Government schools in Ku-ring-gai will be able to improve education resources and support for students with $5,636,791 in needs-based funding for 2018, an increase of $794,801, or 16%, from 2017.

The funding will be available to address the specific needs of schools. Schools may choose to implement initiatives such as targeted literacy and numeracy support, teacher training and speech pathologists.

This year, one of our local schools, Waitara Public School, applied the 2017 needs-based funding that it received to employ an additional English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) teacher one day a week. It also enriched the School’s Creative and Performing Arts Program, used Literacy and Numeracy funding to employ an external mentor to support staff and employed a Community Liaison Officer to support the School’s strategic direction of a multicultural community working in partnership with a shared vision.

Member for Ku-ring-gai, Alister Henskens SC MP, welcomed the funding for local schools.

“This funding will give schools the freedom to meet the specific needs of students and our local community,” Mr Henskens said.   

“I’m pleased the NSW Government is delivering the extra resources our local schools require to provide the high-quality education our children need and deserve.”

Education Minister Rob Stokes said providing school funding on a needs basis was vital to getting the best possible educational outcomes and that the increased funding was in addition to funding announced last month under the Schools Leadership Strategy to enable employment of extra support staff so principals could focus on educational leadership.

“The combination of funding increases and changes will enable schools to sharpen their focus even more on catering for the specific academic and wellbeing needs of their individual students,” Mr Stokes said.

Schools across NSW will receive a record $1.09 billion in needs-based funding in 2018. This includes $80 million in additional funding, which is an 8 per cent increase from 2017.