Re: Government announcement that early school start age not compulsory

Helen Richardson, AEU Tasmanian Branch President, said:

“The Government’s approach remains flawed and it has missed an opportunity to change focus to where it can make the biggest difference to student outcomes – and that’s in improving access to early years learning for parents and young children.

“Instead of watered-down old policy, it could have committed to more parental engagement and investment in early years learning programs such as Child and Family Centres and Launching into Learning.

“The back down appears a recipe for more confusion and uncertainty for schools making it harder for them to do the long-term planning that is in the best interests of students.

“A non-compulsory lowered starting age will make it harder for schools to predict and manage enrolments. Will children be able to drift in through the year and therefore not be counted in the census for funding purposes – leaving some schools short-changed?

“We’ll be seeking further details from the Government about the changes it announced today.”
Harriet Binet, AEU Communications