The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.
The Age reports that Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge has warned that the Government is in no hurry to bring back international students as Victoria has proposed while the coronavirus rages overseas. On Monday night, Victoria wrote to the Federal Government asking to start a second stream of 120 overseas students, migrant workers and actors each week on top of its quota of 1000 returning Australians. Speaking at the Age Schools Summit on Tuesday, Mr Tudge confirmed Victoria was the first Australian state to submit a plan but quickly tempered expectations on Tuesday, repeatedly saying that the Federal Government would be “very cautious” in considering the proposal. Since last year the Federal Government has placed the onus on states to come up with a proposal to fly international students and foreign workers into the country. Canberra’s two conditions are that the plan must have been approved by the states’ chief health officers and must be in addition to the existing number of Australians returning every week.
The Australian reports that looming funding cuts for more than 160 non-government schools are shaping as a potential election headache for the Morrison government, as it faces accusations that its new financing model has unwittingly created “winners and losers”. Focus group interviews conducted in six marginal electorates across the eastern states have revealed substantial voter anxiety about the potential for rising education costs, exacerbated in the aftermath of the pandemic. Participants were highly critical of the new funding model, which assigns each school with a Direct Measure of Income (DMI) score based on the median income of students’ families, replacing the previous location-based SES score. As a result, regional independent schools are set to lose an average $760 per student in annual funding compared to $287 per student for metropolitan schools, according to analysis by the Coalition of Outer-Metropolitan and Inner-Regional Schools Australia (COMIRSA). The focus groups were conducted by RedBridge Group on behalf of an independent school in regional Victoria, targeting voters in Chisholm, Bass, Lilley, Macquarie, Lindsay and Greenway.
The Educator reports that in February, ABS days revealed that private school enrolments have grown at their fastest pace in more than a decade, despite the massive impact that COVID-19 has on Australia’s education sector. Today, private schools educate one in six Australian students, and enrolments are increasing at a rate of 2.1 per cent per year, according to Independent Schools Australia’s (ISA) newly released Independent Schools at a Glance 2021. ISA’s annual At a Glance collection of the latest key facts and figures, also identifies that the sector’s highest student growth is in low fee schools and that Independent schools are now contributing $7.9 billion in salaries to the Australian economy. The release of ISA’s Schools at a Glance 2021 report also coincided with the announcement that the organisation has completed a major rebranding with a new logo and visual identity. Last year, ISA launched a “review, reflection and reinvigoration” that began with a change of name to Independent Schools Australia.
The Guardian reports that states and territories are set to strike out alone with reforms to raise the age of criminal responsibility, with local politics and interstate sparring dampening the prospect of reaching a national consensus. The Australian Capital Territory plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 within a year, but the Queensland Government made an election commitment to not change the law amid a sustained attack about being “soft on crime”. Other states remain non-committal, but have hit out at Queensland and at whichever other jurisdiction leaked details of a draft report into the proposed reforms to The Australian. The report had been commissioned after a meeting of the Council of Attorneys General last year, and was discussed at its most recent meeting on 31 March. Multiple states and territories said the report’s recommendations had not been discussed nationally in any detail, and there was no specific proposal currently being considered.
The Educator reports that a major review of different wellbeing approaches over the past decade has revealed the most effective ways for educators to support student wellbeing in schools. The Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW), the representative body for almost 500 non-government schools, recently commissioned the Telethon Kids Institute in WA to review a decade’s worth of wellbeing literature – the first review of its kind – to identify the evidence-based approaches that best supported whole-school wellbeing. The review highlighted six key factors which support student wellbeing: adopting a whole-school approach; focusing on interventions with evidence of effectiveness; establishing a dedicated team to drive implementation; preparing the school for implementation; providing meaningful engagement and support with families; creating meaningful opportunities for student voice and engagement. A growing body of research has highlighted the impact that improved wellbeing can have on students’ attendance rates.
According to The Educator, Australia’s major principals’ associations have announced a 9,000-strong coalition to tackle soaring workloads, worsening mental health issues and increased incidences of bullying, violence and harassment. In March, the Australian Principal Occupational, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey 2020 revealed more than 40 per cent of Australian school leaders are exposed to threats of violence or being a victim of physical violence – nine times greater than the general population. One of the report’s key recommendation was for the peak bodies representing Australia’s principals to collaborate and speak with one voice to governments and communities. In response, Andrew Pierpoint, president of the Australia Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) and Malcom Elliott, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA), co-convened the Coalition of Australian Principals (CAP).
The Educator reports that the week before last, Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge launched a review of initial teacher education in a bid to improve school standards. However, the union says the review is “an exercise in blame shifting” to the nation’s teachers and principals. The government points to growing concerns about the number of top students choosing to study education, which has declined by a third since 2006. The review’s first public discussion paper will be released by June, followed by a period of public consultation. The review will be completed in six months. Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the Federal Government is trying to shift the blame for their failures to teachers and principals. "The feedback we get from principals reinforces the need to address the long-term issues in schools that have been neglected by the Federal Government over the past eight years,” Haythorpe told The Educator.
The Age reports that most teachers in kindergarten and early primary school fail to correctly identify bullying behaviour by young children, with a lack of training raising the risk of long-term psychological harm. Researchers who surveyed early childhood teachers found many struggled to distinguish between bullying and fighting among children, pointing to a lack of explicit training about bullying in teacher education as one likely reason. Bullying is not directly covered in the Australian curriculum until year 4, despite clear evidence that it begins before then, the University of South Australia researchers said. Researchers surveyed 95 Australian early childhood teachers about their understanding of bullying and fighting among younger children, including cyberbullying. Teachers were quizzed on whether or not 20 mock scenarios constituted bullying. Just 17.7 per cent correctly named all three of the key characteristics of bullying: an intent to harm, repetition, and a power imbalance.
The Educator reports that peer support programs can help schools rebuild the wellbeing and resilience of Australian students in the wake of COVID 19, according to new research. The study, conducted by Deakin University’s Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED) for Peer Support Australia (PSA), found that the use of support modules incorporating peer tutoring and mentoring was effective in promoting positive youth development in schools. According to the study, which analysed the effectiveness of PSA’s programs in the education sector, evaluations of school tutoring programs revealed positive effects on the academic performance and attitudes “both for those who received tutoring and also for peers providing tutoring”. Among the health and social benefits that the study found in participating students were reduced “antisocial behaviours, smoking, drug use, and increased adult help-seeking for suicide risk, and for females, physical activity”.
The Age reports that a childcare worker who was sacked for refusing to get vaccinated because she had a “conscientious objection” has lost a legal claim to get her job back. The Fair Work Commission backed major childcare provider Goodstart Early Learning, which required its staff to get a flu shot, in a decision with major implications for businesses’ power to demand employees get coronavirus jabs. This has been a hot topic among businesses, which are uncertain whether it is “lawful and reasonable” to compel their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Barrister Ian Neil SC, a labour law expert who was not involved in the case, said it was the first considered decision on the subject and suggested employers with vulnerable workforces could mandate a coronavirus vaccine. Deputy President Lake found it was reasonable to require childcare staff to have a vaccine because of children’s risk of influenza, close contact, and the inability of some to have a vaccine because of their age. The Fair Work Ombudsman, the Federal workplace regulator, has told employers to be cautious about mandating a coronavirus vaccine.
The ABC News reports that Western Australia's Education Department has begun paying compensation to victims of a serial paedophile who used his position as a school gardener to rape 13 boys in the state's far north. John Melverne Bodey last year admitted to 57 charges of rape and historic sexual abuse against the boys, stemming from his time as a staff member at Derby District High School between 1970 and 1986. He's likely to die in jail, with a 17-year prison sentence leaving the 78-year-old ineligible for release until 2035. While Bodey's early guilty plea spared his victims the trauma of extended testimony at his trial, they have faced a separate legal battle for acknowledgement and compensation from the Education Department, which initially rejected any fault or responsibility for his predatory behaviour. But that began to change last year, when Andrew* (name changed to protect victim’s identity) received an unreserved apology and a significant payout from the Department.
NBC News reports that a Miami private school said it won't employ anyone who has received the COVID-19 vaccine, citing concerns that the injection might not be safe. Centner Academy outlined its controversial policy in a letter to parents, encouraging faculty and staff to hold off on being vaccinated "until there is further research available." Those who do wish to be vaccinated are asked to wait until the end of the school year. "This was not an easy decision to make," the letter stated. "It was a consensus from our advisors that until this topic is investigated more thoroughly, it is in the best interests of the children to protect them from the unknown implications of being in close proximity for the entire day with a teacher who has very recently taken the COVID-19 injection." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, but has said that the injections are "safe and effective." Between Dec. 14 and April 19, more than 211 million doses of the vaccine were administered in the United States, the agency noted.