AUSTRALIA

Regulator gives OK to Grade 4 teacher who was sacked after telling incest tales
The Age reported about a grade four teacher who told students inappropriate stories after the Victorian Institute of Teaching allowed him to keep his registration.  The ruling contradicts the Victorian Department of Education’s decision to bar the teacher from the government school system.

Teachers blame parents for bad student behaviour, finds survey
According to The Advertiser, a majority of teachers are blaming parents for bad student behaviour.  The Teachers Records Card Survey showed that 40 per cent of teachers surveyed felt disregarded by parents or not highly regarded by them.  A high number of teachers also felt they were disrespected by parents.

Wrestling teacher training: Techniques to subdue violent students
The Daily Telegraph wrote about the NSW Department of Education responding to the rising violence by training teachers to block punches and put students in holds.  Teachers from both primary and secondary schools are being taught techniques that are leveraged-based and are designed to force a student into submission without breaking bones or causing other injuries.

Non-government school explosion on Melbourne’s fringe
The Age wrote about the boom in non-government schools in Melbourne’s fringe.  Apparently, non-government schools are taking the opportunity to build schools and are out-pacing government school projects.  In the last decade, 64 non-government schools have been built, compared to 67 government schools.  Notably, 12 private schools are planned to open in 2018, one more than public schools.

INTERNATIONAL

Canada: Toronto teacher jailed two years for sex offences with students, but he still can't be named
CBC News wrote about a Toronto school teacher being sentenced to two years jail after pleading guilty to sex related offences involving two former students.  The teacher cannot be named due to a rare publication ban.  The judge presiding over the case said that the teacher “inflicted profound harm” on two female students by maintaining a predatory relationship.

New Zealand: Families step in to help clean up vandalism at school
The New Zealand Herald reported about the families of youths involved in vandalising a school assisting with the clean-up.  Police went to the school and found three classrooms which had been significantly vandalised. Members of the community were disgusted at the level of destruction and a number of images were posted on local Facebook pages by the public.

UK: Almost a quarter of teachers who have qualified since 2011 have left profession.
According to The Guardian, official figures show that 27,500 teachers who trained between 2011 and 2015 had already left their job by last year.  Of those who qualified in 2011 alone, 31% of teachers had quit within five years of becoming a teacher.   The Department for Education said the rate of teachers leaving after just a year had remained stable for decades, adding that some teachers were returning to the classroom after quitting.