DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
DISCUSSION STARTER 2: LOCAL SCHOOL AUTONOMY
Despite the significant investment in education in the Northern Territory (NT), too many children and
young people do not meet national minimum standards in reading, writing and numeracy.1 It is time to
look for new and more effective ways to translate the financial investment into results, so the NT’s
education system can move from being good, to being great. This needs to be both for children and
young people who are lagging behind, and for the NT’s high performers, so they are provided with
opportunities that are the equal of other countries at the top of international assessments.
In recent years, many schools around the world have become more autonomous and more accountable
to students, parents and the public for their outcomes. The aim of local school autonomy is to facilitate
the tailoring of services to the needs of students and parents, so that inflexible ‘one size fits all’
approaches can be avoided. It is not an end in itself, but a means to facilitate local decision making that
leads to improved school performance.
Current situation in the Northern Territory
The current Education Act (the Act) could accommodate greater levels of school autonomy, such as
that provided under the Independent Public Schools initiatives operating in Queensland and Western
Australia – some early work is already occurring in the NT in this regard.
However, developing a new Act provides an opportunity to introduce changes that go even further. It
allows scope for reforms that take the best elements of the Independent Public Schools initiatives and
matches them with international reforms that have shown evidence of success in improving educationoutcomes.
Options for reform
Evaluations of school-based management models have shown that on its own, increasing school level
autonomy will not improve student outcomes; but when matched with the complementary reforms
shown in Figure 1 below, increasing school autonomy has the potential to move the Territory schooling
system from being good, to being great.2,3
Improved student outcomes
Differentiated accountability system
Targeted support for collaboration across schools
Support for schools to engage with increased autonomy
Assessment of readiness to engage in autonomy
Figure 1: Factors that need to be added to school autonomy to improve education outcomes
1
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy
(NAPLAN) 2013 National Summary Report, p. 41 – 42
2 Wylie, C, What can New Zealand Learn from Edmonton? New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 2007, p. 22-23
3 University of Melbourne, Evaluation of the Independent Public Schools Initiative Final Report, May 2013, p. 75-79
REFORM OF THE EDUCATION ACT (NT) – DISCUSSION STARTER FOR CONSULTATION
Schools could be given greater local control over their budget, by consolidating funding and increasing
flexibility in relation to the expenditure of funds; over their workforce, by increasing the principal’s say in
their school’s staffing profile; and over school safety, by increasing the principal’s ability to control
discipline and unacceptable behaviour. Provision could also be made for greater collaboration amongst
schools, and the establishment of stronger connections with the local community, businesses, and
other government services to improve student outcomes.
Increased accountability would also need to be considered, and will be dealt with in Discussion Starter
8: Accountability. However, the underpinning principles of reforms to accountability would need to be
a streaming of processes, a reduction in red-tape, and a strong focus on trust-based responsibility by
supporting the professionalism of principals and teachers.
Schools and principals will be at different points on a continuum of readiness to take on greater
autonomy. Therefore, as well as providing greater scope for increased local decision making, a new Act
would need to continue to provide for existing levels of autonomy, so that schools could be supported to
develop their capability to take on greater responsibility, if and when they are ready.
Options for reform that could provide for a continuum of levels of school autonomy include:
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providing for an application process for schools to become ‘Independent Public Schools’,
including the requirement to demonstrate the capacity to take on greater local autonomy
increasing flexibility and accountability of principals and schools in relation to the day-to-day
operation of the school, its curriculum (consistent with the Australian Curriculum), its teaching
and learning resources, student behaviour and the conduct of visitors to the school, the
school’s staffing profile and recruitment of staff, and the expenditure of government and other
funding
defining the functions and powers of principals and teachers – as a step towards greater
accountability
increasing transparency of annual reporting on implementation of the school’s annual
operational plan, and compliance with relevant requirements and guidelines
establishing clear requirements and guidelines for the operation of schools
giving principals the capacity to attract additional resources in support of innovation and change
in their school.
Note: To support schools and principals to take on increased school-level autonomy, reforms to school
councils would also be needed. See Discussion Starter 3: Parent, Community and Education
Partnerships.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Do you support increased autonomy for government schools? Why/why not?
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If so, should all government schools have the same degree of autonomy? Why?
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Will these reforms achieve increased school autonomy? Are there other reforms that are
needed?
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Do you think principals and schools need to be more accountable if they are given greater
autonomy for local decision making? Please provide details.
 If principals and schools are given more autonomy, what reforms do you think would be needed
to ensure success is sustainable, and not dependent on an individual principal and/or a particular
parent/community representative body?
DISCUSSION STARTER 2: LOCAL SCHOOL AUTONOMY
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