increase of 6%. This was due to an increase of students undertaking a postgraduate higher degree (from 4,728 students in 2003 to 6,866 students in 2007). The proportion of higher education students in the ACT undertaking a full-time course remained fairly static over the years at around 68%. Over the years female students have comprised a little under 54% of enrolled students. In 2007 the ANU and UC accounted for 97% of the total tertiary students in the ACT. ANU had the highest proportion of undergraduate students (59%). The university with the highest number of non-award course students was Australian National University (ANU) with 340 students.
Full-time students comprised 71% of all students at ANU in 2007. ANU had the highest proportion of male students (49%), and the Signadou campus of the ACU had the highest proportion of female students (76%).
Overseas students accounted for 21% (or 5,703 students) of all higher education students enrolled in the ACT in 2007. ANU had the highest number of overseas students (3,372). ANU and UC both had a relatively even distribution of males and females among overseas students, with males in the ANU accounting for 55% of overseas students and in UC, 52%. The proportion of onshore overseas students has increased from around 74% of overseas students in 2003 to around 83% in 2007. Over the same period, there has been a decrease in the number of offshore overseas students by -24%. Enrolments in higher education by overseas male students have increased from 2,763 students in 2003 to 3,046 students in 2007, an overall increase of 10%. While enrolments in higher education by overseas female students have increased from 2,149 students in 2003 to 2,657 students in 2007, an overall increase of 24%.
National Assessment Program on Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) conducts a NAPLAN each year. The NAPLAN tracks achievement in reading, writing, language conventions (grammar and spelling) and numeracy through administration of a standard test to all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Student reports show what students know and can do, in the five areas tested, how they performed in relation to other students in the year group, and achievement against the national average and national minimum standard. Some key ACT figures from the NAPLAN Summary Report for 2009 are as follows: Reading Of Year 3 ACT students, 95% were at or above the national minimum standard for reading, 1 percentage point higher than the national level. Of Year 7 ACT students, the percentage was 96% , one of the highest percentages for all states and territories, and 2 percentage points higher than the national average. Writing Of Year 5 students, 94% were at or above the national minimum standard for writing, which was 2 percentage points above the national level. Grammar and Punctuation Of Year 9 students, the ACT had the highest percentage that were at or above the national minimum standard of all states and territories (93%), 3 percentage points above the national average. Numeracy Of Year 5 students, 95% were at or above the national minimum standard for numeracy, one of the highest percentages of all states and territories, and 1 percentage point higher than the national level. Participation rate The average participation rate across all year groups and all tests for the ACT was 95%. For further information please see the MCEECDYA NAPLAN Summary Report, on the NAPLAN website.
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