Up to 48 independent and Catholic schools in Queensland will take part in the Empowering Local Schools initiative, helping strengthen school leadership, community engagement and decision-making capacity and processes.

During a visit to St Thomas More College in Sunnybank, Minister for School Education Peter Garrett said the Gillard Government is providing almost $3 million to help independent and Catholic schools throughout the state implement the scheme over the next two years. 

Through the Empowering Local Schools initiative, participating Catholic schools may be able to:

• involve parents and locals in Indigenous communities in school decision making
• take part in professional leaning programs to help principals develop the skills to lead large and complex schools
• take part in learning programs which will help schools review their decision making and planning, and
• improve administration in small schools.

Independent schools may focus on activities such as:

• improving staff performance through feedback and coaching
• improving school board leadership strategies
• planning and reviewing administration systems, and
• managing and documenting budgets.

“The Gillard Government wants to put more power in the hands of principals, school leaders and the local community, because they are often in the best position to decide what their school and students need,” Mr Garrett said.

“We’re doing this because we know it works. Evidence both here and internationally has found that greater school autonomy is strongly linked with improved student results, behaviour and attendance.

“We’ll also be providing $7.6 million to the Queensland Government to implement the scheme in 131 government schools over 2012–13. Details of how the scheme will work are now being finalised and will be released in the coming weeks.

“The Gillard Government is providing more than $480.5 million over seven years for Empowering Local Schools, including $69 million in funding to roll the scheme out in up to 1000 schools nationally over the next two years.

The Queensland schools taking part in the scheme will be announced shortly.

For more information visit: 
www.deewr.gov.au/schooling/Pages/EmpoweringLocalSchools.aspx.