Annie Fogarty: As ATAR participation slips, so do the hopes of smart State WA

A focused and ambitious education system is essential for WA to develop a knowledge-based economy and establish itself as a leading smart State.

However, WA’s education aspirations are decreasing with our ATAR participation rates one of the lowest in the country and many of our children not reaching even minimal education outcomes, shown by the 2023 NAPLAN result where 36 per cent of Year 9 students in WA are not proficient in reading, the key foundation skill for learning.

This highlights a significant issue within the WA education system. Our children need to master the foundations of education — reading, writing and maths — to be able to source knowledge, acquire skills, become critical and creative thinkers, able to fulfil their potential and contribute meaningfully to the collective advancement of our State.

Clear and ambitious pathways are the way to make changes and improvements in any area of our lives and that pathway for improved educational outcomes is through a strategic and emphatic education policy.

Leading up to the State election in early 2025, the Fogarty Foundation is focusing on some of the key issues in education in WA today and in a recent paper has made recommendations on how to address them.

The insights are based on over two decades of engagement with schools and the WA community.

Many come directly through the work of Fogarty EDvance which for over 10 years has been providing a strategic, three-year school improvement program for school leaders in challenging communities.

The recommendations are consistent with, and will go a long way towards achieving, the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration that education ministers signed in 2019, to see a system that promotes excellence and equity, so that all young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners and active and informed members of the community.

Our recently released paper has been compiled to inform the development of a well-targeted future education policy.

It outlines the current state of education and provides strategies in four priority areas: creating a strong, supported workforce that provides quality, evidence-based teaching for all students; enabling a co-ordinated, whole-school approach to curriculum planning and delivery, supported by quality resources and materials; resourcing schools to be central to the community and to create learning environments in which all students become confident and resilient learners; and raising educational aspirations by setting high expectations and providing meaningful pathways for all students to thrive.

We are sharing these recommendations widely and hope they will be considered when formulating key priorities for education prior to the next State election.

A clear framework ensures that all stakeholders including policymakers, educators, students and parents are informed and aligned towards common objectives.

Through clearly outlining the priority areas and desired outcomes, we can ensure that investments are made where they are most needed, and every child can access quality education.

Annie Fogarty is the executive chair of the Fogarty Foundation