Building a Continuity of Learning Framework: What is it and why does it matter?

While continuous engagement in quality education is known to significantly impact on life opportunities for young people, learners continue to slip through the cracks and can become disengaged with education. In vulnerable communities, this lack of continuity of learning has a profound impact on learners’ pathways and their future employment choices. This paper reports on an extensive 3-year project undertaken in Australia, in collaboration with the Northern Territory government, to design a Continuity of Learning Framework from Birth-Year 12. This paper will share the framework, its core and enabling dimensions that are intended to support a learner’s engaged and connected learning experience. The presentation also shares the audit tools and templates that assist early childhood, school leaders and teachers to plan for and assess the consistency of a child’s coherent learning journey from birth through to year 12. The paper will also discuss the scope and scale of the research, and the ways in which the Framework was iteratively designed across the NT through a situational analysis and collaborative focus groups and through the alignment of the research to the current policy and practice of the NT government. Drawing on case studies from the pilot undertaken in 2022, the paper will share the broader impact of the Framework and this research on early childhood and school leadership, teacher practice and community and learner engagement