The Sectoral Trends of Australian Schooling

Transcription

1 The Sectoral Trends of Australian Schooling Volume 1 Schools A National Perspective Report from the NCEC Australian Catholic Education Statistics Working Group February 2008

2 Executive Summary The Sectoral Trends in Australian Schooling Volume 1: Schools - A National Perspective Executive Summary 1. This first volume on the Sectoral Trends of Australian Schooling examines the trends in the number of schools in each of the three school sectors Government, Catholic and Other Non-Government (ONG) from 1962 to Subsequent volumes will be devoted to students and to state and local differences for both schools and students. 2. There were 9,600 schools in Australia in 2006, with the Catholic sector representing 18% of the number of schools in Australia, the Government sector representing 72%, and the ONG sector representing 11%. This is a significant difference to 1962, when the ONG sector comprised only 4% of schools. The growth in the ONG sector s proportion has been an increase of 650 ONG schools, and the decrease of 1,000 Government schools over the past forty years. (The number and proportion of schools in the Catholic sector has remained virtually unchanged over this time.) 3. Since 1962, the largest number of schools was in 1964, when there when there were nearly 10,200 schools in Australia. This year was the apex of a strong growth period, and was immediately followed by a period of a reduction in the number of schools until 1975, when there were 9,400 schools. Since then, there have been several identifiable trends for the increase, or the decrease in the number of schools. 4. While the majority of ONG schools are located in the Capital Cities, there are a significant number of small ONG schools in the remote areas or Australia more than the Catholic sector but still less than the Government sector, which has the lowest proportion (but largest number) of schools in the major cities (as distinct from the Capital Cities) of Australia. 5. All three sectors have significant diversity in the size of individual schools, with schools in all sectors ranging from a single student or just a few students to schools with more than 2,000 students. Of the three sectors however, the Catholic sector has the lowest proportion of both very small, and very large schools. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 1

3 Executive Summary 6. There has been a significant decline in the number of primary schools and Special Schools over the past four decades, and a significant growth in the combined primary/secondary school. While the Government and Catholic sectors have not had significant change in the model prevalent in 1962 of separate primary and secondary schools, the ONG sector has witnessed an enormous growth in the combined primary/secondary school since Whether this has been due to the introduction of this type of school, or an evolution of primary or secondary only into combined schools cannot be determined. 7. Both the Catholic and ONG sectors have a diverse range of school SES scores, and the sectors have similar distribution patterns of school SES scores within their sectors. However, there is a greater difference in the distributions of the SES of students. Importantly, the socio-economics of the school is influenced more by the location of the school than who owns the school and this applies to the Government sector also. 8. In summary, there are significant differences in the three sectors, but also important similarities between the sectors, and each of the sectors has been shaped by their histories over the past four decades. The similarities and differences will continue to be illuminated as future volumes of The Sectoral Trends of Australian Schooling are completed. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 2

4 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective Part A: Introduction... 4 Introduction... 4 About The Data School Trends... 8 Government Schools Catholic Schools Other Non-Government Schools The Sectoral Proportions Where Schools Are Located The States and Territories Capital Cities and Rest of State Remoteness (Continued) School Size Diversity of the size of campuses in each sector Small Schools Geography of Small Schools Large Schools School Type and Level Primary Schools Secondary Schools Combined Primary/Secondary Schools Special Schools Government Schools Catholic Schools Other Non-Government Schools SES of Non-Government Schools Concluding Comments Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 3

5 Part A: Introduction The Sectoral Trends in Australian Schooling Volume 1: Schools - A National Perspective Part A: Introduction Introduction 1. Although there was a time in the early history of Australian schooling when there were only non-government schools, by the late 19th Century the pattern was set where Government schools became the largest sector, Catholic schools were the second largest sector, and the Other Non- Government schools were the small third sector. And so the status quo remained until the 1960 s. 2. In November 1963, Prime Minister Menzies committed to the funding of science laboratories in secondary schools, which resulted in the introduction of state aid for all Australian non-government schools. In that year, at a time before state aid funding for non-government schools existed, over three-quarters (76%) of students were enrolled in government schools, while Catholic schools enrolled 20% of the nation s students. Other Non-Government (ONG) schools comprised just 4% of school students. 3. Moving forward to 2006, the number of students in all three sectors had increased significantly (as had the Australian population). Since 1963, enrolments in Catholic schools have increased by more than a quarter of a million students (227,500), students in Other Non-Government schools have increased by 342,300 students, and enrolments in government schools have increased by more than a half a million students (501,600). 4. Significantly, the relatively disproportionate growth in the Other Non-Government schools sector has resulted in a seismic shift in the enrolment share between the three school sectors. While enrolments in Catholic schools remain at 20% of Australian school students, the proportion of students in Government schools has dropped from 76% (in 1963) to 67% (in 2006), and the proportion of students in the Other Non-Government schools has correspondingly shifted from 4% to 13% of students. 5. This first report examines characteristics of the schools in each of the sectors from the early 1960s to the present, to Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 4

6 Part A: Introduction assist in our understanding of the significance of this change, and provide insight into the structure of the three sectors. 6. While based on significant historical data, the report is not a history of Australian school enrolments, but a reference for NCEC and others in our increasing awareness of the shifting dynamics of the Australian school sectors, and importantly the emergent significance of the Other Non-Government sector. 7. Sectoral Trends in Australian Schools was envisaged to be a comprehensive temporal and spatial reporting of school enrolment trends in a single report. However, the breadth of the data collected by the NCEC s Australian Catholic Education Statistics (ACES) Working Group means that a single report would not suffice, so this report is the first in a series of volumes on the sectoral trends of Australian schools, and this first report examines the national sectoral trends for schools and students. Subsequent volumes will examine student enrolments, examine similarities and differences across the states and territories, and explore local trends and variances within each of the individual states and territories. One volume will specifically explore the disparate grouping of schools and systems in the Other Non-Government schools category. 8. Each of the volumes will be an important resource for Catholic education for use at the national and the local level, and will inevitably raise issues at the national and local levels, for Catholic education authorities as well as for those outside of Catholic education. These further volumes will be completed throughout This series of reports does not attempt to identify causes for the sectoral changes witnessed over the past half century, or identify the issues for Catholic education which inevitably arise from the trend analysis. Nor does the report attempt to answer questions immediately arising from the trends, such as why the growth in the Other Non-Government schools sector has been significantly greater than for Catholic or Government schools. These are questions which will, and are already being developed progressively and collaboratively as the data in this and other reports continues to be refined and disseminated. 10. To assist our increasing understanding of the Australian schools community, the ACES Working Group is also analysing recently released data from the 2006 ABS Census and other sources relating to significant issues for NCEC, including school choice, family income and enrolment patterns for Catholic families. Aspects of this complementary research will be incorporated into the Sectoral Trends series. 11. It is hoped that this first report on sectoral trends in collaboration with past and future reports from the ACES Working Group can provide context for contemporary Catholic schools in the national school community, as well as illuminating issues, options and opportunities for Australian Catholic education. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 5

7 Part A: Introduction About The Data 12. This series of reports commences with the school enrolments in 1962 the year before the commitment to Commonwealth aid for Non-Government schools, as significant change to enrolments in non-government schools (especially Catholic schools) might likely have occurred following the introduction of the States Grants (Science Laboratories and Technical Training) Bill in May While a later commencement year for analysis in this report might be equally valid for understanding all three sectors, the 1960 s is recognized as being a time of crisis for the resourcing of Catholic schools, as well as the start of the transition from Congregationally administered schools to a centralized system of Catholic schools. 13. While this analysis commences in 1962, an analysis of non-government schools (ONGs especially) needs to be examined in the context of the current SES-based Commonwealth recurrent funding arrangements. Consequently, this (and later) reports examine the enrolment trends from 1962 using ABS school enrolment publications, and incorporates additional data from MCEETYA from This data is ultimately derived from the annual census of all Government schools by each State or Territory, and of non-government schools by the Commonwealth. 14. The ACES Working Group has captured a number of elements relating to schools and student enrolments from the many ABS schools publications (commencing with the ABS Social Statistics publication in 1962). The resultant datasets now provide an unbroken time-series of school counts and student enrolments at national and state level from 1962 to 2006 in electronic format, and much of this comprehensive (especially the 1960 s and 1970 s) data was manually transcribed from annual publications. However, over the past forty-five years, the ABS has had significant changes to classifications and data content so that a complete time-series for every data item can never be created. (For example, the most recent ABS Schools publication (2006) classifies students simply by government and non-government, with no delineation between Catholic and Other Non-Government enrolments.) Despite these limitations to the data, the significant effort in creating this dataset has been valuable, and additional information from the ACES database and MCEETYA datasets have supplemented the ABS publication to provide a more complete recording of the enrolments and affiliation of non-government schools. These datasets will be updated and items will continue to be expanded in future years. 15. Complementing the ABS Schools publications, the ACES Working Group has access to the annual dataset of all schools in Australia by individual school and school location, and while the data is limited to the primary and secondary students enrolled in individual schools and campuses, it is an extremely valuable source for detailed geographical analysis, as well as the detailed analysis of dimensions such as religious affiliation and the geographical locations of the Other Non-Government schools. 16. The ABS Schools publication disseminates the state/territory as the lowest geographical level, and our analysis of this data is therefore constrained to state level. However, the volume Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 6

8 Part A: Introduction of data relating to students (especially) provides a significant resource for elements of this report (such as sectoral grade retention ), while the annual MCEETYA datasets provide the opportunity for localized analysis which the ABS data cannot provide. For this reason, readers may observe slight variations when the two datasets are combined. These differences are not significant however, and considerable effort has gone into ensuring data consistency. 17. There are five schools which have identified as being Catholic in the MCEETYA dataset, but are not recognized as being Catholic schools by the ecclesiastical authority of the Diocese (in conformity with the Code of Canon Law, Canon 803). For the purposes of this report, the school and student counts for these five schools have been transferred from the Catholic to the Other Non-Government sector totals, and the affiliation of these schools has been classified as being Catholic (Self-Identified). It should be noted that is the policy in the annual ACES Enrolment Trends report and the Summary Statistics in the NCEC Annual Report. 18. The five schools are St Joseph s, Cambewarra, NSW ( ), St Dominic Savio, Rockdale NSW, (from 1987), St Thomas Aquinas, Tynong, Vic, (from 1998), St Philomena, Park Ridge Qld (from 1999), and Divine Mercy College, Yangeup WA (from 1997). 19. St Gregory's Armenian School, Beaumont Hills NSW is classified as a Catholic school in this report. However, from 2007, this school has ceased to be recognized as a Catholic school by the local bishop (Parramatta Diocese), and future reports incorporating 2007 data will include this school in the Catholic sector from 1985 to 2006, and in the ONG sector from One outcome of this policy is that there is a slight variation between the school and student counts in ABS Schools publications and this report, as occurs with other reports from the ACES Working Group. 21. Data relating to the SES scores of ONG schools has been sourced from DEST and other websites. For those schools for which DEST have not publically released the current SES score (new schools and some Funding Maintained or Funding Guaranteed schools) the SES scores were provided by AIS, as DEEWR (formerly DEST) will not provide this information. 22. All data collected for this report is available electronically to Catholic Education Commissions, Diocesan Offices and schools in all States and Territories, and will be incorporated into the ACES database in mid Access to the ACES database is available to all dioceses, and states or dioceses are encouraged to access the data for local analysis (either before or after all volumes have been completed). Questions relating to this report should be referred to Crichton Smith at the Catholic Education Commission, NSW at Crichton.Smith@cecnsw.catholic.edu.au or (02) Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 7

9 The Sectoral Trends in Australian Schooling Volume 1: Schools - A National Perspective School Trends 23. Graph 1 illustrates that the number of schools in Australia has witnessed trends in both growth and decline over the past forty-five years, and the trends in the number of schools have clearly exhibited five stages. The first of these stages, from 1962 (the commencement of this report s time-series) to 1964 was a period of significant growth, as there was an increase of 135 schools in just two years. This growth culminated in 1964 with 10,182 schools, which was the year with the largest number of schools in Australia. 24. In the second stage, from 1965 to 1975, there was a dramatic reversal in the total number of schools, and the number of schools decreased annually until 1975, at which stage there were 738 fewer schools than there had been 11 years previously, and the number of schools decreased from the apex in 1964 to the time-series nadir in 1975, when there were 9,406 schools. Graph 1: Total Schools ( ), Australia 10,500 10,200 9,900 9,600 9, Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 8

10 25. The third phase witnessed a turn-around in the number of schools, and once again, the number of schools increased dramatically and annually, and by 1986, the number of schools had increased by 679 to 10,085 schools, which was just thirty-eight schools fewer than in The fourth stage, from 1987 to 1998 was a period of decline in the number of schools; and overall, there was a decrease of 498 schools from 1986 to However, unlike the previous trends of consistent decline or consistent growth, this period was noticeably marked by the significant decline of 92 schools in 1993 and 186 schools in 1994, rather than an overall consistent trend. While there were some minor changes in the number of government and non-government schools in other states, the decline in these two years was almost entirely due to the decrease in Victorian Government schools, which decreased by 79 schools from 1992 to 1993 and by a further 203 schools the following year. 27. The final stage in this time-series, from 1999 to 2006, has been a period of relative stability, with there being just twenty-two more schools in 2006 than in From 1999 to 2001, the number of schools increased by only a few each year. In 2002, there was an increase of 36 schools, and a subsequent decrease of 25 schools in However, the atypical increase and decrease in these years were almost entirely due to the increase of NSW Government schools from 2002 to 2003, and the subsequent decrease of NSW Government schools the following year. Table 1: Total Schools ( ), Australia Change from Previous Year Change from Previous Year Year Total Schools Year Total Schools , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 9

11 28. The five stages for school enrolments between 1962 and 2006 highlight that the number of schools cannot be viewed as a single uniform trend. However, Graph 1 does highlight that while there have been some minor variations between years (in the main), the patterns of change until recently have created a consistent (and possibly predictable) pattern of either significant growth or significant decline in the number of schools, marked by a single year for the change of the trend. Potential reason(s) for the change in direction of the trend may become apparent in later volumes of the Sectoral Trends series. 29. The marked annual change in Australian schools from the 1960s to the 1990s was undoubtedly the result of a combination of factors including population and enrolment change, school and system rationalization, and changing political, funding or pedagogical foci. However, since 1999, the pattern of significant increase or significant decrease in the number of schools has been replaced by a less dramatic pattern, with the number of schools increasing or decreasing having few significant differences from year to year. Although there is some possibility that the current trend of minor net annual change in the overall number of schools in Australia may alter significantly perhaps as a result of a significant introduction of pre-schools or trade schools it is more likely that there will be little shift from year to year in the overall school numbers in Australia over the coming decade. 30. It is likely however, that there will be significant change in the number, size and structure of schools, and enrolment patterns in some states and territories. Of central focus for this report, there has been a significant shift in the proportion between the three sectors in the number of schools and student enrolments, and this shift is likely to continue over the coming decade. While this report does not examine the cause of this change between the three sectors, the following examination of trends within each of the three sectors highlights the significantly different histories and directions of each of the three sectors. These dramatically different histories of school numbers may provide some illumination of the immediate and medium to long term future of Government, Catholic and (especially) Other Non-Government schools. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 10

12 Government Schools 31. Graph 2 shows that the trends between 1962 and 2006 for the number of Government schools are similar to the overall trends illustrated in Graph 1. And this is to be expected give that the Government sector has been, and remains the dominant sector in Australian school education. (More than 70% of Australian schools are Government schools.) 32. As Table 2 records, the highest number of Government schools in Australia was in 1964, when there were nearly 8,000 schools; but by 2006, this had decreased to less than 7,000 schools a reduction of 1,075 schools over four decades. 33. However, while the decline in the number of Australian schools stopped in 1999, the number of Government schools has continued to decline (other than in 2002 and 2004). Inevitably, this continued reduction in the number of government schools has contributed to the decline of the proportion of government schools to the overall school sector. However, the growth in the number of Other Non-Government schools has had greater influence in this shift. Graph 2: Number of Government Schools ( ), Australia 8,000 7,700 7,400 7,100 6, Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 11

13 Table 2: Government Schools ( ), Australia Change from Previous Year Change from Previous Year Year Gov t Schools Year Gov t Schools , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,544-2 Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 12

14 Catholic Schools 34. The number of Catholic schools in Australia is a very different story to the national picture, or for that of the Government schools. For while there was significant change in the overall number of schools in Australia, the number of Catholic schools in 2006 is 94 fewer schools than in Graph 3 illustrates the trend in the number of Catholic schools in Australia from 1962 to Table 3 shows that the number of Catholic schools peaked at 1,838 schools in 1965 (one year after the Government sector), and that the overall number of Catholic schools in Australia has remained virtually unchanged since It should be noted that this is the overall change in schools, and that many Catholic schools have opened, closed or amalgamated/de-amalgamated over this time. 36. It should be noted that the scales on Graphs 1-4 have identical unit increments of 300 schools, but the minimum axis values are different in each of the graphs, and readers should note the minimum number of schools in each of the graphs. However, the identical unit increments allow direct comparison between the four graphs. Graph 3: Number of Catholic Schools ( ), Australia 1,900 1,600 1,300 1, Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 13

15 Table 3: Catholic Schools ( ), Australia Change from Previous Year Change from Previous Year Year Catholic Schools Year Catholic Schools , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,705 3 Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 14

16 Other Non-Government Schools 37. The number of Other Non-Government schools in Australia is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the shift in Australian schools between 1962 and 2006, as this sector (as a whole) has been a growth sector over the past three decades. Graph 4 and Table 4 show that from 1962 to 1977, there was a steady, but not a relatively significant growth in the number of ONG schools, and the number of schools increased by 82 schools over these fifteen years. From 1978 to 1985, the growth in ONG schools accelerated, and there were 356 more schools in 1985 than in Between 1986 and 1993, the growth in the number of schools was in a plateau, and these eight years resulted in only 9 more schools. However, from 1994 to 2006, there has been an increase each year in the number of ONG schools in Australia. 38. As Table 4 records, the lowest number of ONG schools in Australia was in 1962, when there were 358 schools, and 2006 was the year with the largest number of ONG schools, when there were 1,011 schools. This increase of 653 schools has resulted in the number of ONG schools almost trebling in the past four decades. Graph 4: Number of Other Non-Gov t Schools ( ), Australia 1, Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of the growth from 1962 to 2006 in the schools in the Other Non-Government sector has been in the growth of religious schools especially Christian Schools rather than non-religious schools founded on particular educational philosophies (Montessori Schools for example). Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 15

17 Table 4: Other Non-Government Schools ( ), Australia Change from Previous Year Change from Previous Year Year ONG Schools Year ONG Schools , , While there are several local and national causes for school openings or closings, this report cannot explore these reasons with authority. Nevertheless, while the period between 1986 and 1993 was not a time of significant overall growth for ONG schools, this must be placed in the context of the closure of the majority of ONG Special Schools. Significantly, from 1984 (just before this period of decreased growth) to 1993, the number of ONG Special Schools reduced by 91 schools, from 131 to 40 schools. While this issue of ONG Special Schools will be explored in greater detail later, it is important to note now that when Special Schools are excluded, the number of ONG schools did have a significantly larger growth between 1986 and 2003 than reported in Table 5. As Table 6 shows, the number of ONG schools increased by 72 schools from 1986 to 1993 when Special Schools have been excluded, rather than the net increase of 21 schools reported in Table 4. Table 5: Change in Other Non-Gov t Schools, 1986 to 1993, Australia Type of ONG School Change Primary Secondary Combined Primary/Secondary Total (excl. Special Schools) Special Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 16

18 The Sectoral Proportions 41. The different trends for the number of schools in each of the three sectors has resulted in an important shift in the relative proportion of each of the sectors for the number of schools in Australia, which has irrevocably shifted the relative dominance of Government schools, and also the balance between Catholic and Other Non-Government schools in the Australian Non-Government schools sector. 42. In 1962, Government schools were 79% of all schools, but by 2006, this proportion had reduced to 72% (Table 6) through the reduction in the number of Government schools in Australia. But importantly, the shift in the proportion has been due to the increase in the number of Other Non-Government schools, while the number of Catholic schools has remained virtually unchanged over this time. Graph 5 illustrates this shift in the relative proportion of each of the three sectors from 1962 to 2006, and Tables 5 (Catholic schools), 6 (Government schools) and 7 (ONG schools) record the proportions of each of the sectors for each of the years. Graph 5: Catholic Government and ONG Schools as proportion of all schools ( ), Australia 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% ONG Schools Gov t Schools 10% Catholic 0% Schools Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 17

19 Table 5: Catholic Schools Table 6: Government Schools Table 7: Other Non-Government Schools as a % of all schools ( ), Australia as a % of all schools ( ), Australia as a % of all schools ( ), Australia Catholic as % of all schools Year Catholic as % of all schools Year Gov t as % of all schools Year Gov t as % of all schools Year ONG as % of all schools Year ONG as % of all schools Year % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 18

20 43. The second significant outcome for the increase in the number of Other Non-Government schools has resulted in a shift in the dominance of Catholic schools in the Non-Government schools sector. In 1962, Catholic schools comprised 83% of all Non-Government schools in Australia, but by 2006, this had reduced to 63% (Graph 6). Importantly, the relative proportion of students in Catholic schools has witnessed a similar decline, dropping from 82% of all Non-Government students in 1962 to 61% in It is probable that Other Non-Government schools will continue to increase their number and relative proportion of the Non-Government schools sector over the coming decade. Graph 6: Catholic Schools as a Proportion of all Non-Government ( ), Australia 100% 50% Catholic Schools ONG Schools 0% Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 19

21 Where Schools Are Located 44. This section examines where Government, Catholic and Other Non-Government schools and campuses are located to identify if there are significant geographical differences between the three sectors. Using the physical location of every individual school and campus in 2006, this section examines the relative proportion of schools in each of the sectors in capital cities, and also the proportion of schools in the more remote regions of Australia. 45. Although campus enrolments are included in the total enrolments of a school in most instances, for the purpose of this analysis, campuses remain as separate locations from the main school. The reason for this is that some campuses (including Catholic schools) may be geographically remote (even several hundred kilometres distant) from the main site and some campuses are located in different geographic classifications to their main site. Where this occurs, there is little logic for this research to classify campuses in remote Australia as being located in capital cities. A precedent for this approach is the Commonwealth funding for regional and remote non-government schools, where main sites and campuses are funded at different rates, based on the geography of the individual campus(es), rather than the location of the main school. 46. For this analysis, the geographic regions are based on the ABS 2006 Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). Capital Cities are defined as each State/Territory s Capital City Statistical Division (05) and the remaining Statistical Divisions are aggregated to be Rest of State. Jervis Bay has been classified to the Rest of ACT. 47. The Remoteness categories reported are the 2006 ABS Remoteness Classification (which incorporates 2006 Census population counts for towns in its calculation). The five categories in this classification are Major Cities, Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote. Maps illustrating the regions are on the next page. 48. It should be noted that the Capital City and Remoteness classifications have some apparent contradictions. For example, Darwin is a Capital City (and classified as such in the analysis of Capital Cities/Rest of State) but is classified as being Outer Regional Australia for the purposes of the ABS Remoteness classification. Similarly, the Gold Coast is not part of the Capital City in Queensland. However, according to the Remoteness classification, the coastal portion of the Gold Coast is classified as being Major City, while the inland portion is classified as being Inner Regional. Similarly, some outskirt portions of the capital city Statistical Division in every Australian Capital City has areas defined as being Inner Regional, rather than Capital City. However, these apparent anomalies are reflections of the differing purposes and histories of the ABS classifications; and as geographical boundaries must be drawn somewhere, these classifications remain the most relevant geographical boundaries for our analysis. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 20

22 ABS Remoteness Classification Regions Map1: Inner Regional Australia Map 2: Outer Regional Australia Map 3: Remote Australia Map 4: Very Remote Australia Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 21

23 The States and Territories 49. Nationally, 70% of the number of schools and campuses (as distinct from schools only) in 2006 were Government schools, 18% were Catholic schools and 12% were Other Non-Government schools. And while most states and territories have similar distribution between the sectors as the national average, Table 8 shows that the Northern Territory and South Australia have the highest relative proportions of government schools, while the ACT and Victoria have the lowest relative proportions of Government schools in the state/territory. 50. In Victoria and the ACT, the Catholic sector has a correspondingly higher proportion of schools and campuses, and the proportion of Other Non-Government schools remains similar to the national average. 51. The proportion of Catholic and Other Non-Government schools and campuses in South Australia is identical (13% each), with there being 110 Catholic schools/campuses and 107 ONG schools/campuses. Western Australia also has a small difference between the Catholic and ONG sectors. Tasmania has a similar distribution between Non-Government schools, but in this state, the number of ONG locations (42 schools/campuses) marginally exceeds those of the Catholic locations (40 schools/campuses). In the Northern Territory, there are 25 Other Non-Government locations, compared to 17 schools/campuses for Catholic schools (Table 9). Table 8: Schools and Campuses by sector (%), 2006, States and Territories Gov t Catholic ONG Total ACT 66% 22% 13% 100% NSW 69% 19% 12% 100% Northern Territory 78% 9% 13% 100% Queensland 72% 17% 11% 100% South Australia 74% 13% 13% 100% Tasmania 72% 14% 14% 100% Victoria 67% 21% 12% 100% Western Australia 71% 15% 14% 100% Australia 70% 18% 12% 100% Table 9: Schools and Campuses by sector (No.), 2006, States and Territories Gov t Catholic ONG Total ACT NSW 2, ,191 Northern Territory Queensland 1, ,763 South Australia Tasmania Victoria 1, ,393 Western Australia ,087 Australia 6,910 1,775 1,200 9,885 Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 22

24 Capital Cities and Rest of State 52. Although the majority of students are educated in schools in the capital cities of Australia, more than half (51%) of all schools and campuses are located outside of the capital cities. This is because while the majority of students in each of the three sectors are enrolled in schools in the capital cities, the majority of Government schools are located outside of capital cities. 53. Tables 10 and 11 show that the majority (55%) of Government schools are located outside of the capital cities, while the Catholic and Other Non-Government sectors have the majority of their schools and campuses located in the capital cities of Australia. 54. The above patterns are not consistent across all states however. Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and the ACT have more government schools than there are in the rest of their states; while for schools in the non-government sectors, there are fewer schools in Brisbane, Darwin and Hobart than in the rest of their state or territory. 55. Only 41% of students in the Government sector are enrolled in schools outside of the capital cities, even though 55% of the Government schools are located outside of the capital cities. Inevitably then, there are a large number of small Government schools most likely in small country towns. In fact, there are nearly five hundred Government schools with fewer than 25 students enrolled in non-capital city Australia. This is more schools than the Other Non-Government sector has outside of the capital cities. 56. As Table 10 showed, there is a higher concentration of Catholic and Other Non-Government schools in capital cities than in the rest of the states or territories. For Catholic schools, 57% of the schools/campuses are located in the capital cities (while 67% of the students are enrolled in capital city schools). For the Other Non-Government schools sector, the concentration of schools and students in the capital cities is more significant, with 60% of ONG schools, and 71% of students, located in the capital cities. Table 10: Proportion of schools and campuses in the capital cities/ rest of states by sector, 2006, Australia Capital Cities Rest of States/ Territories Government 45% 55% Catholic 57% 43% Other Non-Government 60% 41% Total 49% 51% Table 11: Number of schools and campuses in the capital cities/ rest of states by sector, 2006, Australia Capital Cities Rest of States/ Territories Government 3,118 3,792 Catholic 1, Other Non-Government Total 4,848 5,037 Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 23

25 57. Map 5 shows the location of all Government schools and campuses in Australia. As the map illustrates, while there is a large number of Government schools/campuses near the capital cities and coastal population centres, a large number of Government schools are also located in the more remote areas of all states and territories in Australia. Map 5: Government schools and campuses, 2006, Australia Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 24

26 58. Map 6 shows the location of all Catholic schools and campuses in Australia, and shows that while Catholic schools have a high concentration in the capital cities (reported in Tables 10 and 11), a significant number of Catholic schools in Queensland are located significant distance from the coast. A large number of Catholic schools in NSW and Victoria follow the Great Dividing Range; while in Tasmania, Catholic schools are generally located near either Hobart or Launceston. Map 6: Catholic schools and campuses, 2006, Australia 59. Remote Catholic schools in the Northern Territory and Western Australia generally are located near indigenous communities; and in Western Australia, are near the population expansion south of Perth. 60. Catholic schools in South Australia clearly align to the few regional centres in SA Adelaide, the Iron Triangle, the Riverland and the South-East. In all, the map reflects the rich history of the Australian Catholic school sector. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 25

27 61. While the majority of schools and campuses in the Other Non-Government sector are clearly located in the capital cities, as Map 7 highlights, there are a number of ONG schools outside of the metropolitan areas. Map 7: Other Non-Government schools and campuses, 2006, Australia 62. It is clear that the concentration of the Catholic schools in eastern Australia ( outback Queensland and concentrated along the Great Dividing Range) has not been replicated by the ONG sector. 63. Significantly, there is clearly a greater dispersion of ONG than Catholic schools in the more remote areas of Western Australia and Northern Territory; and in South Australia, the ONG schools have made significant inroads into the areas north and south of Adelaide, as well as the Yorke Peninsula and the Riverland. 64. In all, it is clear from the map that non-metropolitan ONG schools are not always located in the same towns or communities as Catholic schools. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 26

28 Remoteness 65. The previous section examined the proportion of schools in the capital cities and the rest of the states and territories. This section examines the distribution of schools in each of the sectors by their relative remoteness. 66. The previous section showed that there is a greater proportion of Government schools located in non-metropolitan areas, than occurs in the non-government sectors. And as Table 12 highlights, there is also a higher proportion of Government schools in the more remote areas, with 8% of Government schools located in Remote or Very Remote Australia, and this is double the proportion of Catholic and the Other Non-Government sectors in these regions. 67. There is a similar distribution of schools by remoteness categories when the Catholic sector and the Other Non-Government sectors are compared, with the ONG sector having a slightly greater proportion of schools in Inner Regional Australia, and the Catholic sector having a slightly greater proportion of schools in Outer Regional Australia. Map 11 shows the location of the Catholic and Other Non-Government schools and campuses in Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia. 68. Importantly, while the proportions are not large, the proportion of ONG schools and indeed the number of ONG schools is greater than the number and proportion of Catholic schools in the most remote region of Australia (Table 13). Given that there are more Catholic schools in Australia than ONG schools, it is striking that there are more ONG than Catholic schools/campuses in Very Remote Australia. So while the ONG sector might be characterised as being predominately a capital city sector, this sector like the Catholic and the Government sectors has a significant geographical diversity in the location of its schools and campuses. Table 12: Schools and Campuses by sector by Remoteness Classification (%), 2006, States and Territories Gov t Catholic ONG Major Cities of Australia 47% 61% 62% Inner Regional Australia 26% 23% 26% Outer Regional Australia 18% 12% 9% Remote Australia 4% 3% 2% Very Remote Australia 4% 1% 2% Total 100% 100% 100% Table 13: Schools and Campuses by sector by Remoteness Classification (No.), 2006, States and Territories Gov t Catholic ONG Major Cities of Australia 3,244 1, Inner Regional Australia 1, Outer Regional Australia 1, Remote Australia Very Remote Australia Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 27

29 69. Map 8 highlights the differences between the Catholic and ONG sectors in the Remote and Very Remote regions, reported in Tables 12 and 13. The map shows the location of the schools and campuses of the Catholic (triangle) and the ONG (circled) sectors located in Remote and Very Remote Australia. Map 8: Catholic and Other Non-Government schools and campuses in Remote and Very Remote Australia, This map highlights that there is a significant difference in the distribution of non-government schools in the eastern half of Australia where Catholic schools dominate the remote/very remote regions, and the western half where ONG schools dominate the most remote regions. Legend < ONG schools/campuses % Catholic schools/campuses Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 28

30 School Size 71. The size of a specific school or campus in any sector can be determined by a multitude of factors a school s history or the age of the school, enrolment demand, grade extensions and physical constraints are just a few of the factors. And these factors can be driven by both external and internal events. Schools may differ in size if they are primary or secondary schools, or combined primary/secondary. Schools for specific purposes (special schools for example) will likely have bearing on the size of a school. 72. Importantly however, the enrolment size of a school will be significantly determined by philosophical and/or pedagogical rationale for the school s existence, whether the rationale is driven by the school community, or the system. 73. Recognising that primary, secondary, combined and special schools can have different enrolment size norms (which will vary across states and across sectors); that in any year, some schools and campuses may not be typical of the sector; and that schools can move between enrolment size categories, this section examines the overall range of school sizes in each of the three sectors. 74. Because of the complexity of the school size of different school levels, and the regional influences which impact on school size, detailed analysis of school size will be provided in later volumes of this report. However, the focus of this report is the national trends of the three sectors, and as the size of a school is a significant facet of the financial and educational viability for any school, this section provides a preliminary exploration of the topic. 75. Using the 2006 FTE enrolments of individual school campuses (rather than the overall school total), this section provides the number and proportion of schools with the sectors by enrolment size categories. Given that the ACES Working Group has had difficulty determining nationally agreed groupings of school size for Catholic schools relevant to all states and dioceses, this report has applied simple mathematical groupings, rather than enrolment sizes based on an educational criteria or policies by schools or systems. 76. Table 14 shows that despite differences between the sectors, each of the sectors has a significant disparity between the smallest school/campus (with only one or a few students) and the largest school/campus in the sector. Table 14: Smallest and largest enrolments in a campus, by sector, 2006, Australia Smallest Campus Largest Campus Catholic 5 1,843 Government 2 2,709 Other Non-Gov t 1 2, The smallest Government and ONG schools were both primary, with a Government school in western Victoria having two students enrolled, and a Montessori school in Sydney s North Shore having just the single student enrolled in August For the Catholic sector, the smallest school was a secondary school in suburban Adelaide. Volume 1: Schools A National Perspective 29