The Hodgman Liberal Government’s amendments to the Education Act have been passed by the Legislative Council today, paving the way for a new model of early, play-based learning for vulnerable or disadvantaged children.
We have, as we said we would, listened to Tasmanians and ensured that the existing school starting age will remain as it is, with children beginning Prep in the year they turn six.
But in addition to all children being able to attend Kindergarten at the age of four, we are now going to boost pre-school learning opportunities for those who will benefit the most.
Our Working Together for Three-Year-Olds – targeted pre-school initiative will provide the opportunity of an additional year of pre-school to Tasmanian children aged three who are identified as being vulnerable or disadvantaged.
With funding of $10.5 million a year, the new initiative will be delivered in partnership with the Early Childhood Education and Care sector and will provide 10 hours a week of free quality early learning.
On top of this, the Government is investing an additional $4.9 million a year for extra support in Prep, including for teacher assistants.
Altogether, our changes show that we are a Government that listens while delivering on our strong commitment to improving education outcomes.
The Bill passed today also provided some minor refinement around definitions in the Education Act.
These included amending the term “statement of Year 10 completion” to “transition statement” to ensure there is no misinterpretation around Year 10 signalling the end of a young person’s education.
Once again, I would like to thank the many Tasmanians who participated in the review of the Education Act over the past few years and contributed to the important public discussion on how we can work together to improve opportunities for our children and young people.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Education and Training