Writing needs to be taught and practised. Australian schools are dropping the focus too early, report Claire Wyatt-Smith and Christine Jennifer Jackson The recently released report of the NAPLAN review — commissioned by the New South Wales, Queensland, Victorian and Australian Capital Territory education ministers —...
Yes, there's money in the budget for school chaplains. But that doesn't mean your child will be preached to writes Mandie Shean The 2020-21 budget has continued funding for the National School Chaplaincy Program that received A$247 million over four years in the 2018-19 budget. According to...
After many years of observing boys naturally gravitating towards digging, fossicking, climbing and collecting, an inspiring natural playground was constructed for the boys of Sydney Grammar School St Ives Preparatory. Broadly speaking, as families have become busier, children have become less active, distracted by the allure...
Recntly, the World Health Organisation made an announcement you might have missed, reports Zoë Hyde. It recommended children aged 12 years and older should wear masks, and that masks should be considered for those aged 6-11 years. The German Society for Virology went further, recommending...
Australia is considered one of the most multicultural countries in the world, writes Renee Crawford. That's why governments must recognise the importance of an arts-based education However, as globalisation becomes the norm, and we begin to welcome people from countries with vastly different backgrounds, experiences, ideologies,...
Music education isn’t a luxury, writes Leon R de Bruin. It can enhance general learning in many ways. Learning music can increase thinking skills, enrich strategies for learning and creativity, and enhance connections across subjects. We keep discovering more reasons to foreground music education in our...
It’s time to put belonging and connection first on the agenda for Melbourne’s school students. Year 3 to Year 10 students have been learning at home for most of the year, and have now been put last on the list of students to return to “normal”...
“Is my child ready for school?” It’s a question many parents ask as their child reaches the age of four or five. The first five years of a child’s life is crucial in the development of their social and emotional skills, as well as their communication, language,...
As a community we need proactive, positive strategies to reduce youth self-harm and suicide, writes Sarah Stanford. Suicide and self-harm remain taboo topics in schools, despite the fact youth suicide has reached a ten year high. Recent statistics show around eight children and young people die by...
