Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Margery Evans, talks about the need for greater equity in education and how the diversity of Australia’s society is reflected in the schooling options in the Independent sector.
Equity in education means that every child, regardless of their background, identity, location or ability, receives access to a quality education of their parents’ choosing.
This isn’t just a lofty ideal; it’s a fundamental right.
Students, their needs and their parents’ preferences are different; therefore, our approach to education must be as diverse as the families who enrol their children in Australia’s schools.
In our society, parents have always had the freedom to choose the school that best suits (and serves) their child’s needs, interests, and hopes for the future.
That choice is only available if all three school sectors – government, Independent, and Catholic – are strong, vibrant and accessible.
Access and equity are the product of a breadth of schooling options, and each sector plays a crucial role in ensuring that a ‘best fit’ education exists and is accessible to as many families as possible.
Government schools do a sterling job of providing an accessible education to suit the broadest number of students while Catholic system schools have served their faith communities in Australia for 200 years.
Families looking for a more specific educational approach turn to the Independent sector, which is defined by its diverse schooling options.
These options are a response to the cultural change that Australia has undergone over the past few decades; we are more culturally, ethnically and spiritually diverse today and much more mindful of families’ different needs and preferences.
NSW Independent schools have evolved similarly, expanding from 114 schools in 1970 educating just four per cent of students – predominantly those from more privileged families – to 426 schools today, educating almost 20 per cent of students from across the socio-economic and cultural spectrum.
Almost three-quarters of all NSW Independent school enrolments (73 per cent) are in schools charging less than $10,000 per student per year.
One example of this evolution is the growth in NSW’s Islamic schools, primarily in western Sydney. Forty years ago, there were no Islamic schools in NSW; today, there are 25, educating almost 22,000 students or nine per cent of all students in the Independent sector.
In fact, there are some 20 different faiths represented among NSW Independent schools as well as almost 80 non-faith schools, established to provide a particular philosophical educational approach.
The Independent sector also includes 64 schools established solely for children and young people with special learning needs.
A new and expanding subset of the Independent sector is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander schools. There are now seven Independent primary schools and campuses dedicated to providing a culturally supportive education to First Nations students, often as a campus of a major established school.
Another community of students almost entirely served by Independent schools is boarding students.
The Independent school sector includes 41 of NSW’s 44 schools with boarding facilities, providing a full-service education with a wide range of subjects and co-curricular experiences, for 6,300 girls and boys.
The need for boarding in NSW is critical with 76 per cent of boarders coming from rural and remote areas, places where there is little or no choice of a local high school.
In fact, First Nations students represent almost nine per cent of NSW boarders and, at the other end of the spectrum, International boarders make up almost seven per cent. Equity in education is, therefore, about accessible choice.
Importantly, sameness does not mean equity.
True equity comes from providing diverse, accessible schooling options to meet the needs of Australian families in the 21st century. That is the defining feature of the Independent school sector and a major part of why it has expanded so rapidly.
Since 2000, Independent schools have enrolled more than 93,000, or 61 per cent, of the 151,000 additional students in NSW.
This is a remarkable feat considering Independent schools make up just 14 per cent of all NSW schools and that many of the longer established schools are at capacity or subject to enrolment caps, and therefore unable to accept more students.
Also of note is that while Independent schools enrol 19 per cent of all NSW students, they account for 27.4 per cent of all Year 12 students.
The Independent sector has grown because it continues to evolve and reflect the vibrant cultural and socio-economic diversity of our society.
In NSW, there is an Independent school to suit every family and budget; equity and access are important for everyone, not only those who can afford to choose.
Association of Independent Schools of NSW represents 426 Independent schools across 563 campuses who educate almost 237,000 students, or 19 per cent of all NSW school students.
