Toy Story 5 pits traditional toys vs a tablet. In real life, families can combine the two
Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas this Thursday. The latest instalment of the film franchise addresses a dilemma many parents face: what happens to playtime when children become obsessed with screens? The original Toy Story movie was released in 1995. The generation of viewers who grew up with toys Woody, Buzz and Jessie […]
Worried about your child’s sleep? Keep screens out of bedrooms and limit iPads before bed
Kampus Production/Pexels Sleep can be one of the trickiest things for families with little kids. It’s not just important for parental sanity or a child’s grumpiness levels the next day. Sleep is crucial for brain development, especially in the early years. We also know getting enough sleep is important for learning and maintaining a healthy […]
We desperately need skilled workers. So why is vocational education treated as the ‘back-up plan’ for school leavers?
Design Pics/ Getty Images At the end of each school year, we see the same ritual play out. Year 12 results are released and newspapers publish league tables, ranking schools by their exam results. What you almost never see on the front page is a student who finished a vocational program and walked straight into […]
Should we ‘stream’ school students based on ability? New research suggests yes – but we need to be cautious
SolStock/ Getty Images Educators have long debated whether students should be “streamed” – or organised into different classes based on their academic performance. Is it better for students to be learning with students of a similar “ability”, or a mix? In Australia, most high schools stream students according to their ability, especially for maths. Streaming […]
Australian unis have dropped again in global rankings. Here’s why we can’t just shrug it off
More than half of Australia’s universities dropped in global rankings this week. Individual results always bounce around. But this drop, via the Centre for World University Rankings, suggests the decline of Australia’s standing in many global rankings systems is more than a blip. Centre for World University Rankings president Nadim Mahassen warned Australian universities are […]
How to encourage a child to try new, scary things (without traumatising them in the process)
Justin Paget/ Getty Images If your child has ever dug their heels in on the morning of the school athletics or cross country day, or refused to speak in front of the class, you’re not alone. For some children, these kinds of events bring a heavy, anxious feeling: what if I’m the slowest, what if […]
Almost 20% of Australian students don’t finish school – these 3 things can help them stay
Abstract Aerial Art/ Getty Images The latest data on Australian schooling shows about 81.5% of Year 10 students go on to Year 12. This is a modest rise of 1.6 percentage points on the previous year, but figures have been largely stable since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been decades of research […]
Only 37% of Year 10 students meet our national standards for digital skills
Frazao Studio Latino/ Getty Images The latest round of national testing has shown Australian school students’ skills around digital tools, such as computers and tablets, has dropped. This is despite students spending significant time online and on devices. What is the test and what is going on? A different kind of literacy The latest test […]
You don’t need an ATAR to go to uni. You can do an ‘enabling’ or ‘bridging’ course instead
Attila Csaszar/Getty Images In years gone by, school leavers had one main chance to get into university – by finishing their Year 12 exams with certain marks. Media coverage of Year 12 results perpetuates the idea everything hinges on your final exams. Every year it runs the same stories of star students with perfect ATARs […]
27% of Australian students now have an adjustment for disability at school. Why are we seeing this growth?
Peter Cade/Getty Images New data shows 27.2% of Australian students are receiving an adjustment for disability at school. This is up from 25.7% in 2024 and 18% in 2015. An educational adjustment helps students participate on the same basis as their peers without a disability. Adjustments can include a wide range of measures, such as […]