Rejection hurts. How to help kids and teens bounce back when they’ve missed out
cottonbro studio/Pexels Rejection can sometimes be so intense it feels like physical pain – a punch in the guts or a heart that aches. It often involves feeling left out and not wanted. And it can make us question our self worth. At school, students may put themselves forward for a range of leadership positions […]
How can Year 7 and 8 students make the most of their electives?
SolStock/Getty Images Many students in years 7 and 8 begin choosing their own electives at school for the first time. These are typically subjects such as technology, arts, languages and music, that are taken alongside core units, including English, maths and science. The middle years of schooling (typically considered Years 6 to 9) are a […]
Victorian teachers are striking again. Money alone won’t get them back to school
On Thursday tens of thousands of Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff are walking off the job in a 24-hour statewide strike. This means schools will not be operating as usual and union members will gather for a protest march in Melbourne’s CBD. This is the latest escalation in a dispute with […]
NAPLAN results are coming home. Here’s what parents should keep in mind
JohnnyGreig/Getty Images Families of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are currently receiving their child’s 2026 NAPLAN results. The reports provide information about how students performed in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy tests held in March this year. For some families, the results will confirm what they already know about […]
New Zealand is cracking down on school attendance. Is it missing the bigger picture?
Marty Melville/Getty Images Each morning, thousands of parents across New Zealand make the same tricky judgement call: is their child well enough to go to school? There are now concerns this decision might become yet more difficult, as a government drive to lift attendance puts schools under greater pressure to address absenteeism. Under new targets, […]
Thinking of accelerating a Year 12 subject? Here’s what to consider
kelvinjay/Getty Images As term three rolls around, students in Years 9, 10 and 11 are starting to plan their subject pathways for their senior years. Some students may be considering acceleration in one or more Year 12 subjects. This means placing them into classes with older peers to allow them to study above their year […]
What boom in international students? The total number living in Australia is lower than before the pandemic
International students have become a flashpoint in immigration and education debates in recent years. Since international student numbers surged after the pandemic lockdowns, they have been blamed for housing pressures in some city areas. And universities have been accused of “cashing in” on the high fees they can charge students from overseas. Since late 2023, […]
‘It just got too hard’: how Year 12 subject cuts are affecting students’ access to uni
FatCamera/Getty Images This month the ABC reported student enrolments at a central Queensland public high school had fallen by 12.5% over a 15-month period. The school, which is also facing teacher shortages, has had to cut senior subjects as a result, meaning even more students are leaving to attend private schools in search of more […]
My kids and I are so fed up with each other as the holidays come to an end. How can we reset?
Oliver Rossi/ Getty Images I remember visiting a friend with three young boys at the end of a particularly busy school holiday period. Her youngest moped into the kitchen whining “Muuuuuuummmm”. My friend responded with a sharp, exasperated, “WHAT!?” I got it, I truly did. As a Mum of five I am a veteran of […]
Beyond $50k arts degrees: what has Job-ready Graduates done to postgrad study?
Igor Suka/ Getty Images Under the Morrison government’s Job-ready Graduates scheme, the price of arts degrees more than doubled to over A$50,000. But while attention has understandably been focused on undergraduate degrees, what has happened at the postgraduate level? In a new research paper we explore how the scheme slashed study costs for many postgraduate […]