2022 Annual Report
Download the Catholic Schools New South Wales Annual Report 2022
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the incoming Labor Government and new Education Minister
MEDIA RELEASE: Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the incoming Labor Government and new Education Minister
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the incoming NSW Labor Government and new Education Minister, The Hon Prue Car MP.
The CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, Mr Dallas McInerney, congratulated the new Premier and Education Minister and looked forward to working with them both.
“Congratulations to Premier Chris Minns, Minister Car and the NSW Labor Party team. Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the opportunity to work with the incoming government to improve the educational outcomes of students in all three school sectors.”
“Congratulations to Prue Car, NSW’s new Education Minister. Ms Car’s deep interest and ongoing involvement in education will place the Minister in good stead for the role, and we look forward to building on our positive relationship with Ms Car as she moves into government.”
“Catholic Schools NSW would like to specifically thank the former Education Minister, the Hon Sarah Mitchell MLC, for her hard work and dedication to the role, as well as her continual support for the Catholic school sector and parental rights to a faith-based education.”
Innovative funding reform to enable better VET access
MEDIA RELEASE: Innovative funding reform to enable better VET access
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the NSW Government’s reform to the funding model of Vocational Education and Training (VET) for Years 11 and 12 that will allow better access to VET, particularly in rural, regional and lower socio-economic areas.
The new model will see all schools receiving a subsidy for externally delivered VET, with between 60 and 100 per cent of students’ tuition fees paid for depending on their school’s level of socio-economic advantage. The changes will apply to Catholic, Independent and government schools.
Over 11,000 years 11 and 12 students in NSW Catholic schools participate in VET courses in school annually, around 30% of the cohort. Approximately the same percentage of students in government schools undertake VET annually.
Catholic Schools NSW Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dallas McInerney, said the changes to how students can access vocational training would help low-income families, now and in the future.
“This innovative piece of reform will go a long way in building the next generation of skilled workers in a range of industries, including plumbing, construction, hairdressing and computing,” Mr McInerney said.
“The new funding model, along with changes to enable HSC students to undertake more VET courses that will contribute to their ATAR, will boost the status of VET, making it more affordable for schools and more attractive to students.”
“Increasing access to VET, particularly in rural, regional and lower socio-economic areas, is a win for students and all three school sectors.”
Catholic Schools in NSW see increased enrolments for fourth consecutive year
MEDIA RELEASE: Catholic Schools in NSW see increased enrolments for fourth consecutive year
The latest information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today has revealed that Catholic schools in NSW increased the number of student enrolments for the fourth consecutive year, and the rate of enrolments increased at 1.3%, the strongest year of growth since 2013.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Enrolments | 216,810 | 217,137 | 218,261 | 220,562 | 223,489 |
| Growth | 0.2% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
The growth in the Catholic sector comes as NSW saw a 0.1% total enrolment decline.
The CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, Mr Dallas McInerney, said the increased enrolments in Catholic schools reflect parents’ exercising school choice and the favourable option of a low fee, comprehensive, and faith-based alternative to government schools.
“Catholic schools in NSW increased the number of student enrolments for the fourth consecutive year, which reflects parents’ right to send their children to a school of their choosing. Increasingly, this is a move toward Catholic and Independent schools, the majority of which are faith-based,” Mr McInerney said.
“Such growth is welcome, yet increased enrolments inevitably mean more support and infrastructure to cater to these students’ requirements – and parents’ expectations for a quality education.”
“Unlike other independent schools, which can cater for demand in a specific area or for a specific group, Catholic schools are, and always will be, a comprehensive system that is low-fee and open to all. More enrolments mean more faith in Catholic schools across various demographics and areas.”
NSW Labor acknowledges the critical role of Catholic Education in preschool commitment
MEDIA RELEASE: NSW Labor acknowledges the critical role of Catholic Education in preschool commitment
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the NSW Labor Party’s plan to invest $60m in new and expanded preschools co-located on non-government school sites.
Fifty new and expanded preschools are planned at Catholic and Independent schools, in addition to 100 public preschools to be built and co-located at public primary schools.
Catholic Schools NSW Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dallas McInerney, said that Catholic Education is a key partner in delivering this once in a generation reform for our youngest learners and their families.
He added that “the move rightly recognised the role Catholic schools can play in preschool provision, but more infrastructure funding is needed to make universal access to pre-kindergarten accessible and for all families.”
“Approximately 260,000 students educated in NSW are in Catholic schools, so it’s good to see the Labor Party recognise the size and important role that the Catholic school sector can play in improving preschool accessibility and convenience for all, no matter what school parents send their children to.”
“This announcement is a welcome acknowledgment of the non-government sector in the provision of preschool in NSW and we would like to see a commitment from the Government.”
“While this is a step in the right direction, for comparison, in Victoria, the Labor Government committed to investing $250 million to build and upgrade around 60 kindergartens at Catholic and Independent schools, so more is needed.”
“We look forward to working with parties and governments of every persuasion to improve childcare for all people in NSW.”
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the common-sense return of the one-year education pathway
MEDIA RELEASE: Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the common-sense return of the one-year education pathway
Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the decision by the NSW Government to reinstate the one-year education pathway.
Catholic Schools NSW CEO, Dallas McInerney, said that the reinstatement of the one-year pathway was a common-sense approach to tackling the teacher shortage.
“The return of the one-year qualification is a common-sense approach that Catholic Schools NSW first called for in 2021.”
“Quality, not quantity, is what matters. And, as recent reports demonstrate, one-year qualifications such as the DipEd do not result in reduced teacher or training quality.”
“A two-year master’s degree was a substantial barrier to mid-career professionals looking to move into the teaching profession or those who couldn’t meet the financial pressure of forgoing two years’ salary for study. Limiting options to a two-year master’s degree was a one size fits all approach that was not delivering for the profession or students.”
“I’m glad to see the government exercising an open mind in tackling the teacher shortage affecting all three sectors: Catholic, Independent and Government.”
This decision comes after support from the NSW Productivity Commission, the Commonwealth Productivity Commission, the Commonwealth Government’s Quality Initial Education Review, and The Centre for Independent Studies.
From Strathfield to Skennars Head: 35 First in Class recipients for 26 Catholic schools across the state
MEDIA RELEASE: From Strathfield to Skennars Head: 35 First in Class recipients for 26 Catholic schools across the state
35 students from 26 Catholic schools across NSW have received First in Class (FIC) honours for the 2022 HSC, an increase of over 30 per cent from last year. The schools represent a wide geographic range, including Forbes, Mount Druitt, Hamilton, Port Macquarie and Skennars Head.
The FIC subjects also represent a diverse range, including Ancient History, Visual Arts, Food Technology, Music 2 and Studies of Religion I. Three students received two FIC awards and four FIC awards were in mathematics: two for Mathematics Standard 1 Examination (equal top score), one for Mathematics Standard 2 and one for Mathematics Advanced.
This year also featured the inaugural Minister’s commendation awards to acknowledge individuals or schools that have demonstrated great resilience. 14 schools in flood-affected regions of NSW were recognised, including the following Catholic schools: Trinity Catholic College, Lismore, Saint John’s College, Woodlawn, Bede Polding College, South Windsor, and Xavier Catholic College, Skennars Head.
Of particular note is Lucia Pilgrim from Xavier Catholic College who achieved a FIC in French Continuers. Earlier this year, and with only 30 minutes’ notice, students from Xavier Catholic College at Skennars Head helped convert their classrooms into makeshift hospital wards after flood waters forced evacuations at Ballina District Hospital. Year 12 students would help move medical equipment and transfer 55 patients to the new makeshift hospital before learning that their school would also become an evacuation centre.
Catholic Schools NSW CEO, Mr Dallas McInerney, commended this year’s students on their FIC awards and the schools that received the Minister’s commendation awards.
“Congratulations to all students who received a First in Course; it is an immense accomplishment to come first in a HSC subject.”
“To the schools that received the Minister’s commendation award, it is a great recognition of your tireless efforts in a difficult year.”
“A special mention must be given to Lucia Pilgrim for her First in Course for French Continuers in what must have been a very trying time for herself, Xavier College and the wider community. Lucia’s achievement is one of many woven into the larger tapestry of Catholic school students achieving excellent HSC results in 2022.”
“It is also pleasing to see 26 Catholic schools represented and from a wide geographic range, including Mount Druitt, Port Macquarie, Hamilton, Forbes and Skennars Head.”
The full list of Catholic school FIC recipients and their respective schools can be viewed here.
Catholic Schools NSW represents the state’s 594 Catholic Schools and 263,000 Students.
Time to end the arms race of early university offers
By Dallas McInerney, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald 13/12/2022
Australian universities have been major contributors to Australia’s human and social capital. The success and reach of their civic mission over the past 40 years are largely due to a highly effective response to three challenges of universal education: access, equity and excellence.
Some 1980s policy genius, in the form of income-contingent loans for tuition costs (HECS), largely solved the issue of access by lowering barriers to entry. The related challenges of equity and excellence have been met with a history of university admission based on public examinations, common across all schools (the HSC), recently coupled with school-based assessments, which are moderated to support fairness across the cohort.
This approach formed the basis for a predictable and transparent pathway to university for school leavers seeking that option. Evolved versions of HECS and the HSC are still with us, however, there is a major disruption afoot with the growing prevalence of early entry offers . Already, the signs are concerning.
This week, both the Higher School Certificate and ATAR scores (a creature of the university sector informed by HSC outcomes) will be released. They will be accompanied by an explosion in the number of early-entry offers to university for school leavers; thousands of these offers were issued months ago.
The consequences and scale of this unregulated practice are not well understood. There is no obligation on the universities to release early offer figures. Indeed, many refuse such requests from the media.
Nearly 25,000 students have applied for early offers through the state’s admissions centre(UAC), and others applied directly to individual universities, meaning more than half of the school-leaver cohort could have an early offer of some form.
Post-COVID financial pressures are driving the university sector to increase enrolments, and, in the competition to attract students, early offers have transformed from a “first mover” advantage into an arms race. While universities claim these schemes are “holistic” and reduce“exam stress”, the significant financial interest behind them is undeniable.
There might be some benefits to the early offer regime, but they appear to be tilted in favour of universities; they get the planning and operational certainty and income projection. The upside for the students is less clear, particularly in the case of unconditional or low-stake offers, which can come as early as April of year 12.
There are increasing reports that many students with early offers “check out” of their studies, lose motivation, or do not fully invest in final exams. This is not a helpful dynamic for either them or their peers without early offers, who need to remain fully applied. More broadly, hasthe question been asked: why condition students to a consequence-free examination season orassessment or desensitise them from the rigours of the learning experience?
Defenders of the open slather approach to early offers are often the harshest critics of ATAR, who cite wellbeing concerns to push back against assessments. Some early-offer programs ignore the ATAR entirely.
The early-offer university students will inevitably collide with reality and learn that assessments and exams do matter, and maybe their HSC-lite experience hasn’t really prepared them for the next step up. Wait, what? I’m not getting an unconditional, early offer of graduation for my BA?
The critics of ATAR ignore the fact that it remains the most reliable available predictor of university performance. We know that the vast majority of school leavers still use ATAR in their university admissions and that ATAR remains a significant predictor of grades and completion rates.
Obviously, ATAR is an imperfect measure on its own, but there are already adjustment factors(formerly known as bonus points) as well as a host of scholarships (rural, ATSI, dux, financial hardship, etc.) designed to address its limitations.
The explosion in early offers has occurred without a clear rationale in support of students. To its credit, the NSW government has commissioned a review of early offers, with new guidelines being developed. Here are some suggestions. One, early offers should be required to be conditional; a minimum academic requirement is perfectly reasonable. Two, there should be a limit to just how early these early offers can be made (say, September). Three, early offers should be managed centrally through UAC rather than directly with individual universities, thereby allowing regulators to monitor the effects of the various schemes.
The HSC is a world-class credential designed for students pursuing university and vocational and employment pathways alike. Vice-chancellors should respect its role and, more broadly, the symbiotic relationship between schools and universities. All early offers might have a place, but in the meantime, we need to insist on more transparency and standardisation.
“Keep calm and carry on”: Catholic Schools NSW wishes the very best to all HSC students
MEDIA RELEASE: “Keep calm and carry on”: Catholic Schools NSW wishes the very best to all HSC students
Catholic Schools NSW wishes all NSW students the best as they commence their Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams today. 19,123 Catholic school students from 152 schools will sit the exams.
Catholic Schools NSW Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dallas McInerney, extended his best wishes to all students and commended the hard work of teachers and parents.
“Completing the HSC is a significant achievement; students should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved to date and be confident that their preparation and hard work will see them through to the end of their exams,” said Mr McInerney.
“We pray that year 12 students approach this important period in their schooling life with clarity and courage; in essence, to ‘keep calm and carry on.’ We commend all the hard work teachers and parents have put in to see the students reach this important educational milestone.”
“To every student sitting the HSC, be sure to give your all in every exam – but don’t forget that no matter what happens, there are many pathways to work or further study, and be assured that the HSC does not define you.”
Students will sit the HSC exams across NSW over the next several weeks, with the final written exams concluding on 4 November and results being released from 15 December onwards.
Catholic Schools NSW represents the state’s 594 Catholic schools and their 260,000 students.