Education
‘Evidence not ideology’: Major overhaul of the NSW high school curriculum
Studying the Holocaust will be mandatory under a revised high school history syllabus that also include compulsory units on Aboriginal perspectives on colonisation.
- by Lucy Carroll
Latest
Jewish academic says Sydney Uni became ‘toxic’ after October 7 attacks
A former Sydney University academic has lodged a SafeWork complaint alleging the vice chancellor failed to protect Jewish students from “psychosocial harm”.
- by Daniella White
‘Lone wolf’: Australia spending more on private schools than global average
An OECD comparison of education funding reveals the Australian government is spending more on private schools and less on public schools than other countries.
- by Noel Towell and Alex Crowe
‘The enemy within’: Royal commission damns Defence for needless deaths
The landmark inquiry found current and former service personnel are 20 times more likely to take their own lives than to die in combat.
- by Matthew Knott
Exclusive
University student had ‘knife in either hand’ in alleged attack against boyfriend
The president of the UTS Events Society allegedly stabbed the man in a jealous rage over texts from his ex-partner.
- by Clare Sibthorpe
Exclusive
Hundreds of Sydney students were embroiled in a cheating scandal. Then came the bomb threat
Sydney University was forced to close semester two orientation stalls when it discovered they were infiltrated by cheating providers.
- by Daniella White
Exclusive
Eddie Woo’s expert maths team cut back under education department restructure
The Maths Growth Team that mentors other teachers will be reduced as part of a major restructure within the NSW Education Department.
- by Lucy Carroll
Editorial
Federal government must tread gently over university reforms
The real-world consequences of reform are serious, and deserve to be taken more seriously by the federal government.
Exclusive
‘Teachers don’t feel safe’: One in 12 high school students suspended amid behavioural crisis
Figures released by the NSW Education Department show 59,814 suspensions were issued to public school students in 2023.
- by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
Exclusive
School nurses to weigh and identify kids at risk of obesity under contentious plan
The Australian College of Nursing is also calling for the “normalisation of collection and discussion of height and weight data of all children” as part of it contentious plan to curb rising obesity rates.
- by Henrietta Cook
Violence in schools filmed by students
school fight at Ambarvale High School near Campbelltown this month.
Knox Grammar teacher allegedly asked teen if they felt ‘hot’
William Gulson was granted bail under strict conditions in court on Saturday after appearing via video link.
- by Matt O'Sullivan
‘It was a shock’: The limit on foreign students for every university revealed
Vice chancellors say they were blindsided by limits that kneecap institutions that achieved strong growth this year.
- by Daniella White
Knox Grammar teacher charged with child grooming
The 27-year-old English teacher from the prestigious private school on Sydney’s north shore was arrested on Friday.
- by Nick Newling and Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Australian students could be the real victims of international caps
Without top 100 rankings, we lose our reputation as a place of high-quality education. Without that, things quickly snowball for locals wanting an education.
- by Waleed Aly
More boys are getting top ATARs. Here’s how they’re doing it
Boys now make up 60 per cent of students who get ATARs above 99.
- by Christopher Harris
Revealed: The public bike path that would cut through The King’s School grounds
Pedestrians and cyclists would be able to traverse the northern edge of The King’s School grounds under a proposal by a Sydney council.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Kids are crashing parent-teacher interviews. It’s destroying the whole point of the thing
There’s a place for feelgood moments and celebrating school achievements. But sometimes parents need to have frank talks with teachers without children in the room.
- by Rosie Beaumont
Top teacher program axed under planned NSW Education Department restructure
More than 240 teaching positions will be cut under a major department reorganisation, including the “best in class” program.
- by Lucy Carroll
Analysis
Public schools ‘killing off sport’ as private school facilities grow
It has become an unequal playing field for NSW schoolchildren with inner west primary schools forced to cancel inter-school sports as some private schools promote state-of-the-art equipment.
- by Jordan Baker
Exclusive
Nearly half of all high school students feel like they don’t belong. Here’s why
Surveys of hundreds of thousands of NSW public school students reveal a declining sense of belonging since 2016.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Please, stop condemning my nickname as ‘extremely derogatory’ on my behalf
As good as the intentions of the complainant may have been, I don’t need someone to take offence for me. And yet, this demand for censorship is creeping into our lives more and more.
- by Gary Nunn
Senior Jesuit at prestigious Sydney school jailed for historical child sex abuse
Laurence Leonard was guilty of “an extremely serious breach of trust” against a 12-year-old student at St Ignatius’ College Riverview, a judge has found.
- by Clare Sibthorpe
Money, status or fame? 15-year-olds’ dream jobs ranked
More than 10,000 Australian teens were asked for the first time since the pandemic what they wanted to be. The answers have changed a bit.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
My tearful farewell to my son cast new light on the foreign student ‘industry’
My son has become an international student. His departure has given me a new perspective on the young people who are temporarily calling Australia home.
- by Malcolm Knox
Money before education – why the school selection system is unfair
In a “fair go” nation, the central questions about the selective high school admission process would be about genuine equity of opportunity.
Top Sydney unis are the biggest targets of the student cap. It will cost the state billions
UNSW and Sydney University will be forced to slash their international enrolments by more than 40 per cent. This is how we got here and what it means.
- by Daniella White and Matt Wade
Opinion
I always knew Sydney school parents had lost their minds. Now I have proof
Schools catering for gifted kids have an important place in public education, but we have veered well away from this ambition in NSW.
- by Alexandra Smith
Exclusive
‘Your child cannot receive an offer’: Parents pay for selective school predictions
A major Sydney coaching college is instructing parents on which selective schools they should choose, which analysts warn is misleading and fuelling anxiety among students.
- by Lucy Carroll
Curbs on foreign students are cause for concern
It is a sad situation when education policy is influenced by immigration and politics rather than the health and needs of the education system.
New foreign students capped at 270,000 in blow for large universities
Education Minister Jason Clare has asked big city universities to slash their number of international students.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos and Daniella White
Exclusive
NSW schools had money taken from them. Now we know how much
Under funding changes announced in 2021, principals were told they needed to spend any accumulated money. How much was taken can now be revealed.
- by Christopher Harris
Sydney University accused of ‘gold plating’ campus with foreign enrolments around 50 per cent
University chiefs have slammed Labor’s proposed international student caps as Sydney University is accused of swimming in ‘rivers of gold’ from foreign fees.
- by Daniella White
Most uni bosses make more than $1 million. When this one got the job, he asked for a pay cut
Most Australian vice chancellors are paid more than $1 million. This university boss thinks that’s too high.
- by Daniella White
The Sydney school debunking myths and bucking NAPLAN trends
The release of the latest literacy and numeracy results comes amid a stand-off between the federal education minister and his state counterparts over funding.
- by Lucy Carroll
‘False choice’: The decision about schools that leaves parents with few options
A state inquiry has made substantial recommendations to improve standards for teaching students with disabilities in NSW.
- by Kayla Olaya
Newington College student pleads guilty over child pornography
The prestigious private school is embroiled in a scandal after an 18-year-old filmed a fellow student and shared it with his peers.
- by Riley Walter and Lucy Carroll
Opinion
The harshest truth about our housing crisis? There’s no silver bullet
Senator Andrew Bragg says growing university debts are keeping young Australians out of the housing market. But his proposed solution ignores the root of the problem.
- by Shane Wright
Exclusive
‘Unauthorised access’: Parents hack selective school results website
More than 100 selective school candidates secured access to a department website which allowed them to view their school offers.
- by Lucy Carroll
Exclusive
NSW teacher training rules overhauled as accreditation process scrapped
The shake-up has been welcomed by the teachers’ union, but slammed by critics who warn it will erode quality assurance and vital oversight of thousands of teaching courses.
- by Lucy Carroll
Academic leader remembered as respectful, thoughtful and energetic
Boris Schedvin devoted his life to excellence in teaching, research and university leadership.
- by Ian Marshman
Degrees that lead graduates to the biggest pay packets revealed
Students have been urged to consider potential earnings compared with the cost of their university degrees and long-term HECS debt.
- by Daniella White
NSW private schools face new rules on $1.6 billion in taxpayer funding
The changes come after four Sydney schools were told to repay almost $47 million in government funding after being declared for profit or non-compliant in the past decade.
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
Our kids aren’t failing NAPLAN. NAPLAN is failing our AutoCorrected kids
If our education system’s purpose is to turn students into passive consumers and mindless followers, then it is doing better each year.
- by Malcolm Knox
Opinion
Despite the FM PM every AM, it’s Dutton getting the listeners
When it needs to win back voters, the government looks underpowered.
- by David Crowe
‘We have a few secrets up our sleeve’: The Sydney girls' school rising in the HSC charts
An analysis of HSC average scores shows all-girls fully selective and comprehensives outperform all-boys counterparts.
- by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
Parent-teacher partnerships critical for school success
There is so much that should be done in public schools, but it has to be done with the partnership of teachers, governments and parents.
Coalition proposes relaxation of HECS, lending rules to help home buyers
The federal opposition says banks need to take more risks or there will be a whole group of people unable to own a home.
- by Paul Sakkal and Millie Muroi
One in three students failing to meet NAPLAN standards, data reveals
Tens of thousands of NSW students have failed to reach the baseline standard in literacy and numeracy tests. Can you answer these year 5 numeracy and year 9 grammar questions correctly?
- by Lucy Carroll
Opinion
We’re out of tune with best practice, but the NSW music teacher crisis can be fixed
The work required to rescue music education could start immediately, and would cost the NSW taxpayer very little money.
- by James Humberstone