86% of respondents to a teacher survey stated that an increase in administration and compliance tasks is getting in the way of planning 'the best possible lessons'. The survey, conducted by the ACT Australian Education Union and reported by the Canberra Times, also noted long working hours, including hours worked on the weekend to catch up on paperwork.
A call to teach mandatory child abuse awareness in WA schools is being resisted by the Education Department on the basis that the timetables are already 'too full'. The issue has arisen in the context of calls for compulsory anti-abuse education from Erin Merryn, a US anti-child abuse campaigner visting WA. The Education Minister has pointed to body safety courses that are already taughtas justification for not requiring formal anti-abuse classes, according to Perth Now.
In NSW, the Daily Telegraph has reported that data collected by the Education Department shows that two school children per week are 'self harming or threatening to injure themselves'. Incidents of such threats include a classroom that had to be evacuated due to the threat to safety of other students caused by a female student 'erupting' over an incident. The behaviour is linked to bullying and mental health problems.
Save the Children, a child protection charity, is calling on the NT government to outlaw corporal punishment in all schools. NT News reports that this call has been made in the context of an appeal for for input into a review of the Education Act and National Child Protection Week.
In the ACT and SA, there are calls by christian groups for the ACT and SA governments to accept the new school chaplains program. The Canberra Times has reported that the governments of these states have expressed reservations about the lack of secular workers under the new program.
A US Catholic school teacher has claimed that she was fired from her job for falling pregnant. The teacher, who is also in a same sex relationship of five and a half years, was apparently not given a reason for her dismissal, according to USA Today.
CBC News reports that a state school board in Vancouver has paid out $CAD 1.7 million to the family of a 9 year old girl who suffered a cardiac arrest in class. The settlement has raised questions about the size and supervision of the class.
A school in Newcastle, UK, has apologised after it put 50 students in detention for wearing the wrong trousers to school. The Guardian reports that the school was cracking down on uniform violations, but did not anticipate such a number of out-of-uniform students.
A UK teacher has been suspended after she posted inappropriate videos to her Facebook page. According to the Hartlepool Mail, the videos were shared around by students. The videos contained comedy sketches, and included the teacher swearing and acting inappropriately.
A mother in the UK who was charged with failing to ensure the attendance of her child, has been found not guilty. The Telegraph reports that the magistrate accepted the evidence that her daughter, who previously had cancerous tumours removed, was feeling ill. She was unable to get a doctor's certificate and had to provide other medical evidence.