STUDENT BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS FORM 2021

As part of the new National Goals for Schooling we are required to provide the Australian Government with the background information on the candidates sitting these standardised tests.  This is to enable nationally comparable reporting of students’ outcomes against the National goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century.
 

As part of this process we need to collect further information on students’ indigenous status, socioeconomic and language background.  Some of the required data involves collecting information about background of the students’ parents or guardians.

 

All data provided to the Government will be in the form of statistics and codes.  Individual students and their families will only be identified by a student number and school code number.

 

4. Does the student or his mother/guardian or his father/guardian speak a language other than English at home? (If more than one language, indicate the one that is spoken most often)

5(a) What is the highest year of primary or secondary school the parents/guardians have completed? (For persons who have never attended school, mark Year 9 or equivalent or below)

What is the highest qualification the parents/guardians have completed?

List of parental Occupation Groups (for question 6)
 

Group 1: Senior management in large business organisation, government Administration and defence, and qualified professionals

Senior executive/manager/department head in industry, commerce, media or other large organisation.

Public service manager (school principal, faculty head/dean, library/museum/gallery director, research facility director)

Defence Forces Commissioned Officer

Professionals generally have degree or higher qualifications and experience in applying this knowledge to design, develop or operate complex systems; identify, treat and advise on problems; and teach others.

Health, Education, Law, Social Welfare, Engineering, Science, Computing professional

Business (management consultant, business analyst, account, auditor, policy analyst, actuary, valuer)

Air/sea transport (aircraft/ship’s captain/officer pilot, flight officer, flying instructor, air traffic controller)

 
Group 2: Other business managers, arts/media/sportspersons and associated professionals

Owner/manager of farm, construction, import/export, wholesale, manufacturing, transport, real estate business

Specialist manager (finance/engineering/production/personnel/industrial relations / sales / marketing)

Financial services manager (bank branch manager, finance/investment/insurance broker, credit/loans officer)

Retail sales/service manager (shop, petrol station, restaurant, club hotel/motel, cinema, theatre, agency)

Arts/media/sports (musician, actor, dancer, painter, potter, sculptor, journalist, author, media presenter, photographer, designer, illustrator, proof reader, sportsman/woman, coach trainer, sports official)

Associate professionals generally have diploma/technical qualifications and support managers and professionals.

Health, Education, Law, Social Welfare, Engineering, Science, Computing technician/associate professional.

Business/administration (recruitment/employment/industrial relations/training officer, marketing / advertising specialist, market research analyst, technical sales representative, retails buyer, officer/project manager.

Defence Forces senior Non-Commissioned Officer.

 
Group 3: Tradesman/woman, clerks and skilled office, and service staff

Tradesmen/woman generally have completed a 4 year trade certificate, usually by apprenticeship.

All tradesmen/women are included in this group.

Clerks (bookkeeper, bank/PO clerk, statistical/actuarial clerk, accounting/claims/audit clerk, payroll clerk, recording/registry/filing clerk, betting clerk, stores/inventory clerk, purchasing/order clerk, freight/transport/shipping clerk, bond clerk, customs agent, customer services clerk, admissions clerk).

Skilled office, sales and service staff

Office     (secretary, personal assistant, desktop publisher operator, switchboard operator)

Sales       (company sales representative, auctioneer, insurance agent/assessor/loss adjuster, market researcher)

Service   (aged/disabled/refuge/child care worker, nanny, meter reader, parking inspector, postal worker, Courier, travel agent, tour guide, flight attendant, fitness instructor, casino dealer/supervisor)

 
Group 4: Machine operators, hospitality staff, assistants, labourers and related workers

Drivers, mobile plant, production/processing machinery and other machinery operators.

Hospitality staff (hotel service supervisor, receptionist, waiter, bar attendant, kitchen hand, porter housekeeper)

Office assistants, sales assistants and other assistants

Office     (typist, word processing/data entry/business machine operator, receptionist, office assistant)

Sales       (sales assistant, motor vechicle/caravan/parts salesperson, checkout operator, cashier, bus/train conductor,  ticket seller, service station attendant, car rental desk staff, street vendor, telemarketer, Shelf stacker)

Assistant/aide (trades’ assistant, school/teacher’s aide, dental assistant, animal attendant)

Labourers and related workers

Defence Forces ranks below senior NCO not included above.

Agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishing, mining worker (farm overseer, shearer, wool/hide classer farm hand, horse trainer, nurseryman, greenkeeper, gardener, tree surgeon, forestry/logging worker miner seafarer/fishing hand.)

Other Worker (labourer, factory hand, storeman, guar, cleaner, caretaker, laundry worker, trolley collector, car park attendant, crossing supervisor).

 
 

Group 8: If a person has not been in paid work in the last 12 months