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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“The goal of Catholic schools is to educate the whole child to the highest standards possible – academically, socially, spiritually and pastorally. No school should be reduced to the test scores of its students.”

That’s the message from National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox, who said Catholic educators are proud that Australian Catholic schools are today welcoming students in record numbers.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed this afternoon’s commitment from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission to streamline financial reporting for non-government schools in 2014-15 and has committed to working with the ACNC and Australian Government to make the exemptions permanent.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox said Catholic schools, which are already highly transparent and accountable, were concerned about the impact the ACNC was having on teaching and learning as principals, teachers and other school leaders were burdened by excessive reporting requirements.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has highlighted the importance of funding certainty for Australia’s schools and proposed that the Australian Government Budget ensure that government funding for schools keeps pace with real school costs beyond 2017.

The NCEC has raised the issue of funding certainty from 2018 in its 2015-16 pre-Budget submission, explaining that the current proposal to index school funding at the consumer price index and enrolments will not meet the needs of students and schools.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Government’s announcement of plans to refine and enhance the My School website, saying such improvements should be driven by a goal to support parents, teachers and policy-makers in their efforts to improve teaching and learning in Australia’s schools.

Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne this morning released the review of the My School website and the Government’s response to that review. A number of recommendations have been made and embraced by the Government that can support educators and parents.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed today’s release of the My School 2015 data and the recognition of schools that are showing strong improvement in student outcomes.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s My School website was this morning updated with 2014 national assessment (NAPLAN) results, 2014 profile and population data for each school, student attendance data broken down by Indigenous status and the 2013 financial information for each school, including capital expenditure and sources of funding.

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The executive director of the National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the initiative of the Australian Government to establish the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG), culminating in the release of the group’s report and the Australian Government’s response today.

The report is sound and represents a solid basis to improve teacher education for the long-term benefit of all Australian school students, NCEC executive director Ross Fox said.

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More parents than ever are choosing to send their children to Catholic and independent schools, a new report from the Productivity Commission has found.

The Report on Government Services 2015 for child care, education and training released today reveals that almost 35 per cent of the country’s 3.6 million students were in non-government schools, including more than 40 per cent of students in secondary schools.

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The National Catholic Education Commission says figures reported in The Australian do not represent the real situation of funding for students with disability and have created confusion over how schools are funded.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox said there have been some significant implementation issues stemming from new funding arrangements under the Australian Education Act, beginning in 2014. Those issues have created challenges for Catholic education systems.

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Decades spent improving education in Western Australia and across the country has been recognised with former National Catholic Education Commission chair Therese Temby today being named an officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO).

Mrs Temby had a long and distinguished career in education – as a teacher, a librarian, a finance officer, a state Catholic education director, a National Catholic Education Commissioner and as chair of the NCEC for five years, from 2008 to 2013. While her work covered both government and Catholic education, Mrs Temby was involved with the Catholic school system for almost 40 years.

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The education debate in Australia should focus on improving learning opportunities in all schools. Test results are best used by teachers and parents to improve student learning, not by commentators to pit sector against sector.

That’s the message from National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox, who says that trying to label one education sector – Catholic, independent or public – as superior to the others distracts people from the priorities of school education.

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