I developed an appreciation of the history of education in Australia, initially the work of the Chaplain and Christian volunteer settlers in the fledgling colony, first in Sydney then in Melbourne. The oldest formal schools in Australia were the work of Churches, with schools founded in 1816, 1820 and 1831 still in operation today. Having worked exclusively with and within Independent Schools, for over 35 years, I have come to appreciate all the more the privilege and responsibility that this Independence affords.

At the recent AIS NSW briefing, we were provided an overview of the actual state and health of the Independent School sector, which is very rarely reported on in the media who appear to delight in making education a political issue based around fees, funding and facilities creating a public versus private divide. The 2022 school data indicates that  37 per cent of students K-12 are being educated in non-government schools (Independent plus Catholic Systemic). This figure rises to 46 per cent of students in Years 11 and 12. Almost half of all NSW enrolment growth since 2012 has been in Independent schools making this the fastest-growing school sector. 

Whilst these statistics may not come as much of a surprise, what may be of interest is that 46 per cent of NSW Independent schools have a total student enrolment of fewer than 200 students!! The small school nature of Independent schools is an inherent characteristic confirming that bigger isn’t better…it is just bigger. Forty per cent of NSW Independent schools, of which PLC Armidale is one,  have an enrolment between 200 and 1000 students with just 14 per cent having an enrolment of more than 1000 students. 

Sixty-eight per cent of Independent schools are faith-based, with the remaining 32 per cent based on an educational philosophy or community focus. These statistics, in addition to those above, indicate that parents are exercising the right to choose a school for their children where faith, values and purpose are foundational.

State and federal elections are often accompanied by claims that ‘private schools’ are taking funding away from ‘public education’. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whilst government funding is available to both government and non-government schools, the amount per student varies significantly. 

Under the current funding model, the parents' capacity to contribute to fees as a direct measure of income (DMI) is used to determine how much funding each Independent school receives. This direct measure of income is not a factor when determining funding to government schools. Please note, as an Independent school, we are not privy to the data about each individual family's financial circumstances. The DMI data is accessed directly from the Australian Taxation Office by the Commonwealth Government on a per family, per Independent school basis.  

Independent schools have only received Government funding since the late 1960s, and for most schools, this funding represents 30-40 per cent of income, with the bulk of income coming from private contributions, through the school fees parents pay in post-tax dollars. It is worth noting that the majority of families who have chosen an Independent school for their child are also contributing to the funding of all schools through taxes paid. 

These facts, whilst not widely promoted, help to counter the myths that funding non-Government schools means less funding for public schools, that Independent schools are a drain on the taxpayers’ money or that Government funding is used for extravagant building projects.

 Suffice to say that if the six Independent schools and the two Catholic systemic schools in Armidale were to suddenly all close, the local Government schools would not be able to accommodate these additional enrolments without significant costs to the public to build, staff and operate more schools without the contribution of parents paying school fees. 

Government funding is generally not available to Independent schools to cover capital works costs and expenditure. Building projects and capital programs are funded by each Independent school out of operating surplus or through the private contribution of benefactors.

As the end of the 2022-2023 financial year approaches, I would like to thank the PLC Armidale community past, current and future for their continued support of and contribution to the College, enabling us to continue as the oldest Independent and only All-Girls school in our region serving the needs and choice of our families. 

Your contribution to the Annual Giving campaign and subscription donations to the Scholarship fund are greatly appreciated. 

Our Foundation Committee will be sending out in the coming weeks more specific detail of how we each can play a part in ensuring that a PLC Armidale education is available to more and more families into the future.