The educational system in Australia today is

radically different from the school systems of

the past. As Mark Porter (2010), Chairman of

the Independent schools Council of Australia

writes:

The expanding role of the federal government in

school education and the sustained growth of the

independent sector are major developments which

have influenced the nature of schooling in this

country. (p. 2)

The rise of the independent sector has given

parents choice when it comes to selecting a

school for their children. This increase in choice

has been accompanied by a change of focus in

Australian education. There has been a move in

two major policy directions, marketisation and

school performance. Both of these policies can

be seen through a lens of competition, choice,

the increasing emphasis on accountability, value

adding to the curriculum through the addition

of extra curricular activities, and the move to

make the consumers of education bear the costs

(English, 2009).