Purpose
To assist up to 120 schools to establish an after-school homework centre to provide a supportive and supervised environment for students to do their homework before leaving school.
Duration of program
2021–2024
Eligibility
State schools
Allocation of funds
$8 million over 4 years (Election Commitment). This new initiative will see students provided with onsite, after-school supervision by teacher aides, and includes a resource grant for schools to support implementation.
Funding is provided to support the delivery of Homework Centre programs through:
- Wages—up to 3 teacher aides per Homework Centre will be funded for up to 3 hours per week (maximum 9 teacher aide hours per week) for 30 weeks per year, for up to 4 years.
- Resource funds—$210 per week per site for 30 weeks per year, for up to 4 years to enable the school to purchase healthy food and snacks for students, and other materials and resources to support the operation of the Homework Centres, for example, stationery, learning materials, and books.
It will be the responsibility of principals to manage Homework Centres, and teacher aides to supervise students.
The regions will be allocated a number of Homework Centres proportionate to the number of schools within a region as set out below.
| Central Queensland | 18 |
| Darling Downs South West | 20 |
| Far North Queensland | 11 |
| Metropolitan North/South | 22
|
| North Coast | 21 |
| North Queensland | 11 |
| South East | 16 |
| Total | 119
|
Regions will undertake an evaluation of the allocation of Homework Centres in March each year with subsequent changes to identified sites where applicable. Evaluation will include opportunities for schools to express interest if there are sites identified as not meeting the Homework Centre criteria or if a school community decides they no longer wish to host a Homework Centre.
The regional panels will include members such as:
- Principal representatives
- Regional representatives
- Union representatives
- P&Cs Queensland representative (where applicable).
Payment details
Data requirements
| Teacher aide wages | Salary schedule | As at end of May each year |
How to apply
For state schools to be able to nominate to host a Homework Centre, the following criteria will need to be addressed.
- Has the school reported a need to support students and families with after-school programs? Schools may identify need through analysis of the following
- availability of after-school care for students (that is, there is no OSHC service or limited spaces available)
- A-E reporting data
- numbers of students experiencing vulnerability, for example Australian Early Development Census data and Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) data
- numbers of students requiring additional support.
- Is there capacity for teacher aides to supervise students?
- Has the school considered the impact of a Homework Centre on an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), private tutoring or commercial service?
- Has the health, safety and wellbeing of students been considered through staff supervision arrangements and will all staff have first aid qualifications, access to first aid kits and have specialised medical/health training where required
- Is there a designated, safe, suitable and accessible location on the school site that is easily accessible for student sign-out and pick up?
Contact
Central Queensland
Phone: (07) 4842 8404
Darling Downs South West
Phone: (07) 4616 3771
Far North Queensland
Phone: (07) 4037 3994
Metropolitan North
Phone: (07) 3634 0500
Metropolitan South
Phone: (07) 3436 3200
North Coast
Phone: (07) 3203 9900
North Queensland
Phone: (07) 4758 3222
South East
Phone: (07) 5656 6688