The Department of Education is delivering Queensland's future—in early childhood, education and the arts.
At the core of our commitment is our dedication to delivering quality teaching, improving educational outcomes, and fostering belonging and engagement—because every student, regardless of their background or circumstances, deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.
In 2025–26, we launched the Brighter futures: Delivering excellence in every state school, for every student strategy, outlining the vital role state schools play in Queensland communities and the collective actions we are taking to enhance outcomes and foster excellence in every school. With robust monitoring in place, we are ensuring that our efforts are achieving meaningful results and identifying areas for further improvement.
Strong foundations in literacy and numeracy are critical to student success. In 2025–26, we introduced the Year 1 Phonics Check as a universal screening tool and trialled the Early Years Number Screener to identify academic risks early and help students build a solid foundation in the basics. These initiatives are equipping students with the skills they need to excel in their educational journey.
We also made significant progress in reducing administrative burdens on teachers. Through our Red tape reduction plan 2025–28, we have set a clear goal to reduce red tape and administrative burden on teachers by 25% over the next 4 years. This plan prioritises initiatives that deliver the greatest benefits for teachers and school leaders, allowing them to focus on what matters most—engaging with students and delivering high-quality teaching and learning experiences.
Our passionate school leaders, teachers, teacher aides and support staff are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of our future generations, and we are committed to supporting them. In 2025–26, we employed more teachers, teacher aides and frontline support staff, such as Workplace Health and Safety Coordinators, to bring specialist expertise to key areas.
We also introduced the Teacher Recruitment Service to deliver consistent and efficient recruitment outcomes aligned with local priorities and continued to deliver professional development opportunities that strengthened our workforce. These efforts are ensuring our workforce is equipped to support their local school communities, allowing teachers to focus on teaching and supporting all staff to drive continuous improvement across the system.
Supporting positive student behaviour and tackling bullying remained a key focus in 2025–26. The Behaviour Boost initiative provided schools with additional resources to implement effective behaviour management strategies, alongside on-demand professional learning for staff and the establishment of rapid support teams to deliver tailored, evidence-based interventions.
As we prepare students for a brighter future, we are also investing in the tools and infrastructure needed to support innovative teaching and learning. Upgraded IT infrastructure and increased internet speeds are enabling access to emerging technologies, while modern, well-designed classrooms and learning spaces are helping students thrive.
A strong start in early childhood education is critical to lifelong success. Through our free kindy initiative, more than 64,000 children accessed high-quality early learning in 2025–26, providing them with the skills and confidence to succeed in school and beyond. Free kindy is further supported by collaborative interdepartmental programs like Healthy Kindy Kids, which is led by Queensland Health in partnership with the Department of Education, and focuses on early intervention and prevention to address potential challenges before they impact formal education.
The safety and wellbeing of children remain at the heart of everything we do. In 2025–26, we partnered with the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority to deliver child safety training, further strengthening protections for our youngest learners. We also continued to lead the national response to the review of child safety arrangements, ensuring Queensland remains at the forefront of safeguarding children.
We also continued to invest in our early childhood workforce, providing targeted funding to attract, retain and develop educators. This investment included specialist positive behaviour guidance coaches through the Positive Behaviour Guidance Program, scholarships through the Qualifications Pathways Program and financial support for students through the Early Childhood Practicum Grant.
In addition to our work in education, we are proud to support Queensland's thriving arts and culture sector. The launch of Queensland's Time to Shine: a 10-Year Strategy for Arts and Culture 2025–2035 will guide the future of the creative arts sector, foster a vibrant statewide arts scene and deliver benefits to communities across Queensland.
Our achievements this year would not have been possible without the commitment of our early childhood educators, school leaders, teachers and support staff, and corporate and regional staff. I am deeply grateful for their tireless dedication to creating an education system that opens doors to brighter futures for our students, and where the arts continue to inspire and drive Queensland's creative industries.
Together, we are building a brighter future for Queensland.
Sharon Schimming
Director-General