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Launch of the My School Website: a comment from the Director of Schools Br Tony Whelan AM

 

All education systems have become much more data driven over the last five years or so. That is our principals and teachers analyse a range of data about student achievement to inform teaching and learning programs as part of their core business. This is nothing new for them. In fact the data they use is far broader and richer than the data from NAPLAN tests. Reports to parents have always made this data available for parents as well.

In relation to school data profile and 'like school' comparisons, principals know their communities well. They already know schools in their areas that share similar socio economic and demographic profiles and that might be described as 'like schools'. As the NSW government has required public reporting of test results for some years now, information about the performance of neighbouring schools in public tests has been available for some time.

The My School website does however make this data widely available for parents and the community as a whole in a way that makes the data very accessible and transparent. If the outcome nationally is clearer identification of need and if this leads to more targeted resources to address educational disadvantage and deliver greater equity, then this is good news for all of us. If on the other hand the outcome of the My School website is the construction of meaningless league tables that seek to shame and blame schools that are judged to be 'failing' then we have indeed lost the plot. The UK experience has taught us this.

The Catholic school system in the Diocese of Broken Bay continues to use socio economic and other data to identify schools and communities that are less 'well off', and to proactively deliver where possible redistribution of educational and financial resources to ensure that children in these areas have the same opportunities for success as those children in more affluent parts of the diocese. This indeed is our core business - it is the mission of the Catholic Church.