ACARA news, December 2019

Helping teachers keep young people safe online


13 December 2019

Today, ACARA has published a resource to help teachers identify existing content in the Australian Curriculum, which supports the teaching and learning of online safety.

In consultation with the eSafety Commissioner, ACARA has developed a new online safety curriculum connection – a resource that helps teachers identify where in the Australian Curriculum that online safety can be incorporated across year levels, learning areas, subjects and general capabilities. This was in response to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse for nationally consistent curriculum for online safety education.

The online safety curriculum connection focuses on five interrelated dimensions:

  • online safety values, rights and responsibilities
  • wellbeing
  • respectful relationships
  • digital media literacy
  • informed and safe use of information and devices.

The online safety curriculum connection is now available on the Australian Curriculum website.


My School updated with 2019 Term 3 student attendance data


11 December 2019

Today, the My School website has been updated with school student attendance rates for Term 3, 2019. Attendance data are reported on all students, Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students. Data are suppressed where student numbers are less than, or equal to, five students. 

This update follows on from the release of Semester 1 student attendance data in November 2019.

Attendance data reporting is a COAG (Council of Australian Governments) initiative to help improve learning outcomes by monitoring attendance. Data are reported twice a year, for Semester 1 (Terms 1 and 2) and Term 3. 


Updated data available on the National Report on Schooling Data Portal


10 December 2019

Today, ACARA’s interactive resource, the National Report on Schooling Data Portal, has been updated with new data on schools and schooling including:

  • student attendance
  • Year 12 subject enrolments
  • Year 12 certification rates
  • participation and attainment in education and work
  • participation in VET in schools.

Visit the National Report on Schooling Data Portal.