Primary years education

In this chapter, the author investigates the role and importance of primary years education in society. She examines the features of primary years education in the Australian context. The author reflects on the effectiveness of primary years education in Australia. In Australia, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians is over-arching approach shaping nationally consistent directions and aspirations for Australian schooling. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) was established in 2008 with the purpose of developing a National Curriculum (Donnelly and Wiltshire, 2014) for all students ranging from Foundation year (approximately five to six years of age) to Year 10 (approximately fifteen to sixteen years of age). Looking at the milestones of what is expected to be achieved by young Australians at point of entry to secondary school, and hence at end of the primary years, among a range of findings they reveal the following about the way our primary years education impacts on educational opportunity.