ACT Government Mandates Multi-Tiered System of Supports in Public Schools

In April 2026 the ACT Government updated the Learning and Teaching Policy for Public Schools to mandate a Multi-Tiered System of Supports. The change requires every public school in Canberra to prepare for full implementation in 2027. The stated purpose is to address learning gaps in reading and mathematics.

A separate review found that schools had been operating like independent small businesses and faced ongoing funding pressures. The government accepted 18 of the 25 recommendations that emerged from that review. The accepted recommendations are intended to replace the previous model with a unified and coordinated public education system.

Changes to school operations

The review described the shift as a generational change in how public education is organised across the ACT. Under the new approach, individual schools will no longer set their own directions in isolation. Instead they will work within a single framework that applies the same support structures for students experiencing difficulties in reading or mathematics.

Parents in Canberra will see the effects through the way schools identify and respond to learning needs. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports requires schools to use consistent screening and intervention processes rather than varying approaches from one school to the next.

Timeline and next steps

Changes to the Education Act 2004 that took effect from 1 January 2025 already altered some enrolment and participation requirements for families. The MTSS mandate builds on that legislative base by setting a clear implementation date of 2027 for the new support model. The government has stated that schools will use the period between April 2026 and 2027 to prepare staffing and resources for the coordinated system.

ACT public schools will therefore move from a decentralised arrangement to one in which the same tiered supports for reading and mathematics are available regardless of which suburb a family lives in. The accepted recommendations are expected to guide how funding and professional development are allocated during the transition.