Australia’s education system is on the cusp of major changes, with the federal and state governments agreeing to a raft of reforms aimed at making schools fairer, better funded, and more effective.
At the recent Education Ministers Meeting, Education Ministers agreed on the next steps, unveiling plans to create a new Australian Teaching and Learning Commission, overhaul the maths curriculum in the first three years of school, and update national teacher standards for the first time in 15 years.
The Federal Education proposed Teaching and Learning Commission will see ACARA, AITSL, AERO and Education Services Australia merged with the goal of creating stronger links between curriculum design, teacher development, research and classroom practice.
A working group will present a detailed plan in February following consultation with teachers, school leaders, First Nations representatives and unions.
The Australian Primary Principals Association President, Angela Falkenberg, says she and her members are especially cautious about whether structural change alone will address the complex challenges facing schools and, in particular, principals.
Falkenberg said three areas – curriculum, assessment, and valuing the profession – must be prioritised if the Commission is to make a real difference.
“We have consistently called for a curriculum that is coherent, age-appropriate, and achievable within the time available,” Falkenberg told The Educator. “This is not about endless curriculum debates, but about trusting teachers, skilled, credentialled professionals, to design learning that engages students and meets their needs.”
The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) President, Andy Mison, said while he has reservations about ACARA being absorbed into one behemoth agency, it could streamline critical support for schools.
“If the intent is genuine, and the design process collaborative and effective we could build on what is working in the national architecture, remove what isn’t working, and consider what might be improved,” Mison told The Educator.
“Provided our school leaders’ and teachers’ professional standing is respected and supported to take a central role in this Commission, I view it as another opportunity to focus our collective efforts on building the best system we can for our kids.”
Early maths under the microscope
Ministers also signed off on a targeted review of the maths curriculum for Foundation to Year 2, after teachers reported challenges with the current approach.
Earlier this year, a report by the Grattan Institute found that underprepared primary school teachers, ineffective teaching methods, and deepening inequities are leaving too many students without the strong foundations they need to succeed in school and life.
The study found that maths has “taken a backseat in Australian education” due to “procrastination” from governments to rule out “faddish but unproven maths teaching methods”.
Experts from ACARA say early maths is “highly cumulative” – meaning if students miss the basics, it’s hard to catch up later.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare called it “the next big step in school reform.”
“A basic grasp of maths is critical. The evidence is really clear. If you get maths, it helps to set you up for success. It’s critical for life and work, and helps in making better decisions and boosting productivity,” Clare said in a statement.
Clare said it’s critical that young people understand the basics of maths early in life.
“If you don’t get the basics right at the start, you can’t build on it,” he said. “The first three years of school are crucial for reading and maths. Every moment counts.”
Clare pointed to the importance of how maths is taught in classrooms.
“It is cumulative. You learn it step by step,” he said. “A number of principals and teachers have told us the current maths curriculum is too complex, while others have told us teachers need more support to implement the curriculum, with clear advice on what to teach in what order.”
Clare said this was the reasoning for bringing forward work on the current maths curriculum for the start of school and creating better materials to help teachers.
Revamping teacher standards
The final reform area at the Education Ministers Meeting focused on the national professional standards for teachers, which haven’t been updated since 2011.
A study led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has cast doubt on the credibility of the term “classroom ready” — a label increasingly used in education policy circles to assess graduate teachers.
Associate Professor Rebecca Spooner-Lane, the study’s lead author, said that as policymakers grapple with how to stem the exodus from the classroom, there must be a broader, more realistic definition of teacher preparation — one that values not just instructional know-how but also the resilience, adaptability, and human connection that define great teaching.
“To address the unrealistic expectation placed upon new teachers to be “classroom ready” from their first day, education systems and policymakers must adopt a more supportive approach to initial teacher education and early career development,” Associate Professor Spooner-Lane told The Educator.
“It is increasingly the case that new teachers are being sent into schools that are short-staffed and where experienced teachers are feeling burnt out. It is not realistic to expect that new teachers are ‘ready’ for a workplace that experienced teachers are finding so challenging.”
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has been tasked with scoping a full review of the national professional standards for teachers and will report back to ministers in February 2026.
The move follows last year’s Teacher Workforce Roundtable, which highlighted the need for clearer expectations, stronger career pathways and modern professional benchmarks that reflect today’s classroom realities.
“We need standards that reflect what’s going on in the classroom today, that back in teachers and support great teaching,” Clare said.