Parents’ education levels and students’ NAPLAN results will determine how much money Victoria schools receive under a State Government overhaul of education funding, the Age reports. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews revealed $747 million of funds would be allocated under the Gonski agreement for needs-based funding. The premier announced that from next year all students from disadvantaged families, including those with unemployed parents, will receive extra funding. The announcement has drawn criticism, specifically from Parkville College, one of Victoria’s most disadvantaged schools that teaches young offenders in custody, who will receive the smallest increase in need-based funding across the State.
A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that frequent use of computers in schools is often associated with lower results. The Age reports that Australia is one of the highest users of technology in schools and yet the country’s reading and maths performance has declined in the past decade.
A fire that destroyed five classrooms at Seaforth Public School in NSW has revealed asbestos under the buildings. The SMH reports that a Department of Education spokesman confirmed that it was ‘possible that the classrooms contained asbestos, because the older style demountable are different to more modern versions.’ The area has been cordoned off and investigations continue.
The SMH reports that students at a selective school in Sydney’s west have been disciplined after hacking into a computer system in an attempt to change their HSC assessment marks. The Year 12 students obtained a teacher’s log-in details to the Board of Studies, Training and Education database that contains their marks.It is not known whether the marks were altered, but the school and the BOSTES are investigating the incident and zero marks for assessments are not out of the question for the students involved.
Nine News reported that in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the Catholic Church is calling for a new law making it a crime if anyone suspects a child has been sexually abused and does not report it to police. This would also, according to the Church, clarify professional privilege and confidentiality including that of priests in the confessional. Victoria has already criminalised the failure to report information about child sexual abuse to police.
A Canadian teacher has lost his job after a 10-week investigation into the critical comments of Islam that were posted on Twitter. The Star reported that the Twitter account was not in the teacher’s name however it was discovered that he was behind the 4,500 ‘racist’ tweets from the @firstathiest account. The teacher was dismissed after a school board meeting last week.
It was reported this week that a New Zealand teacher will not face disciplinary action after complaints that she had taped a student to a chair in class. The mother of the student alleged that in mid-2013, her 11-year-old son was sticky-taped to his chair during class. When the incident was first reported the mother was assured the teacher would not return to the school in 2014. A further complaint was made in May this year when the teacher did return to the school. The Education Council has concluded their investigation and cleared the teacher of any misconduct.
The headteacher and deputy of a school in Wales have been banned from teaching after being caught having sex on school grounds. A 34-second video clip of ‘sex noises’, recorded from the other side of the headteacher’s locked door, went viral after a student posted it on YouTube. The Guardian reports that the Education Workforce Council has ruled the pair’s actions reckless and selfish, and said that their behaviour has damaged the reputation of the teaching profession and their former school.