Primary school
Opinion
Opinion
A great leap forward for school children (as long as we don’t forget their teachers)
The overhaul of the NSW primary school syllabus should benefit 800,000 students, but we must teach their teachers how to implement it.
- by Jordana Hunter and Nick Parkinson
Latest
WA parents are flocking to get tutors for their kids. Why?
There’s something all these parents got a chance to witness firsthand in recent years, one industry veteran says.
- by Holly Thompson
Exclusive
Schools
This school’s so small its students could fit on a single bus. And it’s shrinking
This Brisbane state school has a country vibe, with just 31 students. We’ve analysed enrolment data to reveal the city’s fastest growing and shrinking schools.
- by Felicity Caldwell
‘We’re burning out’: WA teachers’ plea as student mental illness skyrockets
More than 50 per cent of West Australian teachers have asked for support dealing with wellbeing and mental health issues appearing in their classrooms, a new study has found.
- by Holly Thompson
The best and worst areas in NSW for NAPLAN revealed
The breakdown of NAPLAN results by state electorate shows the worst-performing areas are about seven academic school years behind the top achieving parts of the state.
- by Christopher Harris
Perspective
Schools
Meet the Allards, a family who take their kids on holiday during school
An education expert says she would not be surprised if COVID did not have a radical effect on parents’ willingness to just say “stuff it, pack your bags, we’re off”.
- by Felicity Caldwell
Exclusive
Schools
Brisbane students skipped more than 2.6 million school days last year
School absenteeism has not recovered to pre-COVID levels. Search every Brisbane state primary and high school’s attendance rates for the past three years.
- by Felicity Caldwell
The NAPLAN-topping school that says phonics helped get it there
Teaching reading using phonics, which is to be mandatory for state schools, has received strong praise from this primary school in Melbourne’s south-east.
- by Caroline Schelle
Perspective
Schools
Smaller is not necessarily better when it comes to class sizes
Most Brisbane classrooms aren’t ‘overcrowded’ because they don’t break targets, but what is the perfect class size?
- by Felicity Caldwell
Is your child’s school overcrowded? Search our list of Brisbane class sizes
Some Brisbane schools are failing to keep class sizes below official targets. But one school is showing how going the extra mile can create some of the city’s happiest students.
- by Felicity Caldwell
Keith has written five books and a PhD thesis. He’s never read a single one
The professor, who kept his reading difficulties a secret for years, supports Victoria’s move to structured phonics in classrooms.
- by Bridie Smith