Elvira Kalenjuk reports that recent data from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) shows that many Year 9 students are writing at standards well below expected levels. Several commentators have attributed low writing achievement to illness and high rates of absenteeism because of the pandemic,...
Randa Abdel-Fattah demystifies the values and practices of Australia’s Islamic schools, of which she was a pioneering student. I graduated from St Clement of Rome Primary School in Melbourne in 1990. I was one of a small number of Muslim students, but my parents didn’t feel...
Do they get it? Asks Rachael Sharman. And where’s the line? We all lie to our kids. Some lies – telling them their artwork is wonderful, or that Wiggles band-aids are infused with anaesthetic – benefit the child. Others are just a bit of fun. Shutterstock Take the...
Lisa Lintern’s feels buoyant as she watches her son overcome his fears at the pool. Let’s be honest; we all secretly want our children to be ‘best’ at something. It’s a natural urge even the most level headed of us fights to suppress. Why else did I...
The proportion of children who are obese and overweight in Australia has plateaued, writes Tim Olds, but we should be wary of the latest Health and Wellbeing report Rising life expectancy is one of the great success stories. If you were born in 1870, you’d expect...
Josephine Barbaro and Marie Camin suggest the earlier the better With better awareness and acceptance, approximately one out of every 50 children is receiving an autism diagnosis. More and more families are deciding when to share this information with their child. Some parents worry that doing...
Katrina Hartley’s daughter, who was born with spina bifida, made a successful transition to school. My daughter Hanna was born 7 years ago. While most parents agree that tiredness is a part of parenting, my husband, Bruce, and I are truly exhausted as Hanna was born...
Mandie Shean gives advice on what parents can do about it. Bullying is unfortunately a common problem in Australian schools, with surveys suggesting one in five teenagers are bullied. While schools are responsible for ensuring a safe environment, parents are likely to be distressed and unsure about...
Kris Bordessa’s sons have a tendency towards truncation in their communication The bright, bold colours of billboards and street signs intrigued my oldest son, Brad, long before he could read. “What does that say, Mum?” he’d ask from the back seat as we whizzed down the...
– and a place for kids to escape their mollycoddling parents, writes Sanné Mestrom Imagine this: a heap of colourful plastic buckets stacked on top of each other to form a climbable bridge, monolithic bluestone boulders holding up a contorted slide, a pile of concrete demolition...
