Submission in response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education Inquiry into the factors driving educational attainment

This submission has been prepared by Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Matt Tyler and Silke Meyer. Drawing on our extensive research, policy and practice expertise, this submission focuses on the impact of experiences of childhood victimisation on educational attainment. The prevalence of child victimisation in Australia means that educational attainment cannot be understood solely through the lens of curriculum, teaching quality, school capacity or individual student capability. A substantial proportion of Australian children are attempting to learn and to attend school while experiencing violence, abuse, neglect or coercive control in their homes and in their young dating relationships. These experiences fundamentally shape school readiness, attendance, engagement, concentration, behaviour, retention and transitions into further education and employment. Our submission sets out why the Inquiry’s examination of the factors driving educational attainment must recognise childhood victimisation as a significant, yet often overlooked, determinant of educational outcomes. Understanding child victimisation as a significant determinant of educational engagement reframes the challenge facing Australian schools. Rather than asking why some children fail to engage with education, there is a need to ask how experiences of violence shape children's capacity to participate and what educational systems can do to mitigate these impacts.