Various government programs and initiatives support the development of literacy and numeracy skills, including additional support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
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Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are an annual competition run by the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society. The Australian Government contributes through a grant agreement totalling $290,000 from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The competition gives teachers and families a tool to encourage school-aged students to write and engage with poetry in alignment with the Literacy strand of the Australian Curriculum: English. The Awards feature several categories for students of different ages and backgrounds, with prizes for winners and runners-up in each category. The competition is typically open for entries from March to June with the award recipients announced in September.
More information is available at the website of the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society.
Local Literacy and Numeracy activities 2018-19
The Australian Government recognises that literacy and numeracy skills are critical for student success in school and adult life and is committed to the improvement of literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students. In 2018, instead of supporting National Literacy and Numeracy Week, the Government has engaged The Smith Family to expand through libraries the national reach of two existing literacy and numeracy programs, Let's Read and Let's Count. For further information about these programs, please visit The Smith Family website.
Good to Great Schools Australia Pilot Program
The Good to Great Schools Australia Pilot Program aims to support primary schools in the use of Explicit Instruction to improve the literacy, numeracy and science outcomes of students and increase teacher pedagogical skills.