Boosting Literacy and Numeracy Plan: NT public schools go back to basics

NT public schools will focus on getting back to basics under a new plan aiming to improve the dire state of literacy and numeracy in the Territory. SEE THE DETAILS.

Minister for Education and Training Jo Hersey announces the ‘Boosting Literacy and Numeracy Plan’ at Katherine South Primary School. Picture: Supplied.

Northern Territory public schools will focus on getting back to basics under a new plan aiming to improve the dire state of literacy and numeracy in the NT.

The “Boosting Literacy and Numeracy Plan” will see all NT Government schools embrace a consistent, evidence-based approach to learning, centred on the explicit teaching of reading and mathematics,

Explicit teaching is an evidence-based practice that follows an ‘I do’, ‘we do’, ‘you do’ approach, where teachers break down concepts into small, more manageable steps, allowing students to build understanding and independence.

Many schools across the Territory have already adopted explicit teaching strategies, including Katherine South Primary School.

Katherine South Primary School Principal Chris Errington.

“As a principal, I see every day how explicit teaching works in the classroom,” principal Chris Errington said.

“Teachers are finding that it engages all students no matter their level and ensures they all have an opportunity to learn. It is the backbone to providing positive student outcomes at our school.

“I see the confidence of our teachers growing every day when they see the progress of their motivated and enthusiastic students.”

Education Department chief executive Susan Bowden said the plan would help ensure consistency and results across all schools.

“Currently teachers use a range of different strategies and approaches, however, the evidence is saying that explicit instruction is the most effective way,” she said.

“Over the next six months, we’ll be providing professional development and professional learning opportunities for our teachers across the Northern Territory.”

Ms Bowden said the initial focus would be on reading, including phonetic awareness and letter understanding, and how to use numbers in mathematics.

The Territory’s most recent NAPLAN results paint a damning picture for numeracy and literacy skills – performing worst in the country for each age group across every metric.

On average, 57.4 per cent of NT kids in Years 3 to 9 need more support or are “developing”, compared with 32.9 per cent of students in the same category Australia-wide.

Within the NT, the gap between different groups is also stark.

Last year the average Year 7 NAPLAN writing score for non-Indigenous students was 534.1, compared to 357.1 for Indigenous students; while numeracy was 525.9 for non-Indigenous students and 382.6 for Indigenous students.

Education Minister Jo Hersey said the new back to basics plan would ensure all NT public schools are more consistent for students, families and teachers.

“Our plan aligns to the evidence that shows that students who learn through explicit teaching make greater learning gains than students who do not,” she said.

“Every child deserves a quality education, regardless of where they are in the Territory, and we are committed to working with and supporting schools to have a consistent teaching approach.”

This year’s NT budget included $14.2m for the boosting literacy and numeracy program, similar to last year and including some Commonwealth funding.

Originally published as Boosting Literacy and Numeracy Plan: NT public schools go back to basics