Sarah Jameson faces the first major challenge of her son’s school year: coming up with a costume for ‘colonial’ day. Our first child started school this year, and it has been the most wonderful experience. The first hurdle, however, presented itself on Tuesday in the form...
Reluctance turns to relief when Andrew Bartholomew finds that helping at his daughter’s school is actually quite enjoyable. “Don’t we pay fees?” I demanded. “We pay fees, go to meetings – I even do the occasional Saturday morning working bee!” My wife had just told me the...
School bullying is depressingly common, writes Andrew Trounson, but having a group of friends, not just a single “bestie”, may bolster a child’s resilience. Surviving school bullies may be a numbers game. Having a group of friends to rely on rather than a single “best” friend appears...
Recently, writes Sally Larsen, Australia woke up to a barrage of reports about the latest NAPLAN results. Media coverage described an “epic fail”, “plummeting” performances and a “bleak picture”. Education experts spoke of “grim reading”, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the results “alarming”. But many of these...
The federal government has only ‘noted’ a call to end special schools, reports Linda J. Graham. What does this mean for students with a disability? We have just received the long-awaited response from the Australian government to the disability royal commission’s final report. One of the most...
Recent debates suggest yes, but students and schools are much more complex, report Jane Louise Hunter and Don Carter. New South Wales has just announced a curriculum “shake-up” for primary schools to start in 2027. Along with new content about the human body, consent, and screen time,...
What does this mean for their privacy? Ask researchers Karley Beckman and Tiffani Apps If you search most primary or high school websites, you will likely find images of happy, smiling children. Student images are also used publicly for school newsletters, social media accounts and other school...
Will all states agree to sign on? asks Glenn C. Savage The Albanese Federal government has released details of the next funding agreement for Australian schools. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is a new ten-year agreement that will have significant power to shape what happens in...
What happens when you pay Year 7 students to do better on NAPLAN? Jayanta Sarkar and Dipanwita Sarkar found out. Next month, we are expecting the results from the annual NAPLAN tests, which students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat earlier this year. Each year,...
Rauno Parrila, Anne Castles, and Saskia Kohnen explain what these terms mean, what they involve, and what you can do at home. Victoria has just announced that all government schools will be required to use phonics to teach reading from next year. This brings it in line...
