Department of Education

National Quality Standard

in Kindergartens

INFORMATION SHEET FOR SCHOOLS

IMPLEMENTING THE NQS IN OUR KINDERGARTENS

• From 2020, Tasmanian Government Schools will apply the NQS in Kindergartens as a quality improvement tool; involving ongoing reflection, self-assessment, reporting by principals and independent validation by the Education and Care Unit. The Education and Care Unit is the section of DoE that regulates and quality assesses education and care services around Tasmania.

• Schools will be supported to implement the NQS by building on the significant work that is underway to prepare our Kindergartens for NQS assessment.

• This includes new resources and tools as well as professional learning for teachers and teacher assistants. Upgrades of Kindergarten facilities are also in progress, to ensure environments support the learning dispositions and developmental needs of young learners.

• Tasmania’s approach to the NQS assessment of government Kindergartens has been informed by consultation with early childhood experts and information obtained from other jurisdictions, including the system successfully implemented in Western Australia’s (WA) schools since 2015.

• Our approach to implementing the NQS draws on the strength of our current government school system to minimise burden, while ensuring our commitment to the high quality NQS benchmark is maintained.

• Key NQS tools and resources used by the WA Department of Education will be adopted and adapted for use in Tasmanian Kindergartens ensuring they are fit for purpose.

• The DoE is currently developing a set of publicly available resources and tools for schools, parents and the community that provide information, assist in quality improvement and guide the assessment of Kindergartens against the NQS.

• This work will include opportunities for relevant DoE stakeholders to participate in the co-construction of these resources and tools, to inform and guide practice and maximise the benefits for our learners.

• The NQS will be implemented into our Kindergartens from 2020, using a staged roll out. Resources and tools to support NQS assessments will be provided to schools from 2020, this will include professional learning opportunities.

• A project team is leading this work and regular progress updates will be provided.

BACKGROUND

• In May 2019 the Minister confirmed that preparation is underway for the assessment of our Kindergartens against the National Quality Standard (NQS) to commence from 2020, in line with the Minister’s 2016 commitment.

• The NQS, which is a key part of the national quality framework for early childhood education and care services, was implemented across Australia from 2012.

• The NQS is the benchmark of a continuous improvement system. Implementing the NQS in Kindergartens supports ongoing quality improvement and reflective practice, based on cycles of inquiry.

• Improving the quality of early learning is a priority for the Department, with one of the four goals of the DoE Strategic Plan being Early Learning - From birth to 8 years of age, children are confident, involved learners and effective communicators.

• The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia will continue to guide our practice and Kindergartens continue to be regulated under the Education Act 2016.

• The prior arrangements to ‘mirror’ the NQS in Kindergartens are being strengthened to ensure government Kindergartens align with the relevant national regulatory provisions that underpin the NQS.

• Funding of $2.7 million, over four years, has been provided in the 2019-20 State Budget to assess Kindergartens against the NQS. This includes systems and tools to track and measure progress and quality improvement.

CONTACT

Melissa Catto, Project Manager Early Years Partnerships and Projects

(03) 6165 6186 (Ext 56186)

NQSKindergarten@education.tas.gov.au