The National Catholic Education Commission says the release of the 2015 NAPLAN testing national report will provide a reference for reflection on education policy directions and what needs attention in the next phase of the learning journey of Australian schools.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox said while NAPLAN is a snapshot in time and therefore has limitations, the national report helps educators understand the progress of Australian students and issues in Australian education.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has expressed its disappointment at a new report that uses selective, misleading and inaccurate information to cast government and non-government schools as competitors, rather than partners in Australia’s educational landscape.

In a report released today, the Australian Government Primary Principals Association has unfortunately repeated false assertions from earlier publications and failed to provide a useful platform from which school funding can be discussed.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has congratulated new Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham, saying Catholic schools look forward to working together to support education in all school sectors.

Senator Birmingham, who has served as Assistant Minister for Education and Training since last year, was promoted to his new role by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday.

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Assumptions contained in a new report on school funding do not accurately reflect current and future government funding for schools in all sectors. As a result, the report provides a misleading picture of sectoral differences, National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox said.

Mr Fox said the report released by Chris Bonnor and Bernie Shepherd assumes school funding trends will continue according to trends observed in recent years.

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Opponents of non-government schools have once again selectively used facts and figures in an attempt to undermine the place of non-government schools as key contributors to Australia’s educational landscape, the National Catholic Education Commission says.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox says the document released by Save Our Schools this morning is the latest in a steady stream of reports that appear to be designed to create conflict between schools.

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All schools will benefit from the Australian Government’s announcement that it will increase per student funding by 7.2 per cent in 2015-16, but the National Catholic Education Commission remains concerned over the funding of schools beyond 2017.

In tonight’s Federal Budget, the Australian Government made no change to their existing funding policy beyond 2017, at which point school funding per student would increase at the rate of CPI.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement that financial support for Indigenous students in boarding schools will continue over the next two years.

Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne this week outlined how $5.4 million will assist nongovernment schools with large numbers of Indigenous boarding students who come from remote and very remote areas.

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“The goal of Catholic schools is to educate the whole child to the highest standards possible – academically, socially, spiritually and pastorally. No school should be reduced to the test scores of its students.”

That’s the message from National Catholic Education Commission executive director Ross Fox, who said Catholic educators are proud that Australian Catholic schools are today welcoming students in record numbers.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed this afternoon’s commitment from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission to streamline financial reporting for non-government schools in 2014-15 and has committed to working with the ACNC and Australian Government to make the exemptions permanent.

NCEC executive director Ross Fox said Catholic schools, which are already highly transparent and accountable, were concerned about the impact the ACNC was having on teaching and learning as principals, teachers and other school leaders were burdened by excessive reporting requirements.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has highlighted the importance of funding certainty for Australia’s schools and proposed that the Australian Government Budget ensure that government funding for schools keeps pace with real school costs beyond 2017.

The NCEC has raised the issue of funding certainty from 2018 in its 2015-16 pre-Budget submission, explaining that the current proposal to index school funding at the consumer price index and enrolments will not meet the needs of students and schools.

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