Next year, 101,000 Year 1-8 students and their teachers will gain from the expertise and assistance of a Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) in their school.
Starting from Term 1, 461 schools will receive a new LSC staffing entitlement as part of the government’s $192 million Budget 2025 investment, guaranteeing that all primary and intermediate schools will have access to a Learning Support Coordinator within the next three years.
Learning Support Coordinators offer direct support within schools, working with neurodiverse students and those with extra learning needs. They also help schools and families access additional specialist support when needed.
“We want every child to reach their full potential, and this transformational investment will help that. It will allow schools to identify and respond to student needs sooner by bringing dedicated learning support into schools earlier and closer to those who need it most,” Education Minister Erica Stanford said.
“A dedicated staff member who can screen for common neurodiverse needs like dyslexia and put strategies in place will give teachers more time to focus on what they do next, quality teaching in the classroom.”
By 2026, every region will have 60% coverage, increasing to 80% in 2027 and reaching full 100% access by 2028.
Altogether, nearly 300,000 students across 1,131 schools will benefit. The phased implementation is designed to reach the largest number of students as quickly as possible.
“We’re removing inequity and inconsistency, and we’re being flexible for our rural and smaller schools who struggle to fully staff their classrooms,” Stanford said.
“We are making the single largest investment in learning support in a generation—a transformational, system-wide reform that delivers a coherent, multi-tiered, evidence-informed approach to meeting the needs of our students.”