Kelly-Ann Allen looks at the special place schools have in the process of belonging. Every March, in every corner of Australia, schools, workplaces and communities gather in various ways to celebrate Harmony Week*, and whether it’s through shared food, music, songs or stories, this is a...
Early literacy doesn’t always equal an easy path at school, as Judith Ware’s son found to his detriment. No-one could have been prouder than I was when my son began to recognise his alphabet. I took it for granted, this being my first child, that this...
Learning grammar is just as important as it always was but the way we teach it has changed, writes John Munro Many students returning to school this year face a renewed focus on grammar. Just before Christmas, the NSW curriculum was overhauled to include the “explicit...
Educators Graham Parr, Fleur Diamond, Anne Keary and Kylie Bradfield look for some answers The recent report by the Australian Educational Research Organisation (AERO), Writing development: What does a decade of NAPLAN data reveal? , has caused quite a stir in Australian news...
Australian schools are starting to provide food, but we need to think carefully before we ‘ditch the lunchbox’, report Brittany Johnson, Alexandra Manson and Rebecca Golley State Liberal leader Matthew Guy has promised a trial to provide free lunches in Victorian public schools if elected...
There are ways to level the playing field reports Johanna Reidy This year’s perennial back-to-school uniform discussion happens during a cost of living crisis. And we already know that the upfront and maintenance costs of school uniforms are a stress for families on lower incomes, in...
‘There’s a lot of places where you can’t be seen’. Social worker Ben Arnold Lohmeyer looks at when and where bullying can happen. Content warning: this article contains explicit language. School bullying is a huge and distressing problem. In 2015, 43% of Australian year 8 students experienced...
A push to raise the school starting age to 6 sounds like good news for parents, write Amanda Niland and Marianne Fenech. But there’s a catch The decision about whether to send a child to school “early” or “hold them back” can be a tortuous one...
Every year we have the opportunity to review and remind ourselves of what is needed to prepare for the start of the new school year. Some great articles from our archives will cover most of what you need to review! Firstly, is your child ready to...
Here's how you can help, writes Mandie Shean Starting school is an important event for children and a positive experience can set the tone for the rest of their school experience. Some children are excited to attend school for the first time, yet others feel anxious. Back...
