Australia has ministers for seniors and youth. So why not a minister for children?
Natalia Lebedinskaia/ Getty Images Child safety and wellbeing is never far from the headlines, and no more so than recently, with shocking allegations of child sexual abuse in childcare centres. These revelations have sparked much-needed national conversations about how we can better protect children. They have also exposed how fragmented and reactive Australia’s approach to […]
Queensland teachers are striking. It’s not just about money – they are asking for a profession worth staying in
Queensland’s public school teachers will walk off the job on Wednesday in their first statewide strike in 16 years. The state’s teaching union has asked parents to keep their primary and high school children home for the day. While some media reports have framed this as a pay dispute, teachers insist this is about unsafe […]
NCEA isn’t perfect but NZ shouldn’t forget why it was introduced in the first place
jittawit.21/Getty Images Education Minister Erica Stanford has called time on “credit counting”, announcing plans to scrap the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Under the proposed changes, from 2028 NCEA Level 1 will be replaced by foundational literacy and numeracy tests, dramatically reducing the amount of assessment in Year 11. Levels 2 and 3 will […]
Australia’s student caps will ease up in 2026, but times will still be tough for international education
After two years of trying to reduce international student numbers, the Albanese government will soften its approach in 2026. The changes, announced on Monday, are small. The main feature is a modest increase in the government’s target maximum number of new international students. This will see the target go from 270,000 in 2025 to 295,000 […]
How do you feel about doing exams? Our research unearthed 4 types of test-takers
Johnny Greig/ Getty Images If you had to do a test, how would you respond? Would you relish the chance to demonstrate your knowledge? Or worry you were about to fall short of the mark and embarrass yourself? Research tells us students’ attitudes towards taking tests or doing exams can have an impact on their […]
Researchers watched 150 episodes of Bluey – they found it can teach kids about resilience for real life
Dad (Bandit), Mum (Chilli), Bluey and Bingo. Ludo Studios She’s six years old, lives in Brisbane and might just be one of the best resilience coaches on television. We’re talking about Bluey, the animated Aussie pup whose adventures have captured the hearts of families around the world. But as our new study reveals, Bluey isn’t […]
NAPLAN is just one test. Here’s what to do if your child’s results were in the bottom bands
Rawpixel/ Getty Images The latest round of NAPLAN results are out, along with a string of news reports about “students falling behind” and “failing”, and experts sounding the “alarm” about school progress. In March, all Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat tests in literacy and numeracy. There are four broad bands […]
The new childcare bill relies on something going wrong to keep kids ‘safe’. Here’s what else we should do
Pancake Pictures/ Getty Images Federal parliament is debating the Albanese government’s bill to strip funding from childcare centres if they are unsafe. It follows a string of recent reports and allegations of significant safety and abuse problems in the early learning sector. The bill is expected to pass parliament with the support of the Coalition […]
My child is always losing and forgetting things. How can I help – without making it worse?
CarrieCaptured/Getty As school returns, parents and teachers might each be faced with the familiar chorus of “I can’t find my school jumper” and “I left my hat at home”. For parents of older kids, the stakes may be even higher: lost mobile phones or laptops left on the bus. As parents, it can be tempting […]
Childcare centres will have funding stripped if they’re not ‘up to scratch’. Is this enough?
Maskot/Getty Images Childcare centres will lose their eligibility for fee subsidies if they don’t meet safety standards, according to a new bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday. As Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament: it will give us the power to cut off funding to childcare centres that aren’t up to scratch. The bill follows […]