Some private schools have introduced behaviour contracts for parents. Meanwhile, some states let principals ban abusive parents from public school grounds.
- Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Australian Catholic University
In 2025, nearly half of school leaders reported being subjected to physical violence. Almost 54% experienced threats of violence.
Boarding schools in Australia are diverse, and not like Hogwarts or other caricatures.
The federal government has released its ‘rapid review’ into school bullying. Most of the submissions came from parents.
New rules prompt schools to respond to harmful behaviour after hours. This makes them responsible for students after the bell and beyond.
In a new survey, one principal reported how a major source of distress is parents behaving in an ‘unreasonable manner’.
Both government and private schools are full of extremely useful and valuable facilities. But these are often closed to the public.
The federal education minister has warned ‘stubborn’ states they could miss out on extra funds if they don’t agree to the current offer on school reform.
New South Wales private school teachers are pushing for a pay rise with the help of their union. They want up to 7% more than their public school colleagues.
A major survey of Australian school principals finds they are copping abuse from parents and students on top of huge workloads. Many experienced leaders say they might leave the profession.
This is a big year for Australian education. State and federal governments are working out a major agreement on schools reform and the question of funding looms large.
It’s that time of year when it seems the more school fees parents pay, the less time their children spend in school.
The Victorian government has announced a $230 million package to encourage an extra 8,000 ‘future teachers’ into the profession.
Long gone are the days when a school report came on one handwritten page, with grades and comments like, ‘tried hard, but needs to try harder’.
In a new report, education authors Tom Greenwell and Chris Bonnor propose a framework to increase parental choice and improve equity in the school system.
An annual survey of Australian school leaders has discovered a worrying shift in threats to their health and wellbeing.
To use the language of a school report, the teacher shortage plan is a good effort and a positive start. But there are areas that need improvement.
One recommendation to fix inequity in Australia is for the government to fund non-government schools to the same degree as government schools, while banning them from charging fees.
International school enrolments have flatlined over the period 2016-2019, even as tertiary enrolments increased by more than 30% across the same period.
Fully funding private primary schools would significantly decrease inequity in Australia. And it wouldn’t cost the government too much more than it’s already spending on education.
Government schools remain open but many parents are already voluntarily keeping their children home in an effort to ‘flatten the curve’.
Many Australians have long have called for the government to stop funding private schools. Now the UK’s Labour party wants to get rid of private schools altogether. Could we do that here?
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