Page 510 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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data was held on MAZE, and student injury or injury data was reported through another database for insurance and compliance purposes.
Clearly, for a lot of reasons it is important that the government have a modern IT system for managing school and student data. In the 2016 budget the government allocated $10 million for an upgrade to its schools administration system. Rollout of the new system, called Sentral, is occurring in a staged manner. It began in 2017 with a pilot across a group of schools, with all schools adopting Sentral in 2018 for attendance data. Other modules that record, for example, incidents and behaviour reporting have gradually been introduced.
As with MAZE, each school has its own instance of Sentral. There is currently no automated synchronisation of data into a central data repository. In order to view data at a system level, data must be manually extracted from each school instance. However, by the end of implementation, expected towards the end of this year, Sentral, unlike MAZE, will allow the directorate full visibility of all data about all government schools. The goal at the end of this project is that all government schools record all information in Sentral, including information related to teaching and learning, attendance, wellbeing, behaviour and incidents.
Users with appropriate access can then use business intelligence tools to look at data, identify trends and access reporting across all schools. The system will also allow improved communication with parents through automated notifications, and automated notifications will also be directed to the education support office when particular information is entered into it.
Given all of this, assertions in the motion about a lack of data or inaction on keeping data cannot be substantiated. There is a $10 million investment which has been directed by the government. Equally, if there is not data available it is unclear how this Assembly can conclude, as proposed in the motion, that there has been a rise in instances of violence or reports of antisocial behaviour in ACT schools.
The government and I, as minister, and ministers before me, have acted on this problem. There is no basis to suggest that the government and I have not acted. In fact, as noted in this motion, the government has directed many millions of dollars in staff training, facilities, services and support to creating positive school communities: school communities that are safe, supportive and inclusive; school communities that acknowledge the different things going on in the lives of students and how this can affect their behaviour. But there is also no miracle cure. If the opposition has one I would be happy to hear it.
So it is of little surprise that, as with all instances, reports of bullying and violence in schools still arise. That will always, sadly, be the case. What matters is how these issues are dealt with. What is required is deliberate, mature action founded on expert guidance and advice and evidence-based best practice. What is required is what the government is doing.
I spoke last week about the positive behaviours for learning approach. PBL is an evidence-based, whole-school approach to creating positive, safe school communities
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