Research On The After-school Services In Australian Primary And Secondary Schools

With the rapid development of modern economy and society,more and more women entered the labor market,and dual-income families have become the main mode of modern families.During the time between the end of school and the end of parents’ work,many children do not receive safe and effective care and education,and children’s after-school care has been an educational challenge of widespread concern in the international community.In 2017,the Ministry of Education issued the policy document on after-school services to promote the full implementation of after-school services in primary and secondary schools.Although some provinces and cities have achieved some milestones,China’s after-school services are still in the infancy,lacking a well-established institutional system and management norms.Throughout the world,some developed countries have already implemented after-school services in the last century.In Australia,after decades of development,after-school services in primary and secondary schools have formed a relatively complete system and special educational programs.Focusing on the Australian after-school service and exploring its successful experience,which has certain significance for the promotion of after-school service in primary and secondary schools in China.This paper uses literature research,historical research and comparative research to arrange the history and current situation of the development of after-school services in Australia.This paper makes a profound study of implementation of after-school services in Australia,analyzes its characteristic experiences,and provides inspiration and reference for after-school services in China.The development history of Australian primary and secondary school after-school services is divided into four main stages: the beginning state;the initial stage;the standard stage and the quality improvement stage.After a multidimensional analysis of after-school services in primary and secondary schools in Australia,it is found that: the subjects of after-school services are diversified;the types of services are mainly formal and informal;the contents of services are rich and diverse;the service fees vary among different regions;the number of participants in services has increased;and the quality of services has been improving.After analyzing the implementation of after-school services in primary and secondary schools in Australia,it is found that the Australian government has taken the following measures to continuously improve the implementation system of after-school services: defining visions and goals,establishing legislative protection,providing financial support,specifying quality requirements,strengthening supervision and evaluation,and nurturing teacher teams.Through the above analysis,the characteristics of Australian primary and secondary school after-school services are summarized: establishing a national quality framework to promote consistency in service implementation;increasing financial investment and forming diversified funding channels;returning to the child’s orientation and focusing on disadvantaged groups of children;establishing stable relationships with schools and attracting the participation of other subjects;providing professional development opportunities and improving the quality of teachers.Combining the real situation and problems of after-school services in China,the revelations from Australia’s after-school services include: improving the construction of legal system for after-school services;exploring diversified funding channels for after-school services;constructing a multi-body collaborative and cooperative governance system;and establishing a flexible and professional teaching force for after-school services.