Best Start, Best Life
The department is continuing to deliver the Best Start, Best Life reforms that will be transformational for early childhood education in Victoria over the next decade.
Between 2025 and 2036, Pre-Prep will be rolled out across the state in stages. Once fully implemented, Pre-Prep will give children across Victoria access to up to 30 hours a week of kindergarten in the year before school. Led by qualified teachers, it provides greater opportunities to socialise and learn through play. A revised roll-out plan provides more time to build the infrastructure and grow the workforce needed to support the reforms. The roll-out prioritises children who will benefit the most from additional hours.
Free Kinder continues to be available for children enrolled in a kindergarten program, enabling greater participation for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. More than 140,000 families benefited from this program in 2023, with a similar number expected to benefit in 2024. The roll-out of the Three‑Year‑Old Kindergarten reform is progressing successfully with more than 80% of services across the state now offering 15 hours per week and almost 89% of all eligible children enrolled in a program in 2023. We are ahead of schedule for the full implementation of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten by 2029.
Early Learning Victoria has been established to operate the 50 new Victorian government-owned and operated early learning and childcare centres. The first 4 centres will open in 2025 with a further 14 locations opening in 2026. All centres will be open by 2032 and will be located in the areas of greatest need. The first 18 centres will be co-located with schools wherever possible to make life easier for parents and carers and help with a smoother transition to primary school. Where there are no suitable primary school sites, other sites will be explored, including co-location with TAFEs, hospitals and major employers. Where possible, the centres will also include space for co-located services such as maternal and child health services and playgroups.
School reform
Our next phase of school reforms will drive improvements to teaching and learning to further strengthen Victoria’s position as the Education State.
Over the last 8 years, the department has delivered an ambitious school reform agenda. Future effort will build on these reforms to tackle enduring and new challenges to drive improved student outcomes. There will be a sustained focus on improving outcomes for priority cohorts, so that all students can succeed.
The new Victorian Curriculum Version 2.0 was published in June 2024 and sets out the knowledge and skills that Victorian students from Prep to Year 10 need to become confident, active and informed citizens. The new curriculum for English and maths will be implemented in government schools in 2025, with other learning areas from 2026.
High-quality lesson plans and professional learning programs will provide teachers with ready-to-use resources that reduce the burden of lesson preparation. An updated Victorian Teaching and Learning Model will be implemented in all government schools across the state from 2025 with explicit teaching at its core so that we can achieve the best outcomes for the most students. All students from Prep to Grade 2 will be taught using systematic synthetic phonics approach as part of their reading program, which will bring consistency in the application of evidence-based methods in Victorian classrooms.
Generational reforms in student mental health and wellbeing and disability inclusion are underway and will begin to reach maturity and become embedded over the next few years. We have commenced significant senior secondary school pathway reforms to build the aspirations and skills of young people in Victoria. These reforms to secondary schooling will set up students for future careers and meet the needs of the modern economy.
The government’s response to the Board of Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools identifies a series of actions to support healing for victim-survivors, secondary victims and affected communities. We are taking proactive steps to safeguard students and ensure every school is a safe environment by strengthening accountabilities, child safety capability and response services.
Attracting, supporting and developing teachers and school leaders remains a priority. Scholarships, placement supports and employment-based programs have led to 1,600 new government school teachers being employed between March 2023 and March 2024 and 600 teachers placed in hard-to-staff roles. An independent review will report to government by December 2024 with advice on options to reduce administrative and compliance work across the Victorian government school system.
We are providing a high-quality, contemporary learning environment through the delivery of modern infrastructure, including building 121 new schools between 2017 and 2026, as well as significant new upgrades. We will also deliver high-quality digital foundations that are cybersafe and enable schools, teachers and students to deliver a modern educational offering.
First Nations education
Victoria has achieved some important progress in the outcomes of First Peoples children and students, underpinned by the Marrung Aboriginal Education Plan.
The department has strengthened our commitment and support for First Peoples learners through the establishment of a new First Nations Strategy, Policy and Programs Group.
The group will work with First Peoples to strengthen self-determination and cultural safety in our schools. This is a fundamental enabler to lift education and wellbeing outcomes for Victoria’s First Nations children and students. To accelerate improved learning and wellbeing outcomes for First Peoples learners, the group will identify opportunities to use existing and new existing policies and programs more effectively. Strengthening Aboriginal-led decision making in education, school-community partnerships, and sharing knowledge and understanding of First Peoples histories, communities and cultures will feature strongly in the department’s work.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission is investigating historical and ongoing injustices against First Peoples in Victoria that has occurred since colonisation, including in education settings and as a result of education policy. The department will continue to engage with and pay close attention to the important work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission as its investigations evolve into findings and recommendations over the next 12 months. Opportunities to learn from past mistakes and to action self-determination in education settings is critical in the work towards Treaty and to embed systemic change.
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