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 Ideagen.
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According to The Educator, researchers from the University of South Australia found evidence that children's mental health and overall wellbeing have seen a gradual decline over a six-year period, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, which evaluated key indicators of wellbeing such as life satisfaction, optimism, happiness, cognitive engagement, emotional regulation, perseverance, worry, and sadness, among 56,000 South Australian school children aged 9 to 14, revealed a consistent worsening of most wellbeing measures from 2020 onwards. Lead researcher Dr Dot Dumuid noted that the lasting disruptions caused by the pandemic have had profound effects on the wellbeing of Australian children. Dr Dumuid highlighted the importance of supporting the wellbeing of young individuals during this critical period. She welcomed initiatives like the Federal Government's introduction of a National Wellbeing Framework as a step in the right direction.
According to The Educator, empowering children to be savvy online is as crucial as teaching them road safety. With the prevalence of cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and online predators, fostering digital literacy and responsible online behaviour is paramount. Brett Lee, founder of Internet Safe Education and a former cybercrime investigator, stressed that schools must educate themselves about the platforms and technologies children are using. By fostering an open-door policy and restorative practices, schools can create an environment where students feel safe reporting issues. Lee said that “the biggest stakeholder for schools to engage is the parent community”. By aligning school policies and educating parents about protective measures, a united front against cyberbullying can be established. The common expert advice is that creating a safe digital environment requires a collective effort.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, almost one-third of the state’s students are failing to meet new proficiency standards in reading, writing and math’s, according to the first data released after a radical overhaul of NAPLAN reporting. About 30 per cent of students in NSW scored in the bottom two bands in this year’s literacy and numeracy test results, which includes 8.2 per cent of children who are unable to read and write at the basic level expected for their age. The changes, which mean results cannot be compared to previous years, were made after a 2020 review found the national minimum standard was too low when compared to international test benchmarks. Grattan Institute education program director Jordana Hunter said the new benchmarks painted a clearer picture of standards, delivering the “wake-up call” Australia needed, particularly for Indigenous students, where almost two-thirds fell below proficiency.
The Educator discusses issues and tips regarding school staff having an OnlyFans account. As the cost-of-living crisis bites, it’s not unusual for school staff, and indeed students, to embark on a side hustle. In 2016, the arrival of OnlyFans took the concept of side hustles to a whole new level. The subscription-based social media platform allowed content creators to share exclusive content (mostly of a sexual nature) with their paying “fans”. Though the platform is not exclusively a pornography website, it gained popularity for its adult-oriented content. Megan Kavanagh, a partner in Colin Biggers & Paisley’s employment and safety team, cautions that having an OnlyFans account may create specific risk in regulated professions, like teaching. Kavanagh said that “schools might update their code of conduct to ensure that teachers are required to maintain an online presence consistent with their professional obligations and that will not harm children or bring the school into disrepute”.
According to The Guardian, female scientists are almost entirely omitted from Australian curriculum, a new study has found, with researchers warning the “alarming” and “inaccurate” lack of representation could be contributing to the gender gap in the field of Stem. The study analysed the curriculum of the four year 11 and year 12 Stem subjects taught in Australian schools – biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science. It found only one female scientist, British chemist Rosalind Franklin, was named in high school curriculums in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. All remaining states and territories failed to mention a single contribution of a woman in Stem, instead focusing coursework exclusively on a male-centric narrative. Lead researcher Dr Kat Ross said that “we know participation rates of girls in Stem are low compared to boys, and this gender gap in the science heroes they learn about at school is likely a contributing factor”.
According to the University of South Australia, parents are spending considerable amounts of energy thinking about and mitigating the risks associated with their kids using mobile phones and the internet. New research by the University of South Australia suggests that mums in particular are experiencing a “relentless and intense” mental load linked to their children’s digital use. UniSA researcher Dr Fae Heaselgrave calls this additional burden “digital care work”, which involves mothers monitoring their children’s digital activity, familiarising themselves with social media platforms and coming up with strategies to manage their kids’ media use. Some mothers remarked that digital homework, which requires use of tablets or laptops rather than traditional pens, paper and textbooks, can make it difficult to set rules or guidelines around media use because children need to use a device to complete school-related work.
According to The Educator, mental health discussions are dominating the education space, and principals are generally tasked with ensuring the wellbeing of their students and teams. However, new data shows that school leaders are increasingly facing their own mental health challenges. According to the Principal Wellbeing Report there has been a 64 per cent increase in ‘red flag’ alerts from principals in 2022. These are triggered when school leaders are at risk of self-harm, have occupational health problems, or their quality of life is seriously impacted. Principals are also dealing with an alarming rise in parental dysregulation. This includes aggression towards teachers and educators, which has risen significantly over the last year with 44 per cent of principals being subjected to physical violence. According to Warren Jacobson, CEO at Camp Australia, the role of a principal has never been more challenging and inevitably, the impact of this stress filters down to the students.
According to The Australian Sports Commission (ASC), aussie kids across the country are set to benefit from a free online program aiming to encourage a lifelong engagement in sport and physical activity. It is packed full of easy-to-use lesson plans and expert tips that will help teachers to deliver fun, safe and inclusive PE- ultimately supporting better health outcomes for kids. ASC CEO Kieren Perkins said that “by building a love for physical activity at an early age, the long-term physical, mental and social benefits are significant”. The Australian Sports Commission wants all primary teachers to feel confident and competent enough to teach physical education. The PE - Essential skills for primary teachers’ course is available through the ASC’s Australian Sport Learning Centre and aligns with the Australian school curriculum. Teachers can complete the engaging course in approximately two-and-a-half hours.
According to The Educator, in a move towards greater inclusion, NSW schools have begun offering Australian Sign Language or Auslan as an elective for students from kindergarten to Year 10. This initiative aims to bridge communication gaps for the deaf community and address a shortage of interpreters. Jack O'Leary, a student who experiences varying degrees of deafness, expressed the significance of this step, and said that "it will help deaf students stop being alienated by hearing students if they feel different". Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington emphasised the initiative's broader impact and said that “by rolling out a K-10 Auslan syllabus, we're delivering on our commitment to create a more inclusive community”. Starting in 2026, schools will have the option to include the Auslan syllabus, allowing ample time for educators to prepare for the change. Beyond fostering inclusion, this new subject also aims to tackle the shortage of Auslan interpreters.
According to The Leader, the Northern Territory is expected to receive funding and education from the AFP to help protect children as part of the Government's national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse. The AFP has pledged $3.9 million for child protection investigations and online safety initiatives for children, parents and educators. Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling said the AFP is committed to protecting children in the Northern Territory from online abuse. "The AFP will have stronger investigative, prevention and intelligence capability in the Northern Territory and an increased presence in the Northern Territory Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team, which comprises officers from the AFP and Northern Territory Police" Crossling said.
According to Future Five New Zealand, over half (51 per cent) of New Zealand parents with school-aged children between 4 and 17 said they would not allow or trust their children to use AI to complete schoolwork. Apart from worries about how AI may be misused by children, parents are also concerned about other online risks including children being exposed to inappropriate content and worries about cyberbullying. Only 46 per cent of all respondents with children 17 years or under trust school technology policies and online security measures, while 36 per cent of parents with school-aged children believe schools are not doing enough to educate and protect children from online threats. Mark Gorrie, Managing Director APAC, Norton, said that “parents nowadays also need to juggle the fine line between allowing children to explore the internet while protecting them from online threats”.