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Education

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The University of NSW wants students and staff to come forward if they believe they are being targetted by “foreign interference”. produces Australia’s most highly paid graduates.

‘Chilling effect’: Top uni warns students about foreign harassment

UNSW is urging students and academics to report any “interference” witnessed in class, amid concerns comments or behaviour are being reported back to a foreign government.

  • by Daniella White

Latest

The winning students from Sydney Girls High team,  Anhaar Kareem, Miriam Stubbs-Goulston,  Sofia Tzarimas, Melissa Liu, and Sofia Malik.

‘Most schools would be quite scared’: Inside Sydney’s competitive debating scene

Sydney Girls High won the Premier’s Debating Challenge for the second year in a row. The team says confidence and technique are only part of the winning strategy.

  • by Christopher Harris
A new CIS report outlines possuble changes to initial teacher education degrees.

Test teachers on skills before they enter classroom: report

The Centre for Independent Studies argues graduates should sit a standardised exit exam to ensure their knowledge of effective teaching practices.

  • by Lucy Carroll and Christopher Harris
The advent of plain-English translations means less students are reading the original language, some English teachers believe.

Simplified Shakespeare: Helping hand or completely missing the point?

Plain English translations designed to make Shakespeare “accessible” are now common in English classrooms, but experts urge teachers to stay true to the original work.

  • by Christopher Harris
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Shirkers get sold down the river

It’s a uniform process.

In a handout image acquired Thursday, 10 August 2023 shows scenes from the Fred Birks School, in Westmead, Sydney in 1946.   Photo:  SUPPLIED

In a handout image acquired Thursday, 10 August 2023 shows children working on the verandah from the Fred Birks School, in Westmead, Sydney in 1930.   Photo:  SUPPLIED
Dubbo sisters Molly and Maddison Croft attended hospital school while Molly received cancer treatment in Sydney.
Gracie, 5, attends class at the Westmead Children’s Hospital School. Her brother suffers from cancer and is being treated at the hospital.  This is the only School Gracie has attended.  The School is celebrating being in operation for over 100 years.  11 August, 2023. Photo: Brook Mitchell
GIF

From polio to COVID-19, the 100-year-old school for kids in hospital

“There can be a perception that these kids are too ill or too sick to do schoolwork, but we are showing … we can do work that helps.”

  • by Mary Ward
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The NSW Principals’ Councils, Teachers Federation and P&C Federation are pushing for a review of SRE, which they argue is especially timely given major changes with rollout of the new NSW curriculum.
Exclusive

The Sydney high schools where scripture enrolments fall below 15 per cent

Principals say fewer students are choosing SRE, and are pushing to overhaul rules that leave students unable to do formal school activities if they opt out of scripture.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Education Minister Prue Car said principals tell her the vape crisis is getting worse.

‘This wouldn’t be acceptable if it was cigarettes’: Schools told to report vaping students

NSW education minister has called for schools to report incidences of vaping so the extent of the problem facing our schools becomes clear.

  • by Christopher Harris
It’s been reported that The King’s School headmaster has an annual salary of at least $700,000.

‘Shameless’: King’s luxuries another private abuse of public money

Forcing King’s School to pay for their overseas junket is a mere drop in a plunge pool.

Broken windows are left unrepaired.

Retired teachers covering classes, broken windows. The plan to fix these regional schools isn’t working

A scathing auditor general’s report says a plan to lift academic outcomes for regional and remote students in NSW will almost certainly fail.

  • by Christopher Harris and Michael McGowan
It’s been reported that The King’s School headmaster has an annual salary of at least $700,000.
Exclusive

Business class flights to be repaid following probe into King’s School regatta trip

The King’s School has been declared non-compliant after an investigation into a trip taken by the headmaster and his wife to attend the UK’s prestigious Royal Henley Regatta.

  • by Lucy Carroll
 The King’s School’s headmaster Tony George
Editorial

The Kings School goes for a row over headmaster’s jaunt

The idea of headmaster and his wife swanning off for tea and scones at Henley-on-Thames sits awkwardly beside sacrifices most parents make to send their children to the private school system.

  • The Herald's View
Chris Minns

‘Give peace a chance’: Minns denies reneging on pay deal with teachers

Premier Chris Minns has denied claims by the NSW Teachers Federation that his government walked away from a pay agreement.

  • by Michael McGowan
The wait is over for thousands of Year 12 students who have received their ATAR scores, with some surprising and encouraging results.
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2022: VCE students receive their ATAR results

The wait is over for thousands of Year 12 students who have received their ATAR scores, with some surprising and encouraging results.

Former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop is leading a year-long inquiry into teacher workload and conditions.

‘Severe misstep’: Teachers’ pay offer slammed by former Labor premier

The authors of a report Chris Minns once hailed as a “blueprint” for fixing teacher salaries have accused Labor of undermining attempts to fix teacher shortages.

  • by Michael McGowan and Lucy Carroll
Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey.
Exclusive

‘Deeply disappointed’: Union boss escalates tensions with Minns government

The most senior union official in NSW is “deeply disappointed and frustrated” after pay negotiations between the NSW government and Teacher’s Federation stalled last week.

  • by Michael McGowan and Max Maddison
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Students from years 3 to 12 at MLC Sydney can choose to wear pants as part of the school’s uniform updates this year.

After a century of tunics, more Sydney private girls schools start allowing pants

Some of the city’s oldest independent girls schools, including MLC and St Catherine’s, have expanded their uniform options in the past two years.

  • by Lucy Carroll
We’re not properly supporting our teachers, and then we’re blaming them when they struggle in the classroom.

Teaching tension causing trouble in the classroom

There are many difficulties confronting teachers at the beginning of their careers, which highlight the limitations of the preparation provided by their university degree.

Teachers strike for higher pay and better conditions in 2022.

‘A message for the premier: Honour the deal you made with teachers’

Teachers have been betrayed by Chris Minns and Pru Car. They believed the rhetoric that they, like the nurses, child and aged care workers, had done it tough during COVID and deserved a pay rise.

Clockwise from main, Mary Carr at ACU, Maddison Jackson at University of Sydney and Katrina Pincaro at UNSW.

Is it cool to take your parents to a university open day?

Should you go when you’re in year 12, or is year 9 better? With university open day season about to get under way, experts and students answer these questions and more.

  • by Larissa Ham
Donald Trump

Thanks to Trump, America is no longer the world’s greatest democracy

The aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss proves that the United States has lost its leader of the free world mantle.

Teachers strike for higher pay and better conditions in 2022.

Teachers union accuses Minns government of ‘act of betrayal’ over pay

The NSW Teachers Federation has hit out at the state government over a breakdown in pay negotiations, accusing it of backing away from an agreement struck in May.

  • by Lucy Carroll and Max Maddison
Cronulla High School in Sydney’s south.

Sydney teacher found to have racially vilified Indian student

During a year 12 business studies class at Cronulla High School, the teacher allegedly described Indian people as “Uber drivers and Deliveroo people”. 

  • by Sarah Keoghan

NSW will ‘lead the way’ with teaching Indigenous experience of colonisation

A proposed overhaul to the school history syllabus will include a compulsory unit on Indigenous Australians’ experiences of colonisation in Australia.

  • by Lucy Carroll
A new unit on the era of colonisation will be introduced to deepen high school students’ knowledge about Aboriginal culture and past.
Exclusive

Indigenous experience of colonisation mandatory under school history overhaul

Indigenous Australians’ perspective of European colonisation will be taught to all year 7 to 10 students under proposed changes to the NSW history syllabus.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Students in 2021 were awarded higher grades compared with 2011 at some of the biggest NSW universities.
Exclusive

Distinctions with a difference: Top grades double for students at state’s biggest unis

About 40 per cent of students at the University of NSW and Sydney Uni picked up the two highest grades, new data shows.

  • by Lucy Carroll
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When she first graduated, Grose View Public School primary teacher Sarah Trestrail felt ill-equipped to  do her job.

‘Thrown in the deep end’: Inside the plan to fix the problems with teacher training

Sarah Trestrail did a four-year education degree, then quickly realised she had no practical skills to cope with the realities of the job.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Don’t Milsons Point that thing at me

Are these rumours in the range of normal?

Universities Australia chief Catriona Jackson says a homogenous messaging campaign for all university students in the country is unlikely to cut through.

Universities Australia defends dropping $1.5m sexual consent campaign

A national survey of 43,000 university students found one in six had been sexually harassed and one in 20 had been assaulted since they began their studies.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Frying in the chapel

Where anniversary waltz shifts to circle dance.

Alix Ratcliffe and her team teach Future You a module that encourages young women to consider studying STEM subjects

Girls have overtaken boys in science participation. In workplaces, it’s a completely different story

Young women get better grades in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but progress on jobs for women in these industries has been painfully slow.

  • by Liam Mannix
Universities have taken differing positions on the Voice referendum.

Where do universities stand on the Voice? For many, it’s complicated

Why are some universities advocating a Yes vote in the Voice referendum while others have not taken a position?

  • by Matt Wade
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Stamping out phishing attacks

Nigerian Prince takes the scenic route.

Family skiing holiday
Opinion

School holidays should be whenever parents say so

Principals should not get in the way of a family holiday, even if it is during school term.

  • by Brad Emery
Young people should be aware of the serious dangers from sharing nude images.
Opinion

The crucial area that the Welcome to Sex book gets wrong

Young people need clear advice on the dangers of sending nude images of a person under the age of 18 years

  • by Susan McLean
Put your practice to the test

Can you answer these 50 HSC questions?

From mathematics to business studies - take the 2023 HSC challenge.

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Carlos Sanson Jr’s ATAR never mattered but the lessons learnt from year 12 have served him well.

Carlos got a 95 ATAR. It was 95 more points than he needed

Bump star Carlos Sanson jr was part of the Reddam House cohort that catapulted the school into the HSC top 10. But to achieve his dream career, what he learnt at school mattered a lot more than his ATAR.

  • by Abby Seaman
Cheng topped Extension Science in 2019.
1:57

Eunice Cheng's top tips for HSC Science

Cheng topped Extension Science in 2019.

Syed completed her studies while competing in robotics competitions.
1:32

Daniya Syed's top tips for HSC Design and Technology

Syed completed her studies while competing in robotics competitions.

Ma was the 2020 dux of North Sydney Boys High.
2:54

Desmond Ma's top tips for HSC Legal Studies

Ma was the 2020 dux of North Sydney Boys High.

Dr Tam is responsible for every student's ATAR. Here she busts all the myths about how your ATAR is calculated.
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Dr Helen Tam explains how your ATAR is calculated

Dr Tam is responsible for every student's ATAR. Here she busts all the myths about how your ATAR is calculated.

Kruszelnicki has made a career out of a love of science.
2:15

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki gives his tips for HSC Science

Kruszelnicki has made a career out of a love of science.

Julia is planning a career in performing arts.
0:59

Julia Boyd's top tips for HSC Drama

Julia is planning a career in performing arts.

The star of the hit series Bump and former Reddam House student shares his secrets.
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Carlos Sanson Jr's top tips for HSC Drama

The star of the hit series Bump and former Reddam House student shares his secrets.

Kim topped the state in Extension 1 Mathematics and came seventh in Extension 2 in 2019.
0:59

Kim Zheng's top tips for HSC Mathematics

Kim topped the state in Extension 1 Mathematics and came seventh in Extension 2 in 2019.

Toby is set to study Electrical Engineering at university next year.
1:17

Toby Maroulis's top tips for HSC Electrotechnology

Toby is set to study Electrical Engineering at university next year.

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Kiran was the 2018 HSC Music dux.
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Kiran Gupta's top tips for HSC Music

Kiran was the 2018 HSC Music dux.

Justin Vihinen.

Treading a different path to the HSC

HSC Pathways offers students who have additional needs the opportunity to complete their studies over multiple years.

Kaitlyn Doan.

When the HSC leads straight to a dream job

VET courses help get students job ready. Here’s how to succeed in them.

Daniya Syed and her Medibot invention.

How an old Disney movie inspired Daniya to create a medical robot

Whether it’s a medical robot or a high-tech weather station, HSC technology subjects are an opportunity to indulge your passion.