School phone ban one year on: our student survey reveals mixed feelings about its success

DavideAngelini/Shutterstock One year after the government banned cellphones from schools to help students focus and reduce distractions in class, we’re beginning to see how it has been implemented and how

‘It is a seriously difficult role and only getting harder’: school principals speak about stress, violence and abuse in their jobs

Isuzek/Getty Images School principals around Australia are responsible for about 4.5 million staff and students in almost 10,000 schools. Not only do they oversee students’ progress, but they are also

How can I tell if my child is too sick to go to school?

Chay_Tay/Shutterstock As a GP and mum to two boys I have many experiences of trying to navigate the school morning when my boys aren’t feeling well. It always seems to

National standards by stealth? Why the government’s latest plan for schools might fail the history test

smolaw/Shutterstock The New Zealand government’s plan to purchase a standardised tool to assess reading, writing and mathematics for school children between Year 3 and 10 has caught parents, schools and

4 key changes you may have missed in the new school funding agreement

Queensland and the federal government have reached an agreement on school funding. This means all Australian states and territories are now signed up to new arrangements, which officially began at

How can you tell if your child’s daycare is good quality?

PhotoMavenStock/Shutterstock This week, we heard claims of shocking abuse and neglect in Australian childcare centres on ABC’s Four Corners program. While 91% of services met or exceeded the national standards

If your tween or teen doesn’t know how to swim, it’s not too late for lessons

Marcos Castillo/ Shutterstock New figures show shocking numbers of Australian kids are not achieving basic swimming skills. Royal Life Saving Australia data estimates 48% of Year 6 students cannot swim

Amid claims of abuse, neglect and poor standards, what is going wrong with childcare in Australia?

On Monday, an ABC’s Four Corners investigation reported shocking cases of abuse and neglect in Australian childcare centres. This included examples of children being sexually abused, restrained for hours in

Trump is surveying Australian academics about gender diversity and China – what does this mean for unis and their research?

Shortly after taking office, US President Donald Trump issued executive orders banning federal funding on so-called “woke” research. This is part of his broader ban on all diversity, equity and

Language is a ‘central element in being Māori’ – using structured literacy to teach te reo misses the point

Laiotz/Shutterstock Since the start of this year, all New Zealand schools have been required to use structured literacy to teach reading and writing – including the country’s 310 primary and