When the leaders of Australia’s governments gather this week, providing certainty on school funding beyond 2017 should be a priority, the National Catholic Education Commission has said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will meet with premiers and chief ministers on Friday, with Commonwealth funding for education and health expected to be on the agenda. Mr Turnbull has foreshadowed a key topic.

Click here to read the full media release.

Parents of students in Catholic schools continue to pay almost 30 per cent of the cost of educating their child, on average, despite increases in government funding to meet the changing educational needs of students in Catholic schools, new government data shows.

School funding data on the My School website showed that the share of recurrent funding that Catholic school parents pay has been consistent in recent years at 29 per cent.

Click here to read the full media release.

The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the release of updated data on the My School website and said the recognition of schools that have achieved significant improvements should be used to support educators and students in all schools.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s My School website was this morning updated with 2015 national assessment program (NAPLAN) results, 2015 profile and population data for each school, student attendance data broken down by Indigenous status and the 2014 financial information for each school, including capital expenditure and sources of funding.

Click here to read the full media release

National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox says Catholic schools are committed to creating safe environments that are free from bullying for all students, but a review of the Safe Schools Coalition is appropriate.

Two respected academics were last week chosen to lead the Government-initiated review of the program, which was intended to address bullying of same-sex attracted, bisexual, transgender and intersex students, teachers and staff.

“Everyone agrees that schools should be safe places free from bullying,” Mr Fox said.

Click here to read the full media release

Students in non-government schools receive 58 per cent of the government funding a student in a government school receives. Recent increases in public funding for non-government schools reflect the changing profile of students in Catholic and independent schools, the National Catholic Education Commission has explained.

The Productivity Commission yesterday released its Report on Government Services for childcare, education and training. It includes data on schools up to 2014 and shows there has been a steady increase in the level of government support all schools receive.

Click here to read the full media release.

A new Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) report that underlines the similarities between Australia’s three school sectors – Catholic, government and independent – is helpful to inform discussion on school funding policy, the National Catholic Education Commission has said.

The One School Does Not Fit All report examines how educational choice in Australia has developed over two centuries and points out that attempts to stereotype the three sectors are misguided.

Click here to read the full media release.

The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed today’s announcement from the Australian Labor Party that it plans to provide additional funding to school education in all Australian schools if they form the next Government.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Shadow Education Minister Kate Ellis today released Labor’s “Your Child. Our Future” education plan. Mr Shorten said if he becomes Prime Minister, the funding reforms outlined in the Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling will be delivered “on time and in full”.

Click here to read the full media release.

Parents of students in Catholic schools could pay an additional $370 million annually if a 15 per cent goods and services tax was imposed on school fees, the National Catholic Education Commission has warned.

According to figures from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, Catholic school parents paid almost $2.5 billion in fees to support their children’s education in 2013 – the most recent financial data available.

Click here to read the full media release

The National Catholic Education Commission says the release of the 2015 NAPLAN testing national report will provide a reference for reflection on education policy directions and what needs attention in the next phase of the learning journey of Australian schools.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox said while NAPLAN is a snapshot in time and therefore has limitations, the national report helps educators understand the progress of Australian students and issues in Australian education.

Click here to read the full media release

The National Catholic Education Commission has expressed its disappointment at a new report that uses selective, misleading and inaccurate information to cast government and non-government schools as competitors, rather than partners in Australia’s educational landscape.

In a report released today, the Australian Government Primary Principals Association has unfortunately repeated false assertions from earlier publications and failed to provide a useful platform from which school funding can be discussed.

Click here to read the full media release

The National Catholic Education Commission has congratulated new Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham, saying Catholic schools look forward to working together to support education in all school sectors.

Senator Birmingham, who has served as Assistant Minister for Education and Training since last year, was promoted to his new role by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday.

Click here to read the full media release

Assumptions contained in a new report on school funding do not accurately reflect current and future government funding for schools in all sectors. As a result, the report provides a misleading picture of sectoral differences, National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox said.

Mr Fox said the report released by Chris Bonnor and Bernie Shepherd assumes school funding trends will continue according to trends observed in recent years.

Click here to read the full media release

Opponents of non-government schools have once again selectively used facts and figures in an attempt to undermine the place of non-government schools as key contributors to Australia’s educational landscape, the National Catholic Education Commission says.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox says the document released by Save Our Schools this morning is the latest in a steady stream of reports that appear to be designed to create conflict between schools.

Click here to read the full media release

All schools will benefit from the Australian Government’s announcement that it will increase per student funding by 7.2 per cent in 2015-16, but the National Catholic Education Commission remains concerned over the funding of schools beyond 2017.

In tonight’s Federal Budget, the Australian Government made no change to their existing funding policy beyond 2017, at which point school funding per student would increase at the rate of CPI.

Click here to read the full media release

The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement that financial support for Indigenous students in boarding schools will continue over the next two years.

Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne this week outlined how $5.4 million will assist nongovernment schools with large numbers of Indigenous boarding students who come from remote and very remote areas.

Click here to read the full media release