About this organisation
Summary of activities
At Big Picture Education Australia (BPEA) we are not just thinking about re-designing the way we do education for young people, we are actively doing it in over 40 schools around Australia. Along with our international partners from countries including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Israel, India and China, we are implementing one of the world s leading designs for transforming education to suit modern learners. Founded in 2006, Big Picture Education Australia is a non-profit company that aims to stimulate vital changes to Australian education by starting personalised and successful schools. Our philosophy is One student at a time in a community of learners . Customisation is at the heart of many recent changes to our society and economy so why not education too? The Big Picture design for learning is based on research that shows that we learn best when we are personally motivated. Putting students at the centre of decisions around what, how and when they learn is the key to nurturing the next generations of engaged, independent learners. While each student is unique with their own set of passions and capabilities, they are not alone. They are supported by a network of peers, advisory teachers, expert mentors and family. We prepare students for opportunities beyond school with an emphasis on relevance and real-world learning. Our students combine academic work with real-world internships, use their head, heart and hands to explore their world and plan their own pathways to future employment, study or enterprise. At BPEA: We are making things happen We are creating Big Picture schools and academies We are sharing our research, resources, programs and tools We are training teachers We are measuring our success We are forging partnerships We are negotiating new pathways with universities We are collaborating with other not-for-profit companies around innovation, supporting and advocating We are advocating with governments We are working with education departments and curriculum authorities.
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Outcomes
Outcomes are self-reported by charities
Programs and activities
Name: Graduation Portfolio Entry to University Program
Classification: Education (Education)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Name: Learner Profile for students Program
URL: https://www.bigpicture.org.au/news/secondary-pathways-big-picture-leads-learner-profile
Classification: Education (Education)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Name: Exploring the Big Picture Design in Remote Aboriginal Communities
URL: https://www.bigpicture.org.au/file/ngaanyatjarra-lands-what-big-picture-design
Classification: Education (Education)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Children - aged 6 to under 15
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Name: Develop and Deliver the IBPLC (International Big Picture Learning Credential) around Australia
URL: https://www.bigpicture.org.au/what-international-big-picture-learning-credential
Classification: Secondary education (Education > Primary and secondary education > Secondary education)
Beneficiaries:- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Financially disadvantaged people
- People at risk of homelessness/ people experiencing homelessness
- People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background (or people from a CALD background)
- People in rural/regional/remote communities
- People with disabilities
- Youth - 15 to under 25
Finances
What is this?
This graph shows how much revenue (money in) and expenses (money out) the charity has had each year over the last few years. Charities have many sources of revenue, such as donations, government grants, and services they sell to the public. Similarly, expenses are everything that allows the charity to run, from paying staff to rent.
What should I be looking for?
First off, this graph gives a general indication of how big the charity is - charities range in size from tiny (budgets of less than $100,000) to enormous (budgets more than $100 million). You're also looking for variability - if the charity's revenue and expenses are jumping up and down from year to year, make sure there's a good reason for it.
Unlike companies, charities and not-for-profits aren't on a mission to make money. However, if they spend more than they receive, eventually they will go into too much debt and run into trouble. As a very general rule, you want revenue to be slightly above expenses. If expenses is reliably above revenue, the charity is losing money. If revenue is much larger than expenses, it means the charity might not be using its resources effectively. It isn't always that simple, however, and there's a lot of reasons a charity might not follow this pattern. They might be saving up for a big purchase or campaign, or they might have made a big one-off payment. If you're worried, always look at the annual and financial reports to understand why the charity is making the decisions it is.
What is this?
If a charity receives more money than it spends, that's a surplus (in business, it would be called profit). If it spends more than it receives, that's a deficit. This chart shows surpluses and deficits for the charity over the last few years.
What should I be looking for?
Unlike companies, charities and not-for-profits aren't on a mission to make money. However, if they spend more than they receive, eventually they will go into too much debt and run into trouble. As a very general rule, you want a charity to make a small surplus on average. A deficit means that charity lost money that year, which may indicate poor financial management or just a series of bad circumstances. If the charity always has a huge surplus, it means the charity might not be using its resources effectively. It isn't always that simple, however, and there's a lot of reasons a charity might not follow this pattern. They might be saving up for a big purchase or campaign, or they might have made a big one-off payment. If you're worried, always look at the annual and financial reports to understand why the charity is making the decisions it is.
What is this?
This chart compares the amount the charity receives from various sources, including donations (i.e. money given by the general public or philanthropy), goods and services, government grants, and other sources.
What should I be looking for?
Donations are an important source of revenue for some charities. Others rely more heavily on government funding, or on revenue from other sources. This is an indication of how much they need donors to accomplish their mission. Note that there is no 'good' or 'bad' amount of donations for a charity to have. It might be interesting to look at values over time - are they going up or down? A charity that gets less donations every year may be in trouble.
What is this?
Assets are things that the charity owns that are worth something. This could be anything from a car to investments. Similarly, liabilities are debts or obligations that the charity owes to someone else, like a loan or an agreement to pay for something.
What should I be looking for?
Firstly, in general a charity should have more assets than liabilities. If it doesn't, it implies that the charity might not be able to pay its debts, and you should look very closely at the charity's annual and financial reports to make sure they are taking steps to remedy this. Current assets should generally be above current liabilities - that means the charity can easily pay off the debts that are coming due soon. Beyond that, look for a large stockpile of assets. While a charity should have enough assets to keep it afloat in hard times (a 'buffer') if that stockpile gets too large the charity could be using that money more effectively. As always, if you have concerns check the annual and financial reports.
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