Education
School hours are ‘sexist’, should be extended to 6pm to help working women: MP
New Ryde MP Jordan Lane wants school hours extended so mothers aren’t “forced to choose between their own career progression or raising children”.
- by Michael McGowan
Latest
All but one of the state’s universities are losing money as student numbers shrink
NSW universities fell $400 million into the red last year as full-time student enrolments plunged by 12,000, the biggest drop in almost 20 years.
- by Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
Students were kept back at lunch. Parents said it was akin to a prison camp
School leaders are grappling with a new landscape in which parents vent their frustration on social media and staff feel personally attacked.
- by Christopher Harris
‘Difficult, dull and boring’: The HSC subject that students are abandoning
Almost one-third of students studied economics in the HSC in 1992. The numbers have plunged since then.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Ferry fail as gangplank collapse sends Riverview boys into river
Two schoolchildren fell when the ferry dropping them at Riverview College Wharf floated away from the pontoon, causing the gangplank to collapse into the water.
- by Jordan Baker
How Dolly Parton has sparked a reading revolution in central western NSW
The babies of Gilgandra are falling in love with reading, and it’s thanks in large part to country music star Dolly Parton.
- by Catherine Naylor
How schools are getting kids into class after attendance tumbles to record lows
New figures reveal more than 350 public schools had attendance rates fall below 80 per cent in the first two terms of 2022.
- by Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Top-performing Sydney school eyes more campuses across city
Inspired Education, the private equity-backed global operator behind Reddam House, says the waiting list to enter year 7 is five times the number of students it can admit.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Why male teachers are dropping out of primary school
I’m a primary school teacher by trade who began my career in early childhood. And I’m really proud of that. But on more than one occasion, I lied about my job, knowing it was a conversational pothole.
- by Adam Voigt
AI a headache for teachers, but could soon help mark students’ work
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says artificial intelligence has to be part of Australia’s schools system and could even assist teachers in doing routine tasks.
- by Christopher Harris
The public high school in Sydney’s west attracting private students
St Marys Senior High School caters to year 11 and 12 students and is bucking the bigger trend of NSW parents increasingly sending their children to private schools.
- by Christopher Harris
Universities extend Indian student ban amid visa fraud concerns
Two more universities in Victoria and NSW have banned the recruitment of students from some Indian states as the federal government flagged a surge in applications, but also an increase in “fraudulent” applications.
- by Clay Lucas
Students suspended from Shore School over classroom fight
The headmaster at the private boys’ school, John Collier, said the police would be working with the school to educate students about behaviour and responsible technology use.
- by Lucy Carroll
Teachers weren’t taught grammar in school. Now they’re rushing to brush up
As some teachers study new grammar textbooks, older colleagues are being tapped for their knowledge as a major change in the English syllabus draws near. Can you pass the grammar test?
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
University closes book on lecturer transphobia complaints
The University of Melbourne has found that gender critical feminist Holly Lawford-Smith has no case to answer for attending the Let Women Speak rally.
- by Chip Le Grand
‘Boarding saves so much time’: Why city student Sabine chose to live at school
A growing number of city-dwelling parents are opting to send their children to boarding school to avoid long commutes.
- by Lucy Carroll
Exclusive
Shore school investigating after video of violent classroom attack
Shore School is investigating a violent incident between students after a video emerged of one boy using a table to physically attack a classmate.
- by Lucy Carroll
Hundreds of students return to remote learning and masks amid COVID outbreaks
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said teacher shortages were a factor in the decision to move some year groups to at-home learning.
- by Lucy Carroll
Parents opt for religious schools as student enrolments soar
Principals say parents are seeking out religious schools not because they actually believe in the doctrine but because they like the values.
- by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
Analysis
Why does England outperform Australia when it comes to reading?
The reading ability of Australia’s year 4 students held steady in the latest global test results, but one in five students is not meeting international benchmarks.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
‘Don’t you want to be a lawyer?’ I got an ATAR of 95 but chose to become a mechanic
Friends thought my decision to become a heavy-vehicle diesel mechanic was a waste of my ATAR result and my potential. None of them could get why I chose something “lesser”.
- by Ashley Beeby
Apprentices in NSW are quitting in record numbers, but one school is trying to change that
At CathWest Innovation College, students study the school curriculum three days a week to earn their HSC but also spend one day learning on the job as part of an apprenticeship, and another day at TAFE.
- by Christopher Harris
‘Falling through the cracks’: NSW boys fail to keep up with girls in reading
Amid a global slide in literacy skills, Australia was one of eight countries where reading scores did not decline in the latest international tests.
- by Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
James Packer donates $7 million to UNSW to help expand mental health research
The gift from the former media and casino mogul comes on the back of a record philanthropic year for the university, which raised $81.2 million in donations in 2022.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Students must learn how to get things wrong. Only one subject does that
Being good at English involves relinquishing neat summaries and correct answers. It also fights the headwind of cognitive bias.
- by Sophie Gee
Exclusive
Boy from western Sydney plots generational reform for education
A young Jason Clare saw what schooling did for his asylum seeker classmates. Now federal education minister, he has big plans.
- by Paul Sakkal
Editorial
Schools do their best, but time is nigh for a major shake-up
New reviews must seek to tackle both our immediate pains and our long-term aspirations for our children.
- The Herald's View
‘Not good for Australia’: Education costs rise faster than most household bills
The cost of sending a child to school, university or kinder has skyrocketed, and is one of the fastest-growing expenses on the budget of Australian families.
- by Madeleine Heffernan and Lachlan Abbott
Work experience a thing of the past: students can’t find a place to take them
Having not been compulsory for decades, work experience for year 9 and 10 students is on the decline as schools struggle to find businesses willing to take in teens.
- by Amber Schultz
Exclusive
Sydney’s most overcrowded schools breaching their student cap
New enrolment figures reveal the schools across Sydney that are stretched to their limits, with some more than 600 students above their cap.
- by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
Opinion
Three cheers for Prue Car, but can she achieve sustained applause?
After a promising start, our new education minister must now fix deep-seated problems?
- by Chris Bonnor
Exclusive
Public school P&Cs turn to grants programs for playgrounds, toilet upgrades
Public school P&Cs are increasingly using community grants to fund basic infrastructure, including to pay for shade sails, seating and playground equipment.
- by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
Exclusive
Chased by school debt collectors, the Parsons fought back – and won
Many of Luke’s teachers and peers knew he was leaving at the end of year 10. But his parents didn’t fill in the right form, triggering a 12-month battle.
- by Jordan Baker
Thirty years ago, we started taking bullying in schools seriously. But has anything changed?
Teachers are now more attuned to bullying, and public schools now ask students about it annually. But efforts to curb it have only had a minimal impact, experts say.
- by Christopher Harris
Politics kid from Sydney’s west takes charge of education in NSW
In high school, Prue Car was always steering classroom discussions towards politics - now she’s education minister.
- by Lucy Carroll
International students could pose foreign interference risk: ADF
A report highlights the need to monitor access to specific fields of research, information and systems.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
‘Rushed’ curriculum reforms axed, teachers told to focus on English, maths
The NSW government has delayed planned changes for multiple subjects to allow teachers to focus on “core learning”.
- by Lucy Carroll
Exclusive
The Sydney areas with the most selective school applicants
For students in some parts of Sydney it is “the moment that practically decides their lives”, but in other areas of the city, hardly any children apply for selective school.
- by Christopher Harris
Languages out, cybersecurity in: The degrees universities have axed
Universities have chopped and changed courses to cut costs and meet demand, with 18 degrees scrapped in Victoria and NSW despite being identified in areas of national priority or having the potential to ease skills shortages.
- by Madeleine Heffernan and Lucy Carroll
No uniforms, free lunch: Inside a ‘second chance’ high school
A new report reveals 13,100 students are enrolled in almost 100 private alternative schools that cater for students who have fallen out of the mainstream system.
- by Lucy Carroll
The plan to purchase 40,000 vape detectors for public school toilets
Education Minister Prue Car said the detectors were just one option being considered to combat the vaping crisis in high schools.
- by Christopher Harris
It’s called the ‘sports gap’. Is it impacting Australian school kids?
Parents are forking out hundreds of dollars for weekend and after-school sport but experts say access to physical activity still has a significant class divide.
- by Mary Ward
Exclusive
Suspended from school? Chances are it’s related to physical violence
New data reveals the areas with the highest and lowest levels of suspensions in the state’s schools.
- by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
‘They tell you it is interest-free’: Cherish feels stuck in HECS debt trap
The 23-year-old is among current and former university students whose loans will jump in line with inflation from June.
- by Paul Sakkal and Christopher Harris
King’s School headmaster calls out ‘frenzy of public shaming’ over goanna death
Tony George responded to allegations that students killed a goanna at a school camp, saying a wrongful act does not justify the media response.
- by Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris