Student Attendance Rates
Primary school attendance rates in the Pilbara have remained consistently around 85%-88% across the year levels over the last six years. Attendance rates are unusually lower in the earlier years but show higher more consistent levels in years 3 through to 7. In 2004 attendance rates overall were lowest across the Pilbara, however since then rates have increased marginally.
Secondary school attendance rates in general declined between 2003 and 2008. There was a marked rise in attendance rates for year 12 in 2007 which could be attributed to the non-compulsory aspect of these years, resulting in fewer students for attendances to be based on. Attendance rates for 2008 were the worst in the six years before.
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Student/Teacher Ratio
The ratio of students to teachers was in a steady decline for most Pilbara local governments between 1999 and 2004. The lowest point in 2004 seems to have occurred because of a modest increase in the number of teachers. After 2004, the ratio has steadily climbed, as the number of teachers fell while the number of students remained relatively steady.
The most volatile local government areas appear to be in Roebourne(S) and Port Hedland(T). East Pilbara(S) and Ashburton(S) have remained steadier, and have consistently lower student teacher ratios than their more heavily-populated counterparts.
The total number of students in the Pilbara has been gradually falling between 1999 and 2005, with 2006 showing the first increase, although almost 850 less students than were present in 1999. There also seems to be a growing gap in the male to female student ratio, which is evident across all local government regions within the Pilbara. Of note is that Port Hedland(T) has on average over 35% of the Pilbara Indigenous students.
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Standard of Education
In 2008, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in Australian schools. The program continues in 2009 with all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 being assessed using national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy. The data from the NAPLAN test results gives schools and systems the ability to compare their students’ achievements against national standards and with student achievement in other states and territories. It also allows the monitoring of progress over time.
For more information on WALNA visit www.naplan.edu.au
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NAPLAN Ratings 2008, Pilbara
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Number of students
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Reading
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Writing
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Spelling
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Grammar and Punctuation
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Numeracy
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Year 3
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679
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73.8
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84.2
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73.3
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69.1
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86.6
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Year 5
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650
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76.2
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79.4
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78
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75.6
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79.3
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Year 7
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599
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81.1
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78.4
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80
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72.4
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85.1
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Year 9
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478
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73.4
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65.7
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70.3
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63.8
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75.6
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Source: Department of Education and Training
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Prior to the NAPLAN ratings, Western Australia schools used the Western Australian Literacy & Numeracy Assessment (WALNA) ratings for three primary school years; 3, 5 and 7. The ratings in years 3 and 5 for the Pilbara in 2007 were the highest in the field of reading, however across all fields the Pilbara ratings were lower than the Western Australian Benchmark.
For more information on WALNA visit http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/walna/
Home schooling rate
The number of registered students being home schooled in the Pilbara region is relatively low, in the order of less than 2 percent of all students. Unusual is the sharp drop after 2003 with 34 students less in 2004, however there has been a steady increase to 2008 with a spike in 2007.
Number of children with disabilities enrolled in special education programs
There are only a limited number of Education Support Centres across the Pilbara as such several students with disabilities are a part of the normal school system, and are not included in these numbers.
