The purpose of Australian Government General Recurrent Grants (GRG) is to help schools with the recurrent cost of school education so that they can offer students educational programmes directed towards the achievement of the Commonwealth's priorities for schooling. GRG to government schools are paid to State Education authorities and payment to individual schools is not recorded.

The purpose of the Australian Government Capital Grants is to provide education outcomes by assisting in the provision of school facilities, particularly in ways that contribute most to raising the overall level of educational achievement of Australian school students.

The Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme implements the Teachers for the 21st Century initiative that will improve teacher quality and increase the number of highly effective Australian schools in order to maximise student learning outcomes. It will do so by: lifting the quality of teaching through targeted professional development (the AGQTP programme) and enhancing professional standards; developing the skills of school leaders; supporting quality school management; and recognising and rewarding quality schools, school leaders and teachers.

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) did not collect details at the post code level for the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme (AGQTP) from 1 January 2003 to 30 June 2003.

From 1 July 2003, AGQTP allocated $448,343 in funding to 22 government schools and eight non-government schools in postcodes 3075, 3076, 3082, 3083, 3087, 3088, 3089 and 3091, in the Northern Metropolitan Region of Victoria. Schools in these locations received a proportion of this funding. No schools in the other postcodes received funding under AGQTP in 2003.

The following tables indicate the location of the schools by postcode, and the activity or activities in which the school is involved. Information for 2004 is not yet available.

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT VALUES EDUCATION STUDY

The Australian Government invested over $580,000 in the Values Education Study. Some 69 schools around country were funded with grants of up to $7,000 for innovative value education projects. The results of these projects are described in the Values Education Study report, which was published on the DEST website (http://www.dest.gov.au/schools/publications/2003/index.htm) in November 2003. As well as the case studies, the study also includes:

The Australian Government has committed a further $316,000 in 2003-2004 to support values education through increased website support for all schools and a national forum to be held in early 2004 to consider the study's findings and to build on existing school practices. Each school which participated in the Values Education Study will be invited to send a representative to this forum.

St Monica's College in Epping (postcode 3076) received a grant of $7,000 as part of the Values Education Study in 2003 for the enhancement of a variety of Values Education projects in the school involving the establishment of a Values Education Working Party to prepare an evaluation of programmes.

Sherbourne Primary School in Greensborough (postcode 3088) received a grant of $7,000 as part of the Values Education Study in 2003 for developing a new code of conduct - Code of Cooperation with a Civics and Citizenship Education focus.

Lalor North Secondary College in Epping (postcode 3076) received a grant of $500 for a Year 7 Student Parliament on 11 November 2003 as part of Celebrating Democracy Week.

The Australian Government rewards excellence and innovation in schools and teaching across Australia with prize money totalling up to $1 million through the annual National Awards for Quality Schooling (NAQS). Open to all pre-primary, primary and secondary Australian schools, the NAQS provides welcome recognition and support for schools, teachers and school leaders able to demonstrate improved learning outcomes for students.

The NAQS are linked to the Australian Government's National Quality Schooling Framework (NQSF), a web based education resource to assist and encourage schools to implement school improvement initiatives. All information about the NAQS is provided through the NQSF website at www.nqsf.edu.au.

Thomastown Meadows Primary School in Thomastown (postcode 3074) received an award of $8,000 as part of the 2003 National Awards for Quality Schooling for highly commended achievement in the literacy and numeracy category.