Help for those who need it most

IT'S a huge sum of money - $14.5 billion in extra funds from federal and state governments flooding schools by 2019.

That it is a river of money is one of the major criticisms of the federal government's plans.

Critics argue, quite rightly, that throwing more money at schools will not lift standards if sub-standard teaching continues unchecked.

For that reason, the federal government plans to tie the increase in school funding to a national plan for school improvement under which teaching strategies will be evaluated for their effectiveness and school performance will be reported. And for some schools, extra money will make a difference.

For some schools, their students walk through the school gates with more than their lunch packed in their bag. Some students arrive at school speaking no English, even in high school. Some are refugees attending school for the first time as teenagers.

Some students struggle with disabilities or learning difficulties that require extra support, all of which costs more money.

Extra money in these schools will enable principals to hire teachers specialising in teaching English to more quickly bring children up to the level of their classmates. For students who take longer to learn a new skill, extra money means schools can employ extra teachers to work with struggling students before they fall too far behind.

Not all children start life as equals; some have never seen a book before they start school, cannot count to 10 or write their name. The funding model outlined by Julia Gillard yesterday is an attempt to give these children a leg-up in life.