Education Matters Secondary April-June 2024

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Gamifying the message

Australia has hosted Esports tournaments consistently since the early 2000s, yet an industry insider claims that while Australia holds a lot of potential, the industry is largely untapped — both on a government and corporate level.

That might be about to change, with the rise in popularity of Esports in secondary schools and the growth of Esports competitions like the Australian Esports League for High Schools.

This transformation challenges preconceived ideas about gaming, positioning Esports as a dynamic tool for fostering learning and personal development. Educational institutions are beginning to embrace the trend, with Westbourne Grammar School partnering with JB Hi-Fi Education to establish a dedicated Esports room on its campus in Melbourne – read more in our in-depth feature on page 26.

The potential of Esports to revolutionise traditional teaching methods and curriculum design is becoming increasingly apparent. It means professional players like Australia’s Anathan ‘ana’ Pham – the third-highest earning Esports player of all time according to Esports Earnings – might soon have company at the top of the leaderboard.

Gamer Jack Buzza doesn’t appear in the top 25 players in Australia but his public profile is being leveraged in a new government campaign targeting youth vaping. A range of influencers popular with 14- to 20-year-olds, including Jack, are the face of the campaign that launched in February 2024 with the aim of sparking a conversation with the next generation of Australians about the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction.

TikTok is home to more than 18 billion posts with the hashtag #vape and Instagram has more than 18,000 ‘vaping influencer’ profiles solely dedicated to promoting vaping, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care. It wants to combat the misinformation on social media. Read the full story on page 16.

While social media is proving to be the battleground for pressing health issues such as vaping, it is also a platform teachers are using to reach disengaged students in literacy. In our regular Teacher’s Voice feature on page 24 in this issue, Cranbrook School teacher Ms Kate Kovalik elaborates on how she turned to social media to make teaching poetry more relevant and compelling to her class of Year 7 boys.

Commencing on page 38, our expert contributors in this issue address a mix of topics, from cultivating resilience in a crowded school environment, to the challenges of leading change, and potential reasons why teaching high school students personal finance may be failing.

We also review the rising cost of education, following a report stating it has jumped six per cent in the past year, placing a substantial burden on many Australian families, and look at how increased demand for schools in fast-growing suburbs has resulted in the opening of several new secondary and specialist schools.

Rhiannon Bowman

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FEATURES

23 Cost of an education

The price tag is placing a substantial burden on many Australian families.

26 Cover story

Westbourne Grammar School shares how it created a dedicated Esports Studio.

30 A simple equation of meeting demand

Kip McGrath has noticed increased demand for tutoring support in the wake of COVID.

33 Numbers don’t add up

Researchers say maths homework can sometimes cause more harm than good.

34 Virtual work experience

Technology is giving students in regional areas the opportunity to undertake work experience virtually.

36 How to build an Esports program

Lenovo’s products and services help students build community and practical skills.

38 Emotional resilience

Dr Jane Foster takes us inside cultivating resilience in a crowded school environment.

40 Tangling with your temple cats

Dr Stephen Brown illustrates the challenges of leading change.

41 VR and soft skills

Associate Professor Ling Mei Cong on innovative teaching for a job market in the wake of AI.

42 Teaching personal finance

Three reasons why teaching high school students personal finance isn’t working –and how to fix it.

44 Tree change

Education Matters speaks to one of the founders of an adventure park on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

46 Attracting teachers to ‘the Sunshine State’

Three teachers share why they chose Queensland to start or progress their teaching career.

48 National Education Summit preview

Free interactive programs and workshops delivered by experts in learning offer teachers the opportunity to earn valuable professional development hours.

52 A new dawn

New secondary schools have opened in Victoria and South Australia to meet the growing enrolment demand in city suburbs.

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“At the moment, Northern Territory public schools only get less than 80 per cent of the funding that David Gonski said they should.

In other words, one in five kids are not receiving funding. This agreement fixes that.”

Jason Clare, Minister for Education

‘No child left behind’ in NT under historic funding agreement

All Northern Territory public schools will be fully and fairly funded by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments following a historic agreement signed in March.

Both Governments have signed a Statement of Intent to increase funding for all public schools in the Northern Territory to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), by 2029.

This means Northern Territory public schools will reach the full and fair funding level two decades earlier than they would under current settings.

Under the agreement, the Australian Government will invest at least an additional $737.7 million from 2025 to 2029 in Northern Territory public schools.

The Northern Territory Government has committed to investing at least an additional $350 million over the same period.

Under the agreement, the most disadvantaged schools will receive additional funding first.

The Statement of Intent follows an agreement reached recently with the Western Australian Government to fully fund all WA public schools.

The Australian Government is committed to working with all states and territories to get all public schools in the country on a path to 100 per cent of the SRS.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his Government is committed to making sure that no

Australian child is left behind.

“Every young person, no matter where they live or their circumstances, deserves to have the best start to life – access to a world class education is critical to that,” he said.

“Education and equality go hand in hand, however access to quality education has been out of reach for many in the Northern Territory.

“This historic agreement is yet another example of how my Government is working constructively with State and Territory Government’s across the country to improve opportunities for Australians.”

Minister for Education Jason Clare said the agreement is a great example of the Commonwealth working with the Northern Territory to build a better and fairer education system.

“At the moment, Northern Territory public schools only get less than 80 per cent of the funding that David Gonski said they should. In other words, one in five kids are not receiving funding. This agreement fixes that,” he said.

“Under current settings, Northern Territory public schools weren’t expected to receive their full funding until the middle of the century. This fast tracks that by more than 20 years. This is what the Albanese Government means when we say no one held back and no one left behind.” EM

Education Ministers agree on timing of early university offers

Education Ministers have agreed that university offers to secondary school students in 2025 and 2026 should not be issued before September in the preceding year.

The practice of early university offers is not new but became widespread during the pandemic. Different jurisdictions and universities have different arrangements.

Some offers to secondary school students have been made as early as March.

“We need to ensure that early offers aren’t leading to students disengaging from school too early and that there’s more consistency across the board,” Minister for Education Jason Clare said.

“This agreement will deliver a standard approach for the next two years and allow time for further work to be done to develop a consistent and transparent approach moving forward,” he said.

In October last year, Ministers asked the Universities Accord expert panel to look at the issue and provide advice to Ministers.

Evidence suggests that early offers can undermine learning outcomes, contribute to students disengaging from school and unfairly impact students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Accord has recommended that a consistent, transparent national approach to early offers be adopted.

Ministers have agreed that early offers should not be issued before September this year and next year.

Ministers also agreed that a national framework, including how to improve transparency in early offers and admissions, should be developed in time for 2027 commencements.

Education Ministers will write to universities and relevant funding agreements will be updated to reflect this agreement. EM

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Urgent action needed to address school leader wellbeing crisis

The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) is calling for urgent action to address the escalating wellbeing crisis facing the nation’s school leaders, as revealed in the latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey.

ASPA President Andy Mison said the survey painted an alarming picture, with instances of physical violence towards principals up 76.5 per cent since 2011, and more than half of school leaders considering quitting or retiring early.

“We simply cannot ignore what the data trends have been telling us for well over a decade now,” Mr Mison said. “Heavy workloads, lack of time to focus on teaching and learning, and the mental health of students and staff are taking an enormous toll on our school leaders.”

“The extraordinary resilience principals continue to demonstrate in the face of these challenges is to be commended. But there is only so much they can take. If we don’t act now to better support them, many will follow through on their intention to leave, with devastating consequences for our schools.”

Mr Mison said the next Education Minister’s meeting must respond meaningfully to this report. ASPA is proposing a sixth priority area be added to the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to address the issues.

A Proposed Priority area 6 – ‘Retain and Sustain our Principals’ should:

• Fund ongoing research and monitoring of principal’s health and wellbeing.

• Incorporate principal’s health, safety and wellbeing into the next National School Reform Agreement.

• Review principal workload to identify the optimal distribution of administrative responsibilities among schools, education systems and other agencies.

• Invest in the training and development of skilled school administrative staff, and the business systems that support efficient school operations.

• Strengthen authority for principals to respond to unsafe and violent behaviour.

• Develop training and development programs specifically tailored to school principals.

• Develop frameworks for principal remuneration benchmarked against equivalent roles in industry and the public sector that recognises the significant value, complexity and responsibility of the role.

“We urgently need a coherent and effective approach to retaining and sustaining our vital school leadership workforce,” Mr Mison said.

“School leaders have been ignored for too long – it’s time for a genuine commitment and investment that makes their wellbeing a top priority. If you want happy, healthy and successful schools, you need happy, healthy and successful school leaders.”

Key findings from the survey include:

• Over half of principals subjected to threats of violence in 2023

• One in five principals reporting moderate to severe depression

• Heavy workload and lack of time top sources of stress.

ASPA is the national peak body representing government secondary school leaders in every Australian state and territory. EM

Report recommends trial to improve student performance

Australia should trial multi-school organisations to give schools a better chance of improving student performance, according to a Grattan Institute report released in March.

The report, Spreading success: Why Australian should trial multi-school organisations, claims too many children are treading water in schools that struggle to improve academic performance, meet students’ complex needs, or offer a rich set of life experiences.

“Principals are straining under the weight of expectations, and teachers frequently find themselves in workplaces that lack the resources and know-how to provide the training and career development essential for a strong profession,” it said.

“On their own, most schools are too small to marshal the experienced leadership, specialist expertise, and operational nous needed to provide an excellent education.”

The report finds that establishing multi-school organisations (MSOs) could help. MSOs are strong ‘families’ of schools, bound together through a united executive leadership that is accountable for students’ results.

Grattan Institute case studies show that effective MSOs increase the

odds of school improvement. Leading strong families of between 10 and 100 schools, these MSOs have a mandate to maintain high standards, and are accountable for doing so. Each has a clear blueprint for running an effective school, and the authority to enact this blueprint across multiple schools.

“These MSOs are small enough to understand – and ‘own’ – the specific challenges their principals, teachers, and students face. But they are also big enough to marshal the resources and expertise their schools need,” it said.

The Grattan Institute believes each Australian school sector should trial MSOs. It said: “State and territory governments and large Catholic dioceses should establish multiple trials. Independent schools –especially small ones – should consider working with others to trial MSOs too.”

It recommends each trial should start with a high-performing ‘beacon’ school, and gradually build to a family of 10 schools within a decade, with further growth possible after that. However, it noted, internationally, some MSOs have performed poorly or been mismanaged. EM

More teachers in NSW make the switch to maths

In the second year of the NSW Department of Education’s maths retraining program, another 40 primary and secondary teachers have started retraining so they are better able to prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, finance, management, social science and other fields.

The program creates new opportunities for teachers to progress as qualified mathematics teachers or as Head Teachers – Mathematics.

Supported by experienced maths teachers as mentors, participants complete a fully funded master’s program, graduate diploma or graduate certificate at the University of Newcastle, depending on their experience and career goals.

They study from five to 22 months, depending on which qualification is being studied for and whether the study is part-time or full-time.

The program has already supported seven teachers to receive their qualifications to teach mathematics and they are now being permanently appointed in schools.

Ms Zijing Barber completed the retraining program last year and is permanently employed at Kingscliff High School in northern NSW.

“The best part of the Mathematics Retraining Program is the collaborative learning environment,

and the supportive community of practice with other participants motivates and inspires me to excel in my learning journey,” she said.

The project lead at the University of Newcastle, Ms Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, said the program built on the university’s long history of working with teachers in specialised training.

“Since 2008, we’ve graduated more than 400 mathematics teachers through our retraining program, in some cases supported by NSW Department of Education scholarships,” she said. EM

Image: gpointstudio/stock.adobe.com

Forty primary and secondary teachers have started retraining.

“Since 2008, we’ve graduated more than 400 mathematics teachers through our retraining program.”

Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, University of Newcastle

New teacher resource to support students in understanding AI

A new online resource for teachers to help students develop their understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works, the elements that comprise it, and its responsible and ethical use has been developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

The new ‘Curriculum Connection’ resource means teachers will now be better equipped to teach about AI through the Australian Curriculum, covering the learning areas of Mathematics and Technologies, the general capabilities of Digital Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking, Numeracy and Literacy and the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability.

“Artificial intelligence is already an indispensable part of our lives and embedded into the digital tools people use every day,” ACARA’s Acting CEO Stephen Gniel said

“AI technologies have the potential to improve teaching and learning opportunities for students and provide enormous benefits for education, but we also need to educate children in how to stay safe as they use these technologies.”

He continued: “That’s why ACARA has taken a leading role on this

issue by developing a new resource to help our teachers equip our young people with the skills and knowledge they need to understand the challenges, opportunities and risks of AI. It provides an opportunity for young Australians to learn what AI is, how it works and how to use it responsibly and ethically.”

Developed in partnership with academic and teaching specialists in the AI field, the resource allows teachers and educators to develop age-appropriate learning programs based on the Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0, across a range of subjects and progression of learning from Foundation through to Year 10.

In addition, the new Curriculum Connection also links educators to a range of resources that have been developed to support teaching students about the concepts, skills and general capabilities necessary to understand and effectively use applications of AI or design future AI systems.

The Curriculum Connection – Artificial Intelligence is available on the resources section of the Australian Curriculum website: v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources. EM

More rebates available for schools to visit Canberra

The federal government is making it more affordable for students to visit the nation’s capital following bumper visitor numbers in 2023.

Following the success of last year, additional rebates are being extended for 2024.

Almost 89,000 school children visited Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial last year, an increase of 39 per cent from the previous year.

The Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program provides financial assistance for students to visit Canberra and experience national democratic, historical and cultural institutions first-hand.

Schools from outer regional, remote, very remote areas and disadvantaged schools are eligible for additional rebates in 2024. Additional rebates are being extended an extra year, following a successful pilot in 2023.

These additional rebates, for example, take the rebate amount for a

student from a remote, disadvantaged school in New South Wales, 500999 kilometres from Canberra, from $45 to $157.50.

For a student from a very remote, disadvantaged school in the Northern Territory, 3,000 kilometres or more from Canberra, the rebate will increase from $510 to $2,040.

“It’s important to get out of the classroom and experience our historical and cultural institutions first-hand – to see and feel our history at the War Memorial and Old Parliament House, and see it being made in the new Parliament,” Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare said.

“That’s why the Albanese Government is offering rebates for schools to make it more affordable to come to the Capital. I want more Australian students, wherever they live, to do this and that’s what these rebates do.”

The additional funding will apply to all schools that travel to Canberra in 2024, including those which have already completed visits. For more information, see www.pacer.org.au. EM

Research highlights long-term mental health benefits of school belonging

A ground-breaking study has shed light on the crucial role school belonging plays in shaping mental wellbeing in adolescents.

School belonging, characterised by positive affect towards school, strong relationships with teachers, and feeling socially valued, has long been associated with immediate benefits for students’ mental health.

The project was a collaboration between Monash University, Deakin University, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and the University of Melbourne.

“The results emphasise the need for sustained interventions and programs that extend beyond the school setting, establishing a strong foundation for positive engagement in various environments during the transition to adulthood.”

Professor Andrea Reupert from the Faculty of Education and co-author of the paper said in order to prevent mental health in adulthood, change must start in school.

“The study highlights the significance of adolescent

school belonging, particularly the feeling of being socially valued, as a protective factor against later mental health issues.”

Kelly-Ann Allen, Associate Professor, Monash Faculty of Education

Researchers studied more than 1,500 young adults in one of Australia’s longest running population-based studies of socio-emotional development, to reveal the long-term mental health outcomes of school belonging on the transition to adulthood.

The research assessed school belonging at the age of 15–16 and mental health symptoms at age 19–20, 23–24, and 27–28 years.

Lead author, Associate Professor Kelly-Ann Allen from Monash Faculty of Education, said the findings indicate that higher levels of school belonging are linked to lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress in young adulthood.

“The study highlights the significance of adolescent school belonging, particularly the feeling of being socially valued, as a protective factor against later mental health issues,” she said.

“Schools are opportunistic sites for mental health prevention and promotion, especially for vulnerable young people. Promoting school belonging and student wellbeing may protect against other vulnerabilities such as adverse home conditions,” she said. EM

Researchers studied more than 1,500 young adults.

Image: nateejindakum/stock.adobe.com

Earlier NAPLAN results benefit schools and students

Delivering literacy and numeracy test results to schools earlier than has ever been attempted before will be no easy feat, but it’s crucial to ensuring every student can reach their potential, says Stephen Gniel, Acting CEO of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

Schools across the country will receive individual student and school National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results for reading, numeracy, spelling, and grammar and punctuation earlier in the school year than ever before.

We announced the change as 1.3 million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across more than 9,400 schools throughout the country started NAPLAN testing on 13 March.

Under the changes, schools and education authorities will receive preliminary school and student results from the assessments early in Term 2, around four weeks after the test period has ended on 25 March.

This is eight weeks earlier than in 2023, a full school term earlier than 2022 and the earliest in the history of NAPLAN.

This means teachers will have more time to consider the results alongside their own assessments, and then use them to inform their teaching and learning programs in the current school year.

The earlier results and these benefits to schools and students are being delivered following national agreement from all Education Ministers to move the NAPLAN tests to Term 1 from 2023.

Providing earlier results to schools supports teachers to help every student reach their potential.

NAPLAN is invaluable as a national assessment that allows us to see whether young Australians are developing critical

literacy and numeracy skills for learning, using a national, objective scale.

Getting the results to schools sooner is a key benefit of having moved the assessment from May to March last year, as well as delivering the tests fully online.

It will help support schools in understanding where their students have performed well and areas for improvement, as well as shape teaching and learning programs.

Delivering on our commitment to provide earlier results is being realised thanks to the work of teachers and school leaders, as well as collaboration between all states and territories and the Commonwealth.

NAPLAN assessments help governments, education authorities and schools see whether Australian children are reaching important literacy and numeracy goals.

NAPLAN also allows parents and carers to see how their child is progressing against national literacy and numeracy standards. Students can also get an insight into where they are placed on their own individual learning journey.

With more than 4.4 million tests expected to be sat this year, NAPLAN is an important measure, but it must be kept in perspective.

It is one assessment tool that we have in addition to a school’s own assessments and, most importantly, the teacher’s knowledge of their students.

Given the scale of the operation, getting the results to schools earlier will be no easy feat to deliver, but we are committed to

skills that are being developed in the classroom every day, with questions based mostly on what students have been taught from previous years of schooling.

More than 2,500 different test questions have been set, tested and checked as part of this year’s assessments, which will assess how Australian students are performing in reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling and numeracy.

Preliminary results will be provided to schools in all domains except writing, which takes longer to mark.

Schools will receive their full results, including writing, from June 2024, after which parents and carers receive their child’s Individual Student Report at the start of Term 3.

We then expect to publish the National Results in August 2024. EM

For

Image: ACARA

Stephen Gniel.

Supporting principals to lead with authority

Australian Secondary Principals Association president Andy Mison reflects on how the role of principal has become more complex, and increasingly precarious.

Image: ASPA

Former principal Mr Andy Mison has succeeded Mr Andrew Pierpoint as president of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA), taking over in October 2023 for a four-year term. Mr Mison has led and managed schools of different sizes, levels, and specialisations, as well as delivered innovative programs in performing arts, digital education, and vocational training. He has also contributed to the development of the Australian Curriculum in the arts and the implementation of remote learning and vaccination initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The core purpose of schools is to educate and empower students to reach their full potential. As principals, we have an immense responsibility and privilege to lead this mission in our school communities. We must create the conditions for students to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

However, bureaucratic requirements have increasingly constrained principals through administrative and compliance demands. From 2008 to 2018, principal working hours increased by 15 per cent on paperwork alone, while time on instructional leadership decreased (Dilkes et al., 2020). These systemic burdens divert focus from learning and wellbeing, which have declined over the past decade according to international assessments (Thomson et al., 2019). The job has become much more complex, and increasingly precarious. Indeed, the annual Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey shows rates of burnout, occupational violence and other stressors continuing to rise at rates well above what is average for the population.

Finding the right balance of autonomy and accountability is crucial. Research shows principals should have authority over areas like staffing, budgets and curriculum to lead effectively, while systems retain responsibility for funding formulas, infrastructure, and some regulations to ensure quality and equity across schools (OECD, 2016). Though principals need flexibility to customise programs, systems establish important common standards and can augment school capacity through targeted resources and expertise. We must have clarity on who

decides what at each level of the education system. Principals need autonomy in key domains linked to outcomes, while understanding where system-level policies safeguard students’ learning opportunities. With appropriately demarcated responsibility, mutual trust and transparency, we can leverage both site-based leadership and system-wide infrastructure.

So, a rebalancing is required. We need autonomy over staffing, budgets, curriculum and more to meet our students’ needs, along with investment in the skilled administrative staff and contemporary business systems that are commonplace in industry. Research shows such authority is strongly correlated with higher achievement, graduation rates and student satisfaction (Caldwell, 2016). Autonomy, rather than devolved responsibility for compliance, allows customising programs to local contexts versus a one-size-fitsall model. Such flexibility to respond to community need is only possible when principals have increased authority over decisions about how best to target resources in their school.

While accountable for quality, systems must enable rather than constrain schools. We need streamlined administration, sufficient funding and system-wide learning cultures focused on teacher development and evidence-based practices. Systems can support principals through resources and capacity building while allowing contextual decisions at the local level, and there have been good examples of this already in Australia. It’s also fair to say that education bureaucracies and systems require

increased resourcing, which can be politically unpalatable and hard to justify in times of teacher shortage.

Bureaucratic control does not ensure excellence. The past decade or more of flat-lining or declining outcomes in spite of the national standardised testing regime and various school evaluation frameworks shows this. Trust in principals is essential, paired with transparency and responsibility for outcomes.

The essential bureaucratic structures that distribute funding, manage HR, infrastructure and other system functions would be improved by routine, formalised feedback from school leaders as the end-users, not only on the efficacy of their services, but also in the design of delivery.

Real change requires a collective effort. Principals must step up as community and learning leaders, schools must be empowered

ASPA unification strengthens national voice

The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) has announced that the New South Wales Secondary Principals’ Council (NSWSPC) and the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals (VASSP) have formally affiliated with ASPA.

This historic re-unification brings together all state and territory public secondary school principals’ associations under the ASPA banner as the national peak body for the first time in a decade.

ASPA president Mr Andy Mison said the unification positions ASPA as the undisputed national voice for Australia’s more than 2,200 government combined and secondary school principals, who look after more than one million students.

“We can better advocate for principals and the communities they lead across Australia, from securing adequate funding and resources, to ensuring principals feel supported in these demanding and essential roles,” he said.

“Principals now have a stronger advocate in their corner.”

With strengthened national influence, Mr Mison said ASPA will pursue key goals including advocating for needs-based funding for all public secondary schools to reach 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard, as a minimum.

The peak body will also be calling for sustained capital investment to upgrade ageing school infrastructure across Australia.

Its key goals also include:

• Measuring and reporting on the social segregation between schools

with autonomy and systems need a new mindset focused on service and facilitation. We all own this challenge, and none of it can be realistically achieved without significant and sustainable investment in Australian education generally.

Our students deserve learning communities where they can achieve their potential. This vision should drive every education stakeholder. With empowered principals as the authoritative lead learners in our schools, we can transform outcomes and ensure every student thrives. We principals have the skills and experience, we need to be bold and take the lead. EM

References:

Caldwell, B.J. (2016). The Autonomy Premium: Professional Autonomy and Student Achievement in the 21st Century. Routledge.

Dilkes, J., Cunningham, C. & Gray, J. (2020). The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey. Australian Catholic University. Hattie, J. (2015). What Works Best in Education: The Politics of Collaborative Expertise. Pearson.

Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L. & Underwood, C. (2019). PISA 2018: Reporting Australia’s Results. Australian Council for Educational Research. OECD (2016). School Leadership for Learning: Insights from TALIS 2013, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris.

and its effect on students.

• Leading the debate about the future of secondary schooling, assessment and certification.

• Funding and developing nationally consistent approaches to supporting principal health, safety and wellbeing, including minimum standards for system-level support.

• Recognising, respecting, retaining and sustaining the current and aspiring principals who lead Australian schools in every community.

NSWSPC president Mr Craig Petersen said the NSWSPC is proud to join with its interstate colleagues.

“This will amplify our voice and influence as we advocate for the needs of NSW public school principals and their school communities. It will strengthen support for all the principals dedicated to delivering quality public education.”

VASSP president Mr Colin Axup said Victoria’s principals are excited to help unite school leaders from every jurisdiction as part of ASPA.

“Working together, we can powerfully represent the collective interests of secondary schools nationwide and lead the national secondary education dialogue.”

ASPA held a National Education Summit at Parliament House in Canberra on 26 March. Titled ‘Equity in Australian Secondary Education: Crossing the Divide’, the summit was part of a national leadership conversation about the future of secondary school education in Australia.

Trust in principals is essential, paired with transparency and responsibility for outcomes.

Image: PRASERT/stock.adobe.com

A matter of influence

An influencer-led youth vaping campaign aims to spark a conversation with the next generation of Australians about the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction.

The Australian Government’s world leading vaping reforms are progressing, with the latest stage of import restrictions taking effect from 1 March, and the launch of a government communications campaign targeting youth vaping.

According to the Minister for Health and Aged Care Mr Mark Butler, social media is awash with pro-vaping content. He describes it as misinformation cynically promoted and stoked by the vaping and tobacco industry.

“There is an enormous amount of misinformation and online advertising designed to lure teenagers into vaping,” Mr Butler said.

“Education is a key step to stopping Big Tobacco companies from luring a new

generation into nicotine dependency.”

TikTok is home to more than 18 billion posts with the hashtag #vape and Instagram has more than 18,000 ‘vaping influencer’ profiles solely dedicated to promoting vaping, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care.

To borrow a political expression, ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’, the government is turning to influencers to raise awareness about the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction, using communication platforms including music streamer ‘Spotify’ and school leaver resource ‘Year13’.

“It’s pretty clear that teenagers don’t watch TV or listen to Health Ministers, much as I might like them to, which is why we’ve partnered with influencers that young

people listen to: from comedians, to sport stars and gamers, and everyone in between,” Mr Butler said.

A range of influencers popular with 14- to 20-year-olds, including Ella Watkins (a writer and actor), Ellyse Perry (a cricketer), Zahlia and Shyla Short (surfers), the Fairbairn Brothers (comedians), and JackBuzza (a gamer), have been engaged to combat the misinformation on social media.

Some have experienced the dangers of vaping and nicotine addiction firsthand, like junior professional surfers Zahlia and Shyla Short from Wollongong, who have both supported a family member to quit vaping.

“These influencers already have the attention of young Australians, and span the arenas of gaming, comedy, sport and other lifestyle interests. They will reach young people in their own unique style and tone, communicating authentically about the harms and reasons not to vape,” Mr Butler said.

Later this year, product standards

Use of e‑cigarettes among teenagers has increased five fold from 2019.

Image: OSORIOartist/stock.adobe.com

“As young women, we witness on a regular basis our friends and dear ones be tempted by vaping. Not only do we worry about the health concerns, but we also worry about the environmental concerns.”

–Zahlia Short

for therapeutic vapes will be strengthened, including to limit flavours, reduce permissible nicotine concentrations and require pharmaceutical packaging.

Number one issue

In an interview on Sunrise in February 2024, Minister for Education Jason Clare said nine out of 10 vape stores are within walking distance of schools.

“These companies that make these things are targeting our kids. You walk into one of these stores and you’ve got vapes that look like highlighters that you can hide in a pencil case; you’ve got flavours that you’d see in an ice cream store, and it’s working, because one in six kids in high school at the moment tell us they’re vaping and the impact is massive,” he said.

His comments followed a warning that vaping is the number one behavioural issue in schools in South Australia, with students reportedly skipping classes to vape in toilets, and suffering nicotine withdrawals, leading to disruptive behaviour in the classroom.

“It’s not just South Australia, this is across the whole country,” Mr Clare said.

Since the government introduced a ban on 1 January on the importation of single-use disposable vapes, the Australian Border Force and Therapeutic Goods Administration have seized more than 360,000 vapes worth almost $11 million in operations across Australia.

“If this is supposed to be a drug to get you off cigarettes, then you should need a script from the doctor and buy it from the chemist, not from a vape store or corner store that’s round the corner from a school,” Mr Clare told Sunrise

Statistically, vaping is inarguably on the rise among young Australians. A report on Australian secondary school students’ use of alcohol and other substances showed a significantly higher proportion of students (20 per cent) reported use of inhalants in 2022-2023 compared to 2014 (16 per cent). Over 10,000 students aged 12 to 17 years participated in the survey between March 2022 and July 2023 as part of a report prepared for the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Similarly, recent figures from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey show current use of e-cigarettes among teenagers aged 14–17 increased five-fold from 1.8 per cent in 2019 to 9.7 per cent in 2022–2023. For young

adults aged 18–24, use quadrupled from 5.3 per cent to 21 per cent over the same period.

Almost one in four (23 per cent) people aged 14 to 17 who were currently using e-cigarettes reported that they used e-cigarettes every day during the past 30 days. For people aged 18 to 24, it was similar (26 per cent).

Socially unacceptable

The use of social influencers to promote a healthy lifestyle is still a relatively new frontier in health communication, and whether the government’s campaign will be effective is yet to be seen.

Four years ago, researchers at the University of Chicago wanted to investigate how content and source features of Twitter messages about an anti-tobacco campaign –known as the truth campaign – influence their popularity, support, and reach.

The research findings revealed that

“I know in the gaming and content space, a lot of young people vape without understanding the health consequences of that choice, including the addictive nature of vaping.”

– Jack Buzza

Zahlia Short, junior professional surfer.

Jack Buzza, gamer. Images: Department of Health and Aged Care Images: Department of Health and Aged Care

to us that we support a campaign that will educate people on the harms of vaping and help them seek support if they want it.”

campaigns that utilised social influencers as message sources generated more campaignbranded and sharable content – for example, campaign hashtags – and greater volume of tweets and reach per day.

According to the study, ‘Boosting Health Campaign Reach and Engagement Through Use of Social Media Influencers and Memes’, influential users posted fewer organic messages and more branded/sharable content, generating greater reach compared to noninfluencers.

“Harnessing cultural elements endemic to social media, such as popular content creators (influencers) and messages (memes), is a promising strategy for improving health campaign interest and engagement,” the researchers noted.

They also found oppositional messages decreased over time.

YouTube too

Fifteen seconds is all it takes for the NSW Government to get across its message that ‘every vape is a hit to your health’ in its campaign launched in January 2024, a month before the federal government campaign.

Developed in consultation with young people and medical experts, the NSW campaign amplifies the voices of people aged 14-24 who have experienced the harms of vaping.

The campaign uses powerful short advertisements on YouTube to encourage young people to consider the proven health harms of vaping, such as nicotine addiction, lung damage, breathlessness, nicotine poisoning and burns from exploding vapes.

It follows the latest NSW Population Health Survey showing current vaping among people aged 16-24 has significantly increased to 16.5 per cent in 2021-22, up from 4.5 per cent two years prior.

The ‘Every vape is a hit to your health’ campaign builds on NSW Health’s successful ‘Do you know what you’re vaping?’ campaign and Vaping Toolkit, and provides a range of support pathways for young people.

vape use would have significant consequences for both mental and physical performance on and off the field.” – Ellyse Perry

– Lachlan Fairbairn

In 2023-24, the NSW Ministry of Health will invest $25 million on tobacco and e-cigarette control in NSW. This includes an investment by Cancer Institute NSW of more than $3 million in the new vaping campaign. The NSW Government is also contributing to the National peers vape, so it’s important

Lachlan Fairbairn, comedian.

Ellyse Perry, cricketer.

Vaping Working Group established by the Federal Government in November 2023.

An additional $2.5 million is also being invested over the next 12 months to increase services to help young people quit vaping, including a new digital platform, enhancements to the iCanQuit platform and an online learning module for youth services across the state.

This comes after the NSW Government convened a roundtable last year to address the growing issue of vaping in schools.

Since then the NSW Department of Education is continuing to update the curriculum resources so they better address the dangers of vaping.

An online training module for school staff is also being created to have conversations with students, and webinar resources will soon be available for parents and carers.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said vaping is a serious issue and it is having a significant impact on students and young people.

“I’m very vocal with friends and family about the negative physical and mental health effects of vaping and I’m really pleased to be joining this campaign and helping to spread such an important message to young Australians.” – Ella Watkins

“It is important that as we work together to tackle the scourge of vaping, we lead with an evidenced-based approach, and bring the experiences of young people to the forefront,” she said.

“This is part of our strategy to tackle vaping, particularly addressing the impact on young people.” EM

Ella Watkins, actor and content creator

Images: Department of Health and Aged Care

A foundation year

When new Melbourne school, Brinbeal Secondary College, opened its doors in Term 1, 2024, foundation Principal Simon Haber was there to greet its first cohort of students. He speaks to Education Matters about leading a new school.

Brinbeal Secondary College in Tarneit opened at the beginning of the 2024 school year in response to the continuing population growth in Melbourne’s west. In its first year of operation, it has opened to Year 7 students only, and will progress by year level thereafter. Simon Haber was appointed as the first principal of the new school.

The school was known by its interim name, Riverdale Secondary School, during planning and design. Brinbeal Secondary College was chosen as the new school’s name following a two-week community consultation. Brinbeal (pronounced brin-bill) is a Bunurong word meaning rainbow.

supported inclusion school, which is a mainstream school with additional professional capabilities and facilities designed to cater for a higher than usual proportion of students with disability. Students with disability receive enhanced support and high-quality, evidence-based educational provision alongside mainstream students to the greatest extent possible in a safe, accessible and supportive environment. Foundation Principal Simon Haber has been an educator for more than 20 years and a principal since 2018 prior to joining Brinbeal Secondary College.

regional and metro. Simon is passionate about creating safe and inclusive schools that ensure all students can maximise their learning outcomes and meet their pathway dreams. His leadership is underpinned by creating schools that focus on the learning and wellbeing needs of all students, while

Image: Simon Haber

Simon Haber.

Brinbeal Secondary College has opened to Year 7 students only, and will progress by year level thereafter.

Images: Brinbeal Secondary College

What is the school’s philosophy and how does it guide you and your staff?

Brinbeal Secondary College is committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all students, staff and members of our community. Our school recognises the importance of the partnership between our school and parents and carers to support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. We share a commitment to, and a responsibility for, creating an inclusive and safe school environment for our students.

How does the school differ from other schools?

As a supported inclusion school, we share a commitment to, and a responsibility for, creating an inclusive and safe school environment for all our students.

At Brinbeal Secondary College, students with disabilities are provided enhanced support to receive high quality, evidence-based educational provision alongside mainstream students to the greatest extent possible in a safe, accessible and supportive environment.

How do you provide support and leadership to your staff?

As principal, I firstly ensure I am providing a safe and supportive workplace for all staff where they feel they are valued, where they have agency and voice in decision making and future directions and priorities.

As a new school, we want to ensure all staff, teachers and education support are actively involved in the creation of a positive school culture that supports the learning of all students in a safe and orderly learning environment and delivers high quality curriculum options for students to achieve their personal goals.

How do you encourage wellbeing among your staff and students?

Students have access to a range of qualified wellbeing support staff. The college runs a variety of wellbeing learning and programs both within the curriculum and as additional extracurricular opportunities – this includes utilising groups such as Reach and local youth services.

We acknowledge that every student can and has the right to learn, we acknowledge the individual needs of all students, and we celebrate the strengths of every student.

Brinbeal Secondary College has capacity for 1,300 students, including 100 places for students with disability. The school is designed to be environmentally sustainable and easy to manage.

Students have access to a range of qualified wellbeing support staff.

In terms of staff wellbeing, we focus on collaboration among staff, where staff work in supported teams to share the workload. We focus on professional growth and risk-taking to help staff build skills. All leaders at Brinbeal have an open-door philosophy and are approachable. We ensure staff maintain work/life balance and provide structure and time to ensure teachers can focus on the work that matters.

What role do you play in the day-to-day activities of your students?

I take a hands-on and highly visible approach with our students. From coaching various sporting teams, spending regular time in the yard during breaks to regular classroom observations. As principal, I want to ensure I am not only approachable to staff but also to our students and families.

What are some of the challenges faced by teachers in the secondary sector?

and learning growth.

The key challenge for teachers in the secondary sector are around time. Time to plan, assess and report on the learning within each of their classes for their students. Secondary teachers teach an average of 80-100 students each week. The needs of students can vary and therefore teachers need to be able to make regular adjustments to the learning to meet the needs of their students. As schools, we need to ensure we have adequate supports and structures in place that allow teachers to focus on the work that matters – student learning.

What has been your most memorable moment either as a teacher or specifically in the role of principal?

The opportunity to open a brand-new school this year has been a very unique experience. The opportunity to create everything from scratch – as a new school we have no history –therefore we have the opportunity to establish every element of the school and consider new ways of supporting and achieving quality outcomes for all our students.

What are your feelings about NAPLAN and its effectiveness?

Like all assessment, the effectiveness of NAPLAN is about how we use the data. The move to an online and adaptive test gives us greater understanding of student achievement

NAPLAN helps teachers identify students who require greater challenges or additional support while also enabling the college to identify strengths and if any, gaps in teaching programs and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.

What traits make for an effective and successful leader in education today?

To be an effective and successful leader within education today, principals need to ensure they are high quality instructional leaders who exhibit exceptional interpersonal skills and

ourselves and our staff accountable while creating a safe and welcoming climate.

We must ensure we are approachable to all our community – staff, students, families and the wider local community.

As principals we need to have an unrelenting focus on improving teaching and learning to ensure as a learning community we are making significant impact on student achievement.

We also need to ensure we are creating a workplace culture where all staff, teachers and education support are valued, see the purpose in their roles and responsibilities and are driven

Victoria’s Minister for Education Ben Carroll (centre) officially opened Tarneit’s new school.

The new school’s name was chosen following a two-week community consultation.

Cost of education keeps rising

The total cost of education has jumped six per cent in the past year, placing a substantial burden on many Australian families.

Canberra is Australia’s most affordable city for a Government education – but most expensive for a Catholic education – according to the latest research on the cost of education.

The Futurity Investment Group Investment in Education Index, released in January 2024, reveals Australia’s most affordable and expensive cities and regions for a Government, Catholic and Independent education.

It found:

• Melbourne is Australia’s most expensive city for a Government education ($108,879), an increase of $6,072 compared to last year.

• Canberra is Australia’s most expensive city for a Catholic education ($208,871), an increase of $11,204 compared to 2023.

• Sydney is Australia’s most expensive city for an Independent education ($377,993), an increase of $20,062 compared to 2023.

Futurity Investment Group CEO Mr Sam Sondhi says the costs associated with education are placing a substantial burden on many Australian families.

“Households are already stretched by spiralling cost of living and interest rate pressures,” Mr Sondhi says.

“With less discretionary money to spend, it’s going to be a challenge for many families to pay for the total cost of education, which has jumped six per cent in the past year.

“It’s forecast school fees and a host of major school expenses including outside tuition, school camps, transport, uniforms, electronic devices and sports equipment will increase upwards of 14 per cent in the next five years, and by almost 30 per cent in the next decade.”

Futurity Investment Group commissioned McCrindle to conduct its annual research into the cost of education and parent experience with education in Australia.

The Cost of Education in Australia report is

the collation of quantitative data collected in an online survey of Australian parents from 19 to 24 October 2023.

According to the report, more than four in five parents (85 per cent) believe education is extremely or very important to their child thriving in life.

Many parents (76 per cent) strongly or somewhat agree that education is essential to future proofing their child’s careers but fewer (64 per cent) are actively involved in helping prepare their child financially for their future education.

The report revealed the greatest influence on parents when deciding on schools is location (35 per cent), followed by reputation (28 per cent) and cost (25 per cent).

The greatest barriers that parents face when having to make their decision, however, is cost (33 per cent), followed by zoning (20 per cent). One in three parents (32 per cent) faced no barriers in being able to send their child to their preferred school.

The research has also highlighted that education comes at significant cost to Australian families. More than four in five parents (85 per cent) find paying for their child’s school fees or voluntary contributions is having a negative impact on their household finances, with one in three (34 per cent) finding this to have a significant or moderate negative impact.

“The most common challenge parents face for the cost of their child’s education is having to go without buying things for themselves (36 per cent) and to sacrifice family holidays (25 per cent),” the report states.

It acknowledged parents work hard to prepare financially, with two in five (44 per cent) having been extremely or very intentional about preparing for the cost of educating their child.

“Savings are the most common way

parents have paid for costs associated with their child’s schooling. Parents are three times as likely to be paying through savings (76 per cent) than they are to pay with credit card (24 per cent) – the second most common method,” the report says.

Despite most parents having intentions to financially contribute to their child’s lifelong education, only one in three (34 per cent) feel extremely or very equipped to do so. The greatest proportion (55 per cent) feel just somewhat or slightly equipped, while 12 per cent feel not equipped at all.

Notably, government (38 per cent) and independent school parents (40 per cent) are more likely than Catholic school parents (31 per cent) to believe it’s their role to contribute to their child’s lifelong education through their whole life. Independent school parents predominately feel extremely or very financially equipped to contribute to their child’s education (45 per cent, compared with 32 per cent government school parents, 30 per cent Catholic school parents). EM

Futurity Investment Group commissioned McCrindle to conduct its annual research into the cost of education in Australia.

Image: Futurity Investment Group

#poetryisnotdead: Rethinking English pedagogy

When Cranbrook English teacher Kate Kovalik noticed many of her Year 7 students were disengaged, she turned to social media to make teaching poetry more relevant and compelling.

I was recently faced with the classroom conundrum of making poetry interesting and engaging for a class of high-potential Year 7 English students. To help connect students with poetry, I thought it was important to acknowledge the world we’re living in now. Students are online, interacting in real time, creating, and absorbing media content constantly. I

wanted to explore what would happen if we united our curriculum with some of those familiar social media experiences to make teaching poetry more relevant and compelling.

In 2019, the United Kingdom Literacy Association published the Honours Thesis I completed at The University of Sydney. My research, titled ‘#poetryisnotdead:

understanding Instagram poetry within a transliteracies framework’, explored the implications of Instagram’s poetry communities on English pedagogy. It found that interacting with poetry on a social media platform increased exposure to, and relevance of, poetry writing and appreciation. The platform also created a space for young people to engage in

“I started by looking at the attitudes towards poetry held by my Year 7 English class by asking my students to complete a survey. Their attitudes were mixed, though predominantly negative. Some students described poetry as boring, old-fashioned, and pointless.”

writing, reading, and analysis of poems, and was a relevant method of peer review and collaboration.

I found that young people are composing multimodal creative works, including digital poetry, to share with an online audience using social media platforms such as Instagram. Poets and composers, such as New York Times bestselling author Rupi Kaur, connect and provide feedback through online poetry communities. Social media has been exceptional for poetry because it is able to unite voices from all around the world. On Instagram, there’s a growing community of people who are writing poems, sharing them, and receiving real-time feedback in a collaborative and authentic way.

Images: Cranbrook School

English teacher Kate Kovalik.

My 2019 research found that community and interactivity are important to poets, especially regarding feedback. The platform and complementary apps, especially those used for photo editing, afforded poets agency and fostered multimodality when composing, thus highlighting the changing nature of digitised writing practices.

Fast forward to 2023, where I now work as an English teacher at Cranbrook School. Although most students approached English with enthusiasm, there was a pervading sense of discontent around poetry, particularly in the younger years. I thought back to the thesis I had worked on at university and decided to investigate whether classroom engagement would increase if poetry was explored through a more contemporary lens.

I started by looking at the attitudes towards

poetry held by my Year 7 English class by asking my students to complete a survey. Their attitudes were mixed, though predominantly negative. Some students described poetry as boring, old-fashioned, and pointless. With this evidence, I was curious to test whether engaging these students in poetry writing using a multimodal form of publishing, and offering real-time feedback within a safe classroom environment, could increase their enthusiasm and improve their experience.

Cranbrook’s Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) is about evidence-informed classroom practice. It is a systematic inquiry by teachers with the goals of becoming more reflective practitioners, effecting changes in the classroom, and improving student outcomes. I worked with The Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) to define the research parameters and to plan a lesson sequence that explored whether poetry would become more engaging if taught in an environment that mimics the one found on Instagram.

After watching the film Whale Rider, my Year 7 students wrote a poem based on the perspective of a character of choice. They then went online to Canva to publish their poem as a multimodal piece with text and symbolic images. The students then published their poetry in class and were given real-time feedback from their classmates in a way that mimicked the poetry community on Instagram. Overall, the students produced poems that demonstrated greater insight into the film than I had seen from previous activities.

To conclude this research, each student submitted a voice recording about their experience. Analysis found students enjoyed the process, saying that publishing their poetry as a multimodal text was a dynamic learning activity that helped them build empathy for characters. They also enjoyed receiving realtime feedback in a format they were used to.

It was wonderful to see teenage boys writing and enjoying poetry in a format that went beyond just words on a page. Of course, embedding multimodal text types or digital tools into classroom activities are not ‘silver bullets’ when it comes to classroom engagement. However, providing students with variety during poetry instruction, giving time to experiment with form and digital tools, and

“Social media has been exceptional for poetry because it is able to unite voices from all around the world. On Instagram, there’s a growing community of people who are writing poems, sharing them, and receiving real-time feedback in a collaborative and authentic way.”

providing them with a level of choice in how they composed and formatted their poem, did increase levels of classroom engagement.

Teaching in this way worked well for a high-potential English class because it gave the students more agency and freedom in their learning, as well as an element of challenge. With some more scaffolding, I believe this unit could be re-worked to appeal to different groups of students as well.

Overall, my research found engagement levels with poetry increased when publishing works as a multimodal text. This lesson sequence demonstrated that real-time classroom feedback made the unit more relevant and engaging in a contemporary learning environment. In the words of one student, “I always used to think it [poetry] wasn’t a good way of representing anything. But now I really get to see how you can express characters’ feelings and emotions really well in the poetry.” EM

Year 7 students wrote a poem based on the perspective of a character in the film Whale Rider.

Students used Canva to publish their poem as a multimodal piece with text and symbolic images.

More than a game: the rise of Esports in schools

Esports has grown from a niche activity to a mainstream movement, becoming increasingly structured in tertiary institutions and secondary schools. Education Matters talks to Westbourne Grammar School about how it created a dedicated Esports Studio and program on campus.

Australian teams remain underdogs in most international Esports competitions – but that could be about to change, with the growing interest in competitive gaming rippling through the education sector.

The Australian Esports League, schools in competitions across a series of games including the High School Cup.

Overseeing that is the Australian Esports Association (AESA), an independent and non-profit organisation actively driving the advancement of Esports Australia’s first university Esports program in 2017, providing a pathway from amateur to professional participation in all aspects of Esports.

In August 2023, University of Technology Sydney opened a gaming

Westbourne Grammar School’s Esports Studio offers students access to state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality gaming technology.

And last year, Westbourne Grammar School, a P-12 co-educational school in Truganina, Melbourne, opened a dedicated Esports Studio on campus.

The benefits of Esports in education Mr Gavin May has seen first-hand the excitement in secondary school students competing in Esports.

He has had numerous conversations with schools and IT personnel about setting up Esports infrastructure, both in his current role as National Education Program Manager at JB Hi-Fi Education, and in previous positions.

“I’ve had 20 years’ experience working in schools and with schools, providing technology solutions. There’s absolutely no doubt that children today are heavily interested in computerised gaming,” Mr May, who joined JB Hi-Fi Education in 2021, says.

“Esports goes one step further. It’s more organised. Students are working on improving collaboration skills and fine motor skills, but also in that gamification of learning, it can involve role play or strategy. There’s more to it than playing shooting games.”

Mr May says Esports is also an effective way of engaging students in a controlled and inclusive manner. Competitions are drawing large crowds of players – and spectators too.

“We’re seeing increased involvement of girls in Esports in schools – it’s not purely a male domain. I’ve seen tournaments where girls are super enthused and really supporting their classmates. That fosters real team engagement as well,” he says.

In addition, it creates an inclusive and engaging learning environment. For example, Minecraft: Education Edition is a game-based platform that inspires creative, inclusive learning through play. Esports is also credited with developing technical skills in IT and STEM-related subjects, including game design, computer science, programming, and data analysis.

It develops soft skills including communication, leadership, problem solving and strategising. Esports’ use of immersive technologies and headsets to create virtual environments can increase students’ spatial awareness, Mr May says.

“Esports improves communication and planning skills, and quick thinking, and it’s a

safe space where students can learn from their mistakes. If they make a mistake when playing Esports, it’s not the end of the world – but it presents a ‘teachable moment’, to use school parlance,” he says.

Esports offers a bonafide career path. Australia’s top ranked player Anathan ‘ana’ Pham has earned more than $6,024,411 in prize money, according to Esports Earnings.

“I think there are two aspects to consider in terms of a career in Esports. The first is that, yes, you can now have a career as an Esports competitor. And it can be highly lucrative,” Mr May says.

“The second is that you can pursue a tertiary-level qualification in developing and creating games for Esports.”

In 2017, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) became the first highereducation institution to offer a degree in Esports. Since then, more institutions have followed suit, Esports Insider notes. The initiative is now flowing into secondary schools.

Digital strategy at the forefront

Catering to a community of more than 400 staff, and 2,040 students comprising over 50 nationalities spread across two campuses, Westbourne Grammar School is a place where history and tradition meet innovation.

Principal Dr Adrian Camm says the 158-year-old award-winning P-12 school’s vision is ‘shaping learners who inspire the world’.

“At our school, we understand that people come first and by empowering our people we encourage continuous innovation,” he says.

“Leadership is more important than ever, and innovation and change is both top down and bottom up.”

In 2021, the school launched its digital strategy with the aim of positioning the school at the forefront of digital within three years. It has achieved that aim – and more – including the launch of a dedicated Esports Studio.

“The digital world demands new skills, and diverse teams, that can bring design, thinking, and problem solving together with digital and creative skills,” Dr Camm says.

Students at Westbourne Grammar School helped design the Esports Studio.

The launch of the school’s Esports program comes at a time when the Esports industry is experiencing rapid growth and recognition.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently created an Olympic Esports Series which recognises the value of video games and the importance of gaming as a legitimate sport,” he says.

“Our Esports Studio includes a progressive and brand-new gaming space equipped with high-end gaming PCs, consoles, virtual and augmented reality headsets, and specialised gaming equipment such as headsets and chairs.

“It also features a dedicated team of staff who will guide students in developing their gaming skills and help them compete in local, state, and national Esports tournaments.”

These staff members, Dr Camm adds, also work closely with students to develop strategies for managing stress, building resilience, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

“Our new Esports program is designed to foster students’ passion for gaming and provide them with opportunities to develop important skills such as teamwork, strategic thinking, problem-solving, leadership, communication, creativity, and adaptability.”

The school’s Esports Studio offers students access to state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality gaming technology as well as a range of competitive and collaborative video games.

In addition, experiential learning is facilitated through driving simulators and flight simulators which provide students with skills that have real-world application.

“The tools we’re using allow students to pose questions and foster a love of learning,” Dr Camm says.

But gaming is not only used for leisure and enjoyment. According to Dr Camm it will also be incorporated into Westbourne’s curriculum, providing students with a unique learning experience that combines technology, gaming, and teamwork.

Partnering with JB Hi-Fi Education Westbourne Grammar School approached JB Hi-Fi Education to serve as its PC vendor, providing the Lenovo Legion desktops and accessories for its Esports Studio.

The remainder of the project, encompassing various design elements and implementation, evolved through extensive collaboration among Westbourne staff and students.

Dr Camm says a collective effort has brought the school’s Esports Studio and program to its current state.

“Our program draws from our school’s new teaching and learning philosophy, Inspire, which positions character and agency at the heart of our design approach,” he says.

“With this in mind, we have adopted a student-centred focus in the design of our Esports Program and students take ownership and have a voice in what they learn and lead the overall direction of the program.”

Students also helped school leaders create the Esports Studio and have played a key role in its design.

“They have directed staff in the type of equipment needed and the experiences they’d like to see in this space. As part of this studentled approach, we have run a student mural design competition and have their illustrations presented physically on the wall,” according to Dr Camm.

Video games were also used to design the space, and The Sims 4 – a life simulation game that allows players to create and design

Dr Adrian Camm, Principal, at the opening of Westbourne Grammar School’s Esports Studio.

virtual spaces – was used to experiment with different layouts, colour schemes, and furniture arrangements before finalising the design.

Dr Camm says the implementation of an Esports Studio and program has been a complete success.

“Our new Esports program is designed to foster students’ passion for gaming and provide them with opportunities to develop important skills such as teamwork, strategic thinking, problem-solving, leadership, communication, creativity, and adaptability,” he says.

“It also offers a new platform for students to engage with peers across multiple year levels, build community, and explore new avenues for self-expression.”

The Esports Studio and program is also contributing to student’s wellbeing and sense of belonging.

“We’re seeing significant engagement with the Esports Studio and are finding that this is becoming another positive place in our school that promotes belonging and acceptance,” Dr Camm says.

“Students are working together across

Embark on an Esports journey with JB Hi-Fi Education

As a relatively growing concept in education, the possibilities for Esports are only just revealing themselves. With 21 years of experience in the education sector, JB Hi-Fi Education is excited to assist schools in facilitating their Esports journey.

“We want to provide schools with the right tools to set up an Esports studio or lab,” Mr May says.

JB Hi-Fi Education offers a wide range of gaming products. From high performance Windows 11 Pro devices, monitors and peripherals to gaming accessories and furniture, it has schools covered.

“It’s not just a case of buying a computer or using a computer that you’ve got. It’s a case of having a computer that is the correct spec for Esports, which has the graphics capability and the power, the ability to drive multiple screens, so that it is a great experience for the students,” Mr May says.

JB Hi-Fi Education works with leading

various year levels and using the Esports Studio as an opportunity to socialise, make new friends and collaborate with one another.” EM

brands in the gaming industry such as, Omen by HP, to provide schools with best-in class devices. For example, the Omen Gaming Desktop GT22-1011a is built for extreme performance. It features an Intel Core i913900K Raptor Lake processor, 32GB RAM, a 2TB SSD storage and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB graphics card.

This powerful desktop, equipped with Windows 11 Pro and built on solid foundations for gaming will ensure Esports teams enjoy smooth gameplay experience with a gaming rig that is just right.

But it is not only about getting the right products, it is about much more.

“That’s why we offer solutions and services that support education institutions to be best-in class. With our nationwide network for rapid fulfilment and delivery, schools can conveniently access gaming gear at commercial pricing and get ready for Esports,” Mr May says. For more information on how JB Hi-Fi Education can help your school level up the learning experience, contact education@jbhifi.com.au or 1300 746 752.

Omen by HP – GT22-1011a desktop.

Esports competitions draw a crowd at education events.

Image: eventphotography.com.

Image: JB Hi-Fi Education

A simple equation of meeting demand

International education and tutoring institution, Kip McGrath, has noticed increased demand for tutoring support in the wake of COVID, with students commencing secondary school with a lack of foundational skills.

When a year 10 student first met maths tutor Jeanette De Marchis in Sydney, he was two years behind his peers.

Through tutoring with Jeanette, a former teacher who now owns two Kip McGrath education centres (Concord and Eastwood), he caught up, achieving an ATAR of 85 and is currently studying construction at University of New South Wales.

“Nick was struggling with mathematics, his confidence dwindling with each passing lesson. As an assessor and teacher, I witnessed firsthand his struggles and frustration. Despite his difficulties, Nick refused to succumb to defeat and enrolled

as an online student at our Kip McGrath Eastwood centre. He diligently attended online sessions and, as time progressed, his confidence and his mathematical ability started to improve,” Ms De Marchis says.

Through dedication and determination, he began to see incremental improvements in his grades, she says.

“Nick’s journey took a remarkable turn after he completed his HSC as was accepted into UNSW, where he went on to pursue a degree in Construction Management. Furthermore he found employment in the building industry, a testament to his newfound confidence.

“His parents, once concerned about his academic struggles, now beamed with pride at his remarkable achievements. Nick’s journey from a struggling student to a confident young adult was not just a personal triumph but also an inspiration to all who witnessed it,” Ms De Marchis says.

Kip McGrath Education Centres is a global franchise business that offers teachers like Jeanette the opportunity to own a tutoring centre.

Founded in 1976 by two Australian school teachers, Kip and Dug McGrath, the network has grown to 600 centres worldwide. It has 150 centres across

Kip McGrath has experienced a 30 per cent increase in enquiries for its tuition services post-COVID.

Images: Kip McGrath

Australia and New Zealand, offering both online and in-person tuition in maths and English.

Jeanette has observed that students who came to her for support during COVID stayed with the Kip McGrath program as they could see their school results improve.

Her observations are not isolated. The 10year GENERATION study, led by the Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Social Research Centre, examined the experiences of more than 18,000 year 10 students from 300 high schools across Australia. It is the largest longitudinal study of its kind.

The first wave of the survey, conducted in 2022, found 52 per cent of students said their learning had suffered as a consequence of COVID-19, while 59 per cent said they did not feel prepared for school in 2022.

“Since the pandemic, I have noticed that students are coming in for secondary tuition who do not even have basic foundational maths skills or key concepts, such as algebra, and financial maths,” she says.

“In my role as tutor, my focus is on catching kids up and then supporting them to stay caught up.”

Fellow tutor Andi Hollingworth, from Kip McGrath in Swan Hill, also feels that COVID has been a “ripple that will be felt for many years to come”.

Andi commenced tutoring in 2021; she’d been working as an instructional coach for teachers and wanted to return to working with children.

“Many parents had a watershed moment when seeing their children struggle with online lessons during COVID when they were learning from home,” she says.

“They obviously weren’t grasping basic concepts, and this pushed many parents to seek tutoring support.”

Many children in Andi’s care haven’t returned to school. They are now home-

schooling full-time, with parents relying on Andi as a support service to ensure their child is keeping up to speed.

“Parents bring them into the centre in Swan Hill once a week so that they can have some kind of social interaction,” Andi says.

She says a number of students have jumped years in literacy and numeracy skill levels since commencing tutoring.

Across the border in South Australia, Mark Harvey, owner of Kip McGrath in Holdfast Bay, tutors a balance of primary and secondary students, and says primary students are perhaps the ones who have struggled most post-COVID.

“They’re not just struggling; they’re missing whole chunks of basic concepts,” he says.

He has also seen a genuine change in student behaviour and attitudes to learning.

“They’ve stopped taking ownership of their learning. The explosion of learning technology, AI, and online tools has given rise to a ‘why do I have to learn this’ attitude as they believe they can just ask a machine,” Mark says.

“Once they start tutoring, you see their confidence grow. Kids who don’t raise their hand in a large classroom group feel much more confident doing so in a smaller group.”

He continues: “They don’t feel as pressured in a small group tutoring environment. Students are responding to the back-to-basics approach. They get one-on-one attention and also have time for independent learning which helps build their confidence.”

Kip McGrath offers a free 40-60 minute assessment to identify a child’s strengths and learning gaps.

Tutor Jeanette De Marchis.

Increase in demand

CEO of the Australasian market, Ms Karen Geloven, says the institute’s vision is to raise the bar in tutoring and change the lives of as many students as possible around the world.

A former Kip McGrath tutor herself, Ms Geloven went on to become a franchisee from 2011 to 2021, then held various corporate roles in the organisation prior to being appointed CEO Australasia in March 2024.

“Our tutors are qualified teachers and we offer a personalised learning program – that’s our point-of-difference,” she says.

Ms Geloven says there has been a noticeable increase in demand for tutoring support in the wake of COVID.

“We have experienced a 30 per cent increase in enquiries for our tuition services. I think that is a reflection of parents observing their children learning from home during COVID and seeing first-hand that their children were struggling, and prompting them to seek tuition,” she says.

But even once students have caught up, they’re continuing with Kip McGrath to keep up.

“After COVID ended, parents have kept their children in tutoring programs as they could see how much their children needed support, particularly in rural and regional areas,” she says.

Although most students come from referrals from other parents, Ms Geloven says the organisation works closely with schools and not-for-profit organisations to support

“Working alongside schools, we complement the teaching that takes place in class to help struggling students catch up, keep up, and regain their confidence.”

“Working alongside schools, we complement the teaching that takes place in class to help struggling students catch up, keep up, and regain their confidence,” Ms Geloven says.

Kip McGrath has been a preferred supplier for the NSW Education Department’s school subsidised tutoring program.

“We had schools in Newcastle, Blacktown and Port Macquarie engage our services to provide this tuition. Port Macquarie also completed a pilot program that was teaching students study skills as well as additional support in math and English,” Ms Geloven says.

“We also have a number of not-for-profit organisations that support students by funding tuition for after-school support – Uniting Care,

The Smith Family, Veritas House to name a couple. Our Eastern Creek franchisee is also doing a program with indigenous students through Kimberwalli,” she says.

Kip McGrath offers a free 40-60 minute assessment to identify a child’s strengths and learning gaps, providing honest feedback of their ability.

“It also enables us to start them at the correct level,” Ms Geloven says. “As well as being tutored explicitly one-on-one, our small group sessions – with a maximum of six students – also allow for independent learning to help build confidence.

“We offer weekly lessons in our centres or online via our purpose-built tutoring platform. This means students can learn from anywhere – including from remote and rural areas.

“And students have the same teacher every week, which helps build a great relationship.” EM

For more information or to book a free assessment, visit www.kipmcgrath.com.au

CEO of Australasia, Karen Geloven.

Kip McGrath has 150 centres across Australia and New Zealand.

Image: Karen Geloven

Numbers do not add up for maths homework

In a study from the University of South Australia, researchers found that mathematics homework can sometimes cause more harm than good.

New curricula and teaching strategies are making it harder for parents to support kids with maths homework – and it’s taking a serious toll on children’s confidence and learning, new research claims.

Exploring how homework policies and practices affect families, researchers found that mathematics homework could inadvertently affect a child when it often:

• was too difficult for a child to complete independently, and/or with the support of a parent.

• required significant support from parents and seeped into family time.

• resulted in a negative experience for the child and their parent, leading to negative associations with mathematics and potentially students’ disengagement from the subject.

• generated feelings of despair, stress, and negativity among parents who were unable to help.

• made students feel inadequate when they struggled with the work.

University of South Australia researcher, Associate Professor Lisa O’Keeffe, says such negativity around mathematics has broad implications.

“Homework has long been accepted as a practice that reinforces children’s learning and improves academic success,” Ms O’Keeffe says.

“But when it is too complex for a student to complete, even with parent support, it raises the question as to why it was set as a homework task in the first place.”

She says it is well-known that parents play a key role in supporting their children with schooling and homework. When children need help, their parents are often

the first people they turn to.

“But many parents are unsure of the current mathematics strategies and approaches that their children are learning as these have changed a lot since they were at school,” she says.

“Like many things, mathematics teaching has evolved over time. But when parents realise that their tried-and-true methods are different to those which their children are learning, it can be hard to adapt, and this can add undue pressure.”

Ms O’Keeffe says that when children see their parents struggle with mathematics homework, or where mathematics homework becomes a shared site of frustration for families it can lead to negativity across generations.

“For example, we might hear adults saying things like ‘I wasn’t very good at maths, so my child won’t be either’. Negative interactions with mathematics, and negative discourses like these can lead to reduced confidence, reduced self-efficacy, and can negatively affect children’s resilience, persistence, and ultimately their inclination to continue with mathematics.”

Any decline in STEM subjects such as maths can have long-term impacts for Australia’s future. Statistics show that less than 10 per cent of students are studying a higher level of maths, with maths capabilities declining more than 25 points (15-year-olds in 2022 scored at a level that would have been expected of 14-year-olds, 20 years earlier).

Co-researcher, University of South Australia’s Dr Sarah McDonald, says the research also identified gendered biases.

In their study, titled ‘Mathematics homework and the potential compounding

of educational disadvantage’, the researchers share the experiences of mothers from eight Canadian families as they negotiate mathematics homework with their children.

The researchers consider the impact of Canadian mothers’ differing access to resources and highlight the way mathematics homework disrupts family time, creates tension, and contributes to a sense of inadequacy for some mothers.

“Our research showed that it was overwhelmingly mothers who were responsible for managing children’s homework. And they often experience frustration or despair when they were unable to understand the maths problems,” Dr McDonald says.

“When mothers find maths hard, there is concern that this may demonstrate to their children, especially their girls, that this is not an area in which they would naturally excel.”

Dr McDonald says the last thing teachers want to do is disadvantage girls in developing potentially strong mathematical identities.

“We need a greater understanding of homework policies and expectations.

“The experiences of the families in our study do not support the often-quoted claim by researchers that that homework has potential non-academic benefits such as fostering independence, creating positive character traits, developing good organisational skills, or virtues such as self-discipline and responsibility,” Dr McDonald says. EM

Image: Associate Professor Lisa O’Keeffe

Associate Professor Lisa O’Keeffe.

The Tech Council of Australia program is connecting secondary school students and post-school leavers with its network of tech partners.

How tech is stepping up work placement

Virtual work placement programs are using technology to give students out of city limits or in regional areas the opportunity to undertake work experience.

Inviting world-renowned British broadcaster and biologist David Attenborough to open a new environmental building might seem improbable for most high school students, but for Daniel Biniuk, it was a central component of his Year 11 business studies.

Daniel, who is currently completing his HSC at Bomaderry High School in NSW’s South Coast, was last year part of a virtual training program that helps to connect industry with school communities.

Cloud-based software company Salesforce partnered with the Department of Education, VET in Schools and the NSW Youth Futures Network to host 500 students enrolled in business studies in a virtual work placement program across NSW.

Work experience placements are an integral part of a student’s learning journey in the penultimate years of high school,

however, students out of city limits or located in regional areas may not have the opportunity to undertake work placements.

The virtual nature of the initiative provides equity to regional NSW students who are not able to attend placements in person as well as teaching them vital soft skills that will assist in addressing skill shortages.

Daniel says he thought the program looked interesting and was an opportunity to “try something new” with the added bonus of participating without needing to leave the school grounds.

Bomaderry is on the northern side of the Shoalhaven River, four kilometres from Nowra, but for young people like Daniel, access to public transport for activities like work experience can be an issue.

Instead, the week-long virtual work placement program meant he could be in a

quiet room in the school library, taking part in a group exercise online.

Daniel’s teacher, Mr Matthew Devlin, supervised Daniel’s online meetings. He has been teaching the VET Certificate III in Business for the last four of his eight years at Bomaderry High School.

“Schools throughout NSW participate in this virtual placement program – I think there were more than 1,000 students logged in during the week-long program,” Mr Devlin says.

After a general introduction into the program, students were allocated into smaller groups and tasked with choosing a celebrity – David Attenborough, in Daniel’s case – and then simulating contacting that celebrity, working together on a pitch to get their chosen celebrity involved in a hypothetical project.

Image: zinkevych/stock.adobe.com

On the final day of the week-long program, one person from each group was tasked with presenting their pitch to a representative from Salesforce.

“I was joined by students from different schools who were also in the program – we were put into groups of four or five, and were given a pitch to work on together,” Daniel says.

“We had to pitch to a celebrity who we wanted to invite to the opening of a new environmental building.”

Embracing the environmental theme, Daniel’s group identified David Attenborough as a globally recognised environmental advocate, while Mr Devlin observed from a distance.

“Because it was onsite at school, my role was to supervise the sessions, make sure everything was running smoothly in terms of technology, and sign-off on Daniel’s timesheet, because he had to complete 35 hours in one week,” Mr Devlin says.

“I had to make sure that he was getting the work done, which I knew he would. I sat in on several sessions to observe what he was doing and to check in with him.”

Overall, Mr Devlin says he thought the program was really engaging.

“They did lots of fun games online that explained everything well. When it came time to present their pitches on the last day, all the kids were ready and some of the presentations were outstanding.”

It was the first time Bomaderry High School had taken part in the virtual work placements program, but it didn’t actively seek it out.

“There is a company in Nowra called Workplace Learning which helps us coordinate work placements for students; they contact local businesses and help students find placements. The NSW Department of Education must have contacted them, and then we received an email about the Salesforce virtual placement program, and we decided to give it a go,” Mr Devlin says.

Although it was unconfirmed at the time of writing if the virtual placement program would take place again in 2024, Mr Devlin says if it did, his class will “definitely be doing it”.

“It helps – particularly in rural areas, or areas that don’t have access to cities –because it’s a requirement of the Business Services course to complete 70 hours of work placements, and we don’t have the facilities or

the businesses here to support that,” he says.

“Having access to an online equivalent of an in-person placement serves that purpose. Students can stay at school, and get the hours done. In some cases, it’s potentially more engaging, and they get more out of it than going to a normal work placement.”

meet students from other schools, talk with their peers and solve a problem together.

Tech jobs among most in-demand

The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) has this year launched a national virtual work experience program for tech jobs that will be delivered in partnership with leading education group Year13.

TCA chair Ms Robyn Denholm says tech jobs are amongst the fastest-growing and bestpaid jobs in the economy.

“We need to see more young Australians moving into these critical jobs of the future. I particularly encourage more young Australians from diverse backgrounds to explore tech careers. We want more women, Indigenous Australians, people with disability and those living in our outer suburbs and regional Australia, to have the ability to access these fulfilling careers,” she says.

“As someone who grew up in south-western Sydney and attended a public high school, I know first-hand that your background shouldn’t stop you from dreaming big in tech.”

The program is available for free to all young Australians aged 14-25. It will connect secondary school students and post-school

leavers with the TCA’s network of tech partners to provide them with a clear pathway towards employment in the tech industry.

Some of Australia’s leading tech companies and members of the Digital Employment Forum have signed up as initial program partners, including Microsoft, the Commonwealth Bank and the National Broadband Network.

They will be delivering virtual work experiences in high-demand roles like software and networking engineering, cyber security, and data science.

TCA’s Acting CEO Mr Ryan Black says the Virtual Work Experience program was an important outcome of the 2022 Jobs and Skills Summit.

“Through this program, young people can expect to get experience in tech occupations that are among the most in-demand across the economy – not just in tech companies, but also in banking, mining, retail, government and professional services,” he says.

“Importantly, our partnership with Year13 will open access to these free virtual work-experience opportunities to all young Australians. Broadening the diversity of the growing tech workforce is an important step towards greater economic and social inclusion in Australia.”

Year13 co-founder and co-CEO Mr Will Stubley says the partnership is “a huge opportunity for young people and Australia”.

“We have regularly been told by young Australians we work with that they would love to get into a tech or tech-related job, but just don’t know where to start. That’s why we’re proud to offer a program that can help give them the tools to pursue their dreams.”

Minister for Education Jason Clare says the program is now available in schools and is aimed at students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“The tech industry is growing at almost twice the rate of the rest of economy. There are 860,000 Australians working in tech and we need even more,” Mr Clare says.

“This initiative will give students a chance to see if a career in tech is right for them.”

The Virtual Work Experience program can be accessed at year13.com.au/virtual-jobexperience.

The program will also be available to more than 2,200 schools on the Career Tools platform. EM

Bomaderry High School student Daniel Biniuk and teacher Matthew Devlin.

Image: Matthew Devlin

How to build a successful Esports program

Lenovo’s range of products and services span the design and operation of Esports, helping students build community and practical skills – and potential careers.

Esports is becoming more and more popular amongst children – and schools are catching on.

It’s also been proven that gaming can support learning outcomes and strengthen pupil-teacher relationships. The more passionate a pupil is about gaming, the more rapid their educational development is. That’s why educators around the world are starting to use Esports to give young people brighter futures.

Three educational benefits of Esports

1. Supports STEM learning

Esports helps pupils develop problemsolving skills in unique and unforeseen situations. In turn, this increases their understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

2. Develop soft skills

Gaming can help pupils to unconsciously develop their team building, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills. It also helps to nurture creative and strategic thinking, and gives pupils the selfconfidence to participate in more activities.

3. Expands career options

Top gamers can earn millions a year in prize money and endorsements – money they use to hire nutritionists, physiotherapists, chefs, sleep coaches and publicists. The industry has created plenty of other jobs as well. Shoutcasters (commentators), IT teams, scouts, statisticians, graphic designers, video editors, event planners, journalists, accountants and promoters all work to make Esports possible and accessible.

Build diversity and inclusion through Esports

Esports presents a great opportunity for pupils to work as a team, befriend other players, and exchange creative ideas. Students learn to make autonomous decisions and share their progress with teachers – encouraging them to feel recognised and valued.

Unlike traditional activities, Esports is less constrained by physical ability or location, allowing more students to engage and benefit from the experience. Additionally, Esports can be leveraged to reinforce academic and behavioural standards through incentivisation with game time.

Lenovo’s offering spans the design and operation of an education-based Esports

Gaming can help develop team building, problem solving and communication skills.

Image: shutterstock.com/gorodenkoff

environment, including a whole range of services and accessories – all backed by the Lenovo education warranty.

It can enable students to join a school’s gaming network remotely and provide capabilities that maximise the experience for all participants – from players to publicists.

And when it comes to hardware, Lenovo’s ThinkStation range has the digital display, the flexibility and the power to handle all the demands of competitive Esports. For portability, the ThinkPad laptop, complete with Intel processors and thermal cooling capability, balances performance and value.

With all the potential that Esports offers, schools need an approach that helps them get the most out of their program. Lenovo can help as a knowledgeable and trusted advisor. Here are a few pointers to help schools get started:

Where to start:

• List your school’s Esports program goals

• Research which games you want at your school

• Pick a location where you can set up your Esports area, and design it accordingly

• Choose a PC that fits the games you want to play.

What to avoid:

• Throwing a program together and assume it will succeed

• Picking a game to focus on because you’ve heard your child talk about it

preparing your participants

• Thinking that gaming is just for the stereotypical gamer

• Assuming you have to buy the most upgraded, tricked-out PCs for Esport. EM

• Decide to start as a recreation or club program For more information, visit: techtoday.lenovo.com/au/en/solutions/ education

• Jumping right into competitions without

Lenovo’s product range has the flexibility and power to handle all the demands of competitive Esports.

Images: Lenovo

Lenovo can help schools get the most out of their Esports program.

Cultivating emotional resilience in a crowded school environment

In a world fraught with uncertainties, emotional resilience emerges as a critical asset for navigating the challenges of modern life both inside and outside the classroom.

An emotional resilience program should not add to the stress of teaching but instead help to alleviate daily pressures for staff, students and parents. It needs to be easily integrated into the school culture, providing a sustainable solution rather than just a temporary fix.

From my 45 years of experience as a teacher and researcher, I created ER, a powerful yet straightforward language designed to increase emotional resilience throughout the school community.

Dr Jane Foster is a leading educator, researcher, presenter and author of It’s In Your Hands; Your Steering Wheel, Your Choice Combining her educational skills with neuroscience and positive psychology, Dr Foster equips people with strategies to help build emotional resilience and manage their daily stresses, successfully changing perspective and creating new neural pathways.

By involving staff, students, and parents, ER creates a common language that simplifies emotions and boosts emotional intelligence and resilience. Using the same language regularly leads to long-term changes in the brain, resulting in greater control over reactions to people and circumstances. Similar to a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

These four ER principles can be easily incorporated into everyday conversations, no matter where you are:

1. Instead of labelling emotions as good or bad, view them as rough or smooth

emotional roads. Teenagers often struggle to answer how they feel but find it easier to share if they are on a rough or smooth road. Being objective removes stigma and judgement, making those difficult conversations much easier. Just as roads serve different purposes, so do emotions. Rough emotions build resilience, while smooth emotions promote well-being, removing the need to lift everyone off a rough road. This makes recognising and accepting feelings easier without feeling pressured to always be on a smooth road.

2. The metaphorical steering wheel in ER represents emotional control and the power of choice in navigating life’s challenges. As in a car, you should be the only one controlling your emotional steering wheel. This logical approach empowers students to regain control over their focus, emotions, and destination. Just because someone else is on a rough road doesn’t mean you must join them, fostering resilience and responsibility.

Dr Jane Foster.

Shifting from blame to responsibility involves removing phrases such as, ‘You are making me angry’.

Image: Dr Jane Foster

Image: Ermolaeva Olga/stock.adobe.com

3. Understanding that emotional resilience cannot be built when out of control on either road is crucial. Out-of-control scenarios activate the amygdala, the brain’s fight, flight or freeze mode, disabling the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for thinking and creativity. It is only possible to discuss a situation once the involved parties have regained control and can access the thinking part of their brain. Therefore, regaining control is essential for having productive discussions and maintaining emotional wellbeing. Ways of regaining control will vary, so ER teaches how to work out the ones that will work for you.

4. Shifting from blame to responsibility involves removing phrases such as ‘You are making me angry’, which inadvertently hands your emotional steering wheel to others. Replace it with, ‘I am choosing to feel angry in response to this situation’. This subtle alteration, substituting ‘making’ with ‘choosing’, helps reclaim ownership of your steering wheel rather than relinquishing

control to external factors. Assigning blame, such as ‘It’s your fault, it’s the school’s fault, it’s my parents’ fault’ leaves you feeling like a victim, often leading to retaliation to regain control.

By embracing this verbal shift towards personal responsibility, students foster a sense of empowerment rather than perpetuating a victim mentality. This adjustment can profoundly influence their perspective and emotional wellbeing, equipping them with the tools to navigate challenges with resilience and control.

Here are some simple questions to help incorporate the language into your daily life:

• What road am I on?

• What road are they on?

• Are you in control?

• Are they in control?

• What helps me regain control?

• Am I being influenced by other’s emotions?

• Who has control of my steering wheel? ER helps students and the school community develop emotional resilience. Awareness of the emotional state of yourself

LEADING FROM WITHIN: Leadership Development Program for Middle Leaders

For more information call Helen on 0427 219 664 or email: admin@thebrowncollective.com.au

The Brown Collective’s flagship program, ‘Leading from Within’ acknowledges the importance of middle leaders to a school’s overall performance. The vast majority of middle leaders want to remain in these roles.

Leading from Within supports and enhances the formation of middle leaders through exploration of key aspects of their leadership such as leading teaching and learning, and leading teams. Every program is customised to ensure contextual relevance to the school, network, region or system that it is being delivered to.

The program is typically conducted over a nine-month period with a minimum of 20 participants. Successful completion of the Leading from Within program enables participants to make application for a 1 unit credit towards a Master’s Degree offered by Australian Catholic University (ACU), Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Broken Bay Institute—The Australian Institute of Theological Education (BBI TAITE).

thebrowncollective.com.au

admin@thebrowncollective.com.au

and others fosters emotional intelligence, while learning to regain control builds resilience. It shifts focus from dwelling on challenges to managing responses. Incorporating language changes into daily life builds new neural pathways, creating new thought patterns and removing judgment and blame. Recognising that navigating tough emotions is crucial for growth takes the pressure off always having to be on a smooth road. Taking responsibility for your emotions improves mental and emotional health and well-being, creating a positive relationship with yourself and others.

Some students may baulk at or make fun of the language, but that’s ok. When students are at the pointy end of life, schools have found that they revert to the language, as it helps them communicate their feelings without judgement, stigma or blame. It’s certainly worth a try. EM

For more information, visit: www.emotionalresiliencetraining.com.au

Amanda Ypinazar, Principal Consultant

Tangling with your temple cats

Dr Stephen Brown draws on feline analogies to illustrate the challenges educators face in leading change.

field of education. He is the Managing Director of The Brown Collective, focused on the formation of educational leaders and partnering with schools, networks and system to enable sustainable impact. The organisation reflects both his collective experience over 40 years in policy, strategy and leadership development – and that of the remarkable global network he has developed during this career.

Temple cats? In my travels I have observed such felines lying on the steps of ancient temples in South-East Asia or prowling the cobbled streets of a historic city in the Middle East. These cats come in many shapes, sizes, forms, and colours, and exhibit various behaviours.

Some are content to prowl around untamed, others prefer to eat, sleep, yawn and observe the passing parade—while others habitually get ready to catch their next quarry through various underhanded, dubious but deliberate moves. Welcome to the world of the temple cat.

Temple cats exist in every organisation

They are policy, practices, procedures, and people that inhibit progress, are never challenged, contribute little, lack authenticity and are self-serving.

Kriegel and Brandt in their popular text, Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change - Driving People and Organisations note that these ‘temple cats’ or ‘sacred cows’ typically express as outmoded beliefs, assumptions, practices, and policies that prevent responsiveness to new opportunities. The story of the Guru’s Cat (De Mello, 1982) is worth sharing to amplify this point:

‘When the guru sat down to worship each evening, the ashram cat would get in the way and distract worshipers. So, he ordered that the cat be tied up during evening worship. After the guru died the cat continued to be tied up during evening worship.

‘And when the cat died, another cat was brought to the ashram so that it could be duly tied up during evening worship. Centuries later learned treatises were written by the guru’s disciples on the religious and liturgical significance of tying up a cat while worship is performed’.

The story of the Guru’s Cat reminds us that once some practices and rituals had purpose in a context and time but now no longer make sense.

Where are they perched?

Think of your workplace right now and the challenges you face in leading change. List the temple cats that are the barriers to the effective implementation of any new initiative. I suspect most of the temple cats in your organisations are people. Typically, their behaviours range from disengagement and subversion to overt advocacy to retain status quo, power plays and duplicitous actions.

Are we too tame to tangle?

The essence of leadership is persuading and influencing others. Why then, do leaders sometimes show a reluctance to challenge these temple cats? Tangling with a temple cat requires courage, preparation, and a willingness to act for the collective good. Timing is everything when dealing with a temple cat.

Confronting the cats

Leaders are required to act and challenge the hegemonic culture that exists in their organisation by dealing with these cats. Sometimes leaders are afflicted with ‘condition blindness’—accepting or simply not being aware of the temple cats that are embedded in the organisation as cultural norms and behaviours.

Leading change by its very nature involves others—shifting mindsets, challenging assumptions, and resetting culture. It is complex, dynamic, and adaptive work—never easy but immensely rewarding.

Tangling with your temple cats is essential to set productive, positive workplace cultures that enable any organisation’s purpose, mission, and key strategic intentions to be enacted.

A few questions to ponder

What kind of cat are you?

What policies, practices and procedures would you now retire to the cattery?

How do you know your school/organisation is thriving? EM

Image: Dr Stephen Brown

VR and soft-skills: Innovative teaching for a job market in the wake of AI

In December 2023, RMIT College of Business and Law won a prestigious global award for its virtual reality MBA ‘soft skills’ teaching method. Associate Professor Ling Mei Cong led the pioneering project.

As AI technologies grow more advanced, employers will need workers who have talents that set them apart from robots, such as the ability to communicate, empathise, and collaborate.

To prepare students for what will likely be multi-career paths after graduation, business schools must integrate soft-skills training into their curriculum.

Our experiential learning project has had a significant impact, enhancing students’ career development skills. Since its introduction at RMIT in 2021, approximately 300 students have successfully participated.

Aimed at MBA accounting students, the VR simulation sees students take on the role of junior financial analysts in a mock consulting firm, providing financial advice to a Chief Operating Officer facing financial challenges.

These technologies also enable the scaling of the simulation for online students, offering a more accessible alternative to physical role-plays and providing unlimited, sustainable opportunities for students to hone their interpersonal skills.

VR to use a structured approach to practice active listening, consensus-building, and decision-making.

This empowers students to prevent and handle conflicts effectively. The VR technology also allows muti-attempts and provides an opportunity to reflect on improvement areas. With these soft skills, students will feel more prepared and confident to work well with others.

An emerging area where VR can be applied in primary and secondary education is for kids with special needs, such as autism for example. Since kids enjoy roleplay, they naturally find VR roleplay fun and interesting. It can be used to teach basic skills such as crossing the road safely, water safety, or interacting with other kids safely. It replicates real-world environments without putting kids in danger, providing a safe and controlled learning environment.

Associate Professor Ling Mei Cong is the Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching at the Graduate School of Business and Law at RMIT University. She is an expert on digital pedagogies and curriculum design. Her research interests include technology-enhanced learning, corporate governance, financial reporting quality, and sustainability reporting.

VR and soft-skills training can also be applied at the upper-secondary level because soft skills are universal and crucial in the AI era.

Prior research indicates engaging in soft skills during school years will have a long-lasting effect on their future career engagement. Schools that help students develop soft skills can lead to better grades, fewer absences, and fewer behavioural problems. For instance, teamwork skills are essential for high school students’ success in group collaboration. Teachers can leverage

VR roleplay emphasises experiential learning, where ‘doing’ is considered more important than just ‘knowing’. It helps students apply and practice what they learn effectively. In emergency situations, kids tend to react on instinct. VR training can assist them in internalising safety techniques through repeated practice and effective application, offering significant benefits, especially for children with special needs.

With Apple’s release of Vision Pro and the shift from 2D to 3D computing, the era of virtual-learning is likely to arrive earlier than anticipated, spanning from primary to tertiary education. Soft skills will become even more critical with the advancement of technologies such as Generative AI, as they are the skills that distinguish humans from robots. EM

Associate Professor Ling Mei Cong.

Image: RMIT University

Making personal finance lessons ‘stick’

Finance author Barbara van der Merwe says there are typically three reasons why a personal finance program isn’t working – and shares how to fix it.

Let me guess. You’ve tried (a few times now) to implement personal finance education within your high school. But results have been … lacking? Students aren’t engaged. They don’t seem to be taking anything on board. In fact, students seem to leave more disillusioned than at the outset. What’s gone wrong?

There are three places you’re likely taking a wrong turn:

• The pathway of your program

• The packaging of your program

• The placement of your program

Let’s go through each, and identify the correct course of action.

Wrong turn number 1: pathway

The difficult thing about money is that it’s such a big, wide and winding subject. Students get lost in the subject matter. They have trouble connecting each isolated puzzle piece to the bigger picture. It’s up to you to create a clear and purposeful journey, leading them across this vast terrain.

In practical terms, this comes in the form of an explicit learning structure. A contained learning path with a start, end, and clear learning outcomes. This gives students a sense of control over the subject matter. Despite there been existing infinite tangents to follow, you create focus and clarity.

schooler’s field of interest. Yet, if you take a natural segway down from a pathway they are already invested in, clearly signposting your tangent, students will have a foundational appreciation for the importance of ‘interest’. They will now view interest as a supporting actor in the bigger equation. No longer the ‘boring’, overwhelming, disconnected maths lesson.

Wrong turn number 2: packaging

Money isn’t boring, but it definitely can be difficult to make it exciting. The good news is encouraging students to ‘want’ to pay attention is simply an exercise in storytelling – a general teaching technique you’re likely already an expert in. But how could you possibly create an exciting story about finance?

There is one key adjustment to help create this engaging story. Shift focus away from the technical skills students are learning, and towards the practical benefits they will achieve. For example, rather than explaining that they will be learning ‘how to build a budget’ and ‘manage cashflows’, describe the learning as ‘being able to organise their money so that they can afford what they want, both now and in the future’.

Barbara van der Merwe is author of Australia’s first personal finance textbook for high school students. She is also Founder and Director of Mandy Money, a financial education provider which specialises in working with schools, businesses and individuals to build a generation of financially empowered young Australians. Ms van der Merwe is passionate about helping learners take the ‘first step’ towards financial empowerment.

Your pathway is best shaped as a ‘T’. Stay broad across the length of the journey to maintain interest, context and storyline. At key checkpoints, embed more technical concepts to dive into. This shape makes technical concepts easier to both teach and learn; the high level pathway builds pre-existing context and appreciation for the more complex detours.

As an example, let’s use the mathematical concept of ‘interest’. Should you begin on a blank slate teaching ‘interest’, you will likely struggle to connect the maths to a high

Students are not interested in ‘super’, ‘interest’ or ‘tax’, yet they are interested in ‘retiring early’, ‘growing their money’ (without working for it), and ‘not feeling lost or anxious when it comes to doing their tax return’. To create an exciting package for students, steer away from a patchwork of isolated technical concepts. Instead, embed the concepts within a storyline, from the perspective of the student, and in the context of their young life.

Wrong turn number 3: placement

There is no obvious place for financial education within the Australian and respective state curriculums. This leaves you no option but to get creative; slicing, sculpting and squeezing

Imaget: Barbara van der Merwe

Barbara van der Merwe.

vital lessons across maths, business, economics, careers, wellbeing subjects. While this scattered approach is better than no approach, the dots are placed too far apart for students to connect together. So, where does personal finance education fit?

You have two options. Your first option is to continue delegating learnings into different subjects, but with the addition of a cohesive program overlay. Reflecting back on learnings in pathway and packaging (above), find a way to unite the learning experience. Perhaps it’s as simple as having a central checklist which students tick off as they go along. Or, perhaps it’s a more involved coordination where the storyline is taught in sequential order; centralised and enriched in wellbeing, careers, homeroom or house sessions.

Your second option is to carve out dedicated space within one of these subjects, or as an elective. This is the more challenging

powers that be, finding the time and resources. Yet, this placement will allow you to achieve the continuity of pathway and packaging necessary to deliver an effective program.

Financial literacy programs are difficult to implement effectively. They take a heavy dose time upfront to plan and structure effectively will make all the difference. These learnings come from half a decade of working with schools to build and implement personal finance programs. I hope that sharing my experience will help you in your efforts to build

Embed financial concepts like tax returns within a storyline, from the perspective of the student.

Image: RomanR/stock.adobe.com

Tree change: the story behind Live Wire Park

More than three years in the making, an adventure park in Lorne is drawing schools from major cities including Melbourne and Adelaide. How did it get off the ground? Education Matters speaks to one of the founders.

An off-the-cuff inquiry about a 10-acre property on the market two hours from Melbourne was a significant turning point for Live Wire Park Director Luke

It was 2010, and Luke and his father (and business partner) Chris, were scouting potential locations for a business idea to get children off their screens and into nature.

At the time, the Nisbet family (including Luke, his father Chris, and Chris’s father Des) were operating a commercial refrigeration manufacturing business in Melbourne. The business had been operating for 70 years.

Luke was working as a self-taught draftsman in the business but was toying with the idea of getting out of Melbourne.

“My dad and I both wanted a tree change, so we got together over a couple of beers 13 or 14 years ago to share ideas for a potential business – and came up with a zip line adventure park,” he says.

Luke’s grandmother owned a farm at Cape Patton, near Kennett River, on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

“As kids, we would build our own zip line on the farm, and that’s where the idea came from,” he says.

“We wanted to bring joy into people’s lives. I’ve got kids, and I wanted to create a place that was fun for them, to get out into nature,

More than 30 kilometres of cable was used in the construction of the park.

Live Wire Park Director Luke Nisbet.

and off their screens.”

The idea soon snowballed, with Luke taking on the task of preliminary research and development.

“I began looking at other adventure parks, and thinking about how to market it, how many people it would need – in terms of visitation – to be viable. I put together projections and a budget to build it, and what we would need to charge for entry,” he says.

After crunching the numbers, Luke and his father decided it was feasible, and began searching for land in Lorne, on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

“We looked at several properties on the market but nothing suited. We knew of a property that had been for sale a year or two prior, and I happened to ask the real estate agent what happened to it, and he told us it never sold.”

The 10-acre block on Erskine Falls Road was exactly what they were looking for. The Nesbit’s sold their manufacturing business in Melbourne, and purchased the land.

Design phase

The land was zoned for rural conservation, requiring the Nisbet’s to apply for a site-specific amendment to use the land for commercial purposes. They also had to go through a detailed planning process with the local council and apply for a state planning permit.

The family also needed to reach out to professionals to design the park. Luke had already done research in this area, having visited adventure parks while travelling through Europe, which is where he heard about Frenchcompany Altus.

The first Altus adventure course was built in 1997 in the French Alps. While it continued to operate courses, it became a High Wire Adventure Course design and construction company.

It was also involved in establishing the European standard (EN15567) for High Wire Ropes Courses, ensuring user safety remains a priority.

Altus has now implemented more than 400 projects in 26 countries across five continents since 1997.

“Altus are world leaders in designing high wire adventure courses. They flew over and designed Live Wire Park with us on-site in only two weeks, wearing special helmets with lasers

fitted to plan the zip lines, and modelling it in 3D,” Luke says.

“We also employed an architect to design an office and amenities, and we had to meet the requirements of several Council-mandated reports – geotechnical, environmental, heritage, indigenous, bushfire overlay, flora and fauna – it was an extensive permit process. It took authorities three years to approve it,” he says.

Once approved, the Nisbet’s invited Altus back to oversee construction, and sourced local tradesman for building and earthworks.

It took 14 months to build the park. Most of the High Ropes specialist materials were shipped in from France. There were two 40-foot containers full of materials. More than 30 kilometres of cable was used in the construction of the obstacles in the park.

They also named the business – Live Wire Park. “I named it after my son – he’s a little live wire!,” Luke says.

Eight weeks before the park was due to open, Luke began recruiting crew members, who were trained by Altus – and still are.

“Altus continue to come out once a year to provide refresher training, ensuring our staff are trained to the highest European standard.”

In February 2018, Live Wire Park held an Open Day for local schools; it officially opened on 1 March 2018 – the first completely off-grid elevated adventure park in Australia. Fuelled by solar power, paired with all water being collected, used and treated on site, makes Live Wire Park a sustainable business.

“We originally opened with two high wire courses – one for younger kids, and one for teens and adults, a zip coaster and a canopy circuit walk,” Luke says.

The Shockwave Zip Coaster is the most

extreme zip line in Australia. At 525 metres long, the high intensity activity provides a 360-degree experience, powered by gravity.

The wheelchair accessible, low intensity Canopy Circuit walk is a 120-metre pathway suspended among the treetops 10 metres above ground.

To help get the word out that they were open for business, Luke started cold-calling local schools, camps and surf clubs.

A year after opening, the Nisbet’s expanded the park, installing suspended trampolines and a ball pit, known as the Spring Circuit.

“We started with one or two schools booking a month. We’re now celebrating our seven-year anniversary. In February this year, we had 16 schools visit – that’s averaging a school visiting every second day.” EM

Images: Live Wire Park

Live Wire Park crew are trained to the highest European safety standard.

The park caters to a range of ages.

Attracting teachers to ‘the Sunshine State’

Three teachers share why they chose Queensland to start or progress their teaching career, as part of a new campaign from the state’s Department of Education.

A new campaign ‘Love to Teach Queensland’ is encouraging teachers around the country, and the world, to teach in Queensland state schools.

The campaign features real teachers and school leaders, like Mr Thomas McKenna, Principal at St George State High School, who shared why he loves teaching in Queensland.

“I’ve taught in New York, Denmark, Europe and Queensland—and Queensland

has been the best spot, period!” Mr McKenna said.

“In New York, you teach at one school and that’s where you stay your entire career. In Queensland, I’ve taught in North Coast, Metropolitan, South-East Queensland, Central Queensland, and now I’m in the Darling Downs South-West region,” he said.

Mr McKenna said teaching all over the state has given him opportunities, and helped advanced his career.

“From the Great Barrier Reef to the Outback, Queensland’s got so much variety that you can go and experience. There are a lot of incentives if you go rural and remote too, and the further you go west or north the incentives get higher—you get extra days off, you get a yearly allowance, you get a locality allowance,” he said.

“We moved out thinking, we’ll be back in two years. Now we’re talking, well, which farm are we going to buy?”.

Sharing similar sentiments, Ms Hannah Parsons, teacher at Walkerston State School in Mackay, said she was teaching in New Zealand when her next challenge called.

“Queensland really stood out for me,” she said. “The support right from the application to the interview process was very seamless.”

Ms Parsons said she applied for a job with the Queensland Department of Education and was contacted about an opportunity two days later.

“I was very, very excited and a little bit nervous—two months to get ready and go over—but I was supported the entire way,” she said.

“The best thing has definitely been the lifestyle. I’m loving getting my coffee in the mornings and walking down to the beach, and the different wildlife here.”

Ms Aveta Elliott, teacher at Helensvale State School, is also featured in the campaign.

She recalled the moment she found out she would be teaching in regional Queensland.

Mr Thomas McKenna is Principal at St George State High School.

Ms Aveta Elliott is a teacher at Helensvale State School.

“I thought to myself, okay Central Queensland, I can do that, sounds pretty hot, but you know what, it’s an adventure and that’s what learning is about. It’s about having fun and taking challenges as they come,” Ms Elliott said.

“They were probably the best six years of my life. I didn’t have any stress of how I was getting there—the department helped me move everything, so all I had to tell them was how many things I had and what I needed them to move, and they came and packed it all up.

“Instead of me trying to do all of those things myself, the movers were in and out at no cost to me. And they said, let me know when you get there and we’ll come and unpack it all.”

Ms Elliott said support from the Department of Education helped make the adventure more enjoyable because she didn’t have the relocation logistics to worry about.

“One of the things that I was privileged enough to do while I was in regional Queensland was professional development. Being young and reasonably new to teaching, I valued and took these opportunities as they arose,” she said.

What you need to know about teaching in Queensland Working with us

“We were given lots of professional development and lots of mentoring from other staff who had been at the school for a number of years.”

Ms Elliott still has a letter the principal wrote to her.

“She wrote one to every new staff member that basically just said ‘I’m so happy that you’re here, thanks for choosing our school—a small gesture that made such a big difference! It was that level of community and caring that I really enjoyed and learnt from—it made the move worthwhile,” she said.

“I think all of it has just made me into what I hope is a great educator—somebody who goes to work to support kids, to make a difference in their lives, and to hopefully inspire them to love learning nearly as much as I do.”

Are you ready to make a change?

The Queensland Department of Education recruit for a variety of roles across all learning phases and curriculum areas throughout the year. To find out more about the opportunities available to teachers, and their families in Queensland visit the Teach Queensland website: www.qld.gov.au/lovetoteach. EM

As Queensland’s largest employer of teachers, we can offer you exciting career opportunities in a variety of school contexts—State delivered kindergarten, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and special education. Our schools offer a range of teaching experiences, from oneteacher schools through to those with more than 2,000 students. You may find yourself teaching single or multi-age classes or teaching across a cluster of schools. All our state schools are coeducational and operate in close partnership with their local communities.

Salary and benefits

Teachers in Queensland state schools have access to a range of additional financial incentives and benefits, dependant on location, in addition to a permanent employment, professional development opportunities and a salary reflective of your experience and qualifications.

This includes relocation assistance and the generous financial incentives and benefits available to you and your family through the Recognition of Rural and Remote Service scheme.

For detailed information, search ‘Benefits’ at teach.qld.gov.au.

Teacher registration

To be employed as a teacher in Queensland, you must be registered with the Queensland College of Teachers. If you are already registered as a teacher in another Australian state or territory, or New Zealand, you may be able to apply for registration under mutual recognition arrangements.

Questions about your eligibility should be directed to the QCT: qct.edu.au/

Application for employment process

If you’re interested and eligible to teach in Queensland, you can submit an application for employment through our online applicant portal at any time throughout the year: teach.qld.gov. au/apply

Talk to us

If you’re interested in teaching in Queensland but aren’t quite ready to apply, or you would like some extra information, connecting with us is a great place to start. Follow Teach Queensland online or subscribe for the latest Teach Queensland updates: bit.ly/teachqldnews.

Source: Queensland Department of Education

Images: Queensland Department of Education

Ms Hannah Parsons is a teacher at Walkerston State School in Mackay.

Free programs cater to professional development

place at the National Education Summit will provide educators with new resources and insights to take back to the classroom, while earning professional development hours.

The two programs – ‘Knowledge Centre’ and ‘Classroom of the Future’ – will take place at the summit in Melbourne on 14-15 June, while the Knowledge Centre program is scheduled in Brisbane on 2-3 August.

Teachers can attend as many of the free sessions as they choose, covering key themes ranging from inclusive classrooms, health, and resources, to STEM and digital technology.

The Classroom of the Future program held in Melbourne offers educators two

exploring ideas and concepts for imagining classrooms of the future.

Organisers behind the event say booking is required for all programs in both venues – Melbourne and Brisbane – as seats are limited.

Ms Marie Kinsella, CEO of IEC Group, which organises the National Education Summit, says the teaching landscape is changing fast and Australian teachers are facing complex challenges.

“From the adoption of new technologies into the classroom, the focus on sustainability, and the growing need for classrooms that are as diverse as the students inside them, teachers are under

shifts in education outcomes and best practices,” Ms Kinsella says.

“This is precisely why we are so excited to present educators with the National Education Summit – covering the latest in education research, information, technology and skills.”

Knowledge Centre program –14-15 June, Melbourne

The first three speakers at the Knowledge Centre program in Melbourne will address inclusiveness.

Ms Donna Wright, Principal at Bandiana Primary School near Wodonga, is the opening speaker on Day One (Friday 14

The Education show at the National Education Summit in 2023.

Images: National Education Summit

June). She will explore the advantages of identifying high-potential students while they are in primary school, and extending them through the appropriate educational opportunities, including acceleration and subject compacting, with the aim of improving their academic performance.

Following Ms Wright, a session on inclusive leadership will be led by Ms Venesser Fernandes, a lecturer in educational leadership studies at Monash University.

In Ms Fernandes’ workshop, participants will use a self-assessment tool to determine their inclination towards inclusive leadership. They’ll be introduced to evidence-based traits or behaviours that distinguish inclusive leaders from others using case-based analysis, and receive a toolkit of inclusive leadership practices that can be used in their schools and classrooms. They’ll also receive an individual self-assessment report on their own level of inclusive leadership.

Third speaker, Ms Annie Khoury, a primary teacher at Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Queensland, will discuss an inclusive approach to reading, spelling and writing instruction that supports readers who may face challenges.

To shed light on resources for the classroom, ABC’s Behind the News (BTN) presenter and journalist, Ms Amelia Moseley, will lead an interactive session on BTN High, an educational resource for secondary school

teachers and students tailored to the Australian Curriculum that launched in 2023.

Ms Moseley will discuss what BTN High is and how it’s produced, the different topics and issues that have been covered, and how the content can be accessed and used in the classroom.

Rounding out the nine sessions on offer on Day One in Melbourne, author and teacher Mr Jeremy Kalbstein and Dr Dvir Abramovich from The Anti-Defamation Commission will walk participants through Click Against Hate, a free resource for schools.

Designed for primary and secondary students alike, Click Against Hate makes it simple to teach students about complex issues like online dangers, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, freedom of speech, cyberbullying and more.

Participants will get a tour of the program, which is funded by the Australian Government, that comes with ready-to-teach lessons across a variety of topics including stereotypes and prejudices, media misrepresentation, discrimination and online hate.

Mr Kalbstein and Dr Abramovich will demonstrate how teachers can make students a part of the story with interactive quizzes, videos and games that take lessons from a lecture to a live experience.

On Day Two (Saturday 15 June), a health session delivered by Star of the Sea College teacher Ms Lauren Munday will guide participants on strategies that can be taught to students to encourage a positive and self-

Patrick’s Primary School, will present a school community STEM project involving local veterans, and demonstrate how this kind of project could be implemented in any school setting.

In the digital technology space, Mr Grant Jones, from Grow Your Own Teacher Training Program at Western Sydney University, will look at creating versus consuming.

This session will lead delegates through an exploration of innovative technologies such as augmented reality. He’ll demonstrate how to use a range of innovative applications to collaborate and create, and share ways teachers can get their students’ creative juices flowing.

Classroom of the Future program –14-15 June, Melbourne

Another key component at the summit in Melbourne is the Classroom of the Future program – a comprehensive program for educators to consider what classrooms might look like in one to five years from now, to share ideas, and hear about new developments.

The program will open with a panel delivered by the Department of Education Victoria with the topic currently being finalised.

Fostering students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) is the focus of the second session.

Delivered by Dr Shyam Barr, Professional Associate at the University of Canberra, and Ms Louise Wallace-Richards, Assistant

Donna Wright, Principal at Bandiana Primary School.

Annie Khoury, primary teacher at Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Queensland.

Principal Teaching and Learning at Radford College, the session will reflect on a school improvement initiative at Radford College that put educators through a series of professional learning experiences designed to build their understanding of how to teach students SRL, using motivational, cognitive and metacognitive strategies.

Dr Barr and Ms Wallace-Richards will share their reflections on the implementation journey, including key takeaways and practical strategies for leading and teaching SRL.

In other sessions throughout the first day, Mr Tim Hadwen, Director of Micromelon, is leading a hands-on workshop using the Micromelon Rover to guide participants through a series of engaging and real-world activities and challenges that teachers can immediately incorporate into their robotics lessons or afterschool club.

Students from Werribee Secondary School and Kingsville Primary School will share their own Student Action Projects that tackled a local environmental issue in their school or local community. Joined by their respective Assistant Principals (Mr Samuel Eason at Kingsville Primary School and Ms Joanna Sommers at Werribee Secondary School), the students will share the steps they took to facilitate and implement their Student Action Projects. Ms Lottie Dowling, who has worked in education for more than 20 years and facilitated one-year Student Action Projects nationally, is also presenting in the session.

On Day Two (Saturday 15 June), Dr Mark Williams, Professor at Macquarie University, will present on the neuroscience of learning. His session will focus on how teachers can

implement strategies to improve learning, memory and most importantly, deep understanding.

Following Dr Williams, Mr David Gall, Senior Project Officer in Online Learning at Brisbane Catholic Education, will discuss how to develop a signature pedagogy for the delivery of online learning, including the influence that asynchronous learning has on synchronous live lessons.

Following a series of other sessions and workshops the day will wrap up with Art Education Victoria’s Executive Officer Ms Lena Cirillo who will explore the evolving landscape of education, focusing on its relevance to K-12 students, engagement for educators, and the practical application of creative pedagogies.

In an era where the conventional classroom is undergoing a transformation, this session delves into the dynamic interplay between

Knowledge Centre program –2-3 August, Brisbane Kicking off the Knowledge Centre program in Brisbane, speaker Professor Kate Ames, Director of Learning Design and Innovation at CQUniversity, will discuss the impact of school-based experiences on life and selfbelief for adults with ADHD.

Through personal storytelling, she aims to highlight the importance of awareness of ADHD by teachers and caregivers, and the influence it has on student engagement with feedback and interaction in the classroom.

In the health and wellbeing space, road safety is in the spotlight. Road trauma is the biggest killer of Australian children aged one to 14 years. In 2023, 1,266 Australians lost their lives on the road – 98 were school aged. Participants will hear from the founder and CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, Mr Russell White, about why road safety awareness and education are an essential part of lifelong continuing education for health and safety on and around our roads.

On the second day of the free Knowledge Centre program in Brisbane, a representative from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) will provide an overview of online child sexual exploitation. The session will explain the role of the AFP-led Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), the ThinkUKnow program, the sexual extortion trend and what the community needs to know, and how to report and get help.

Also presenting in the Brisbane program, Ms Gemma Goodyer, Principal at St Gabriel’s and Mr Jarryd Bradford, Director of Traces of Learning, will share how they created a school culture where no bells are heard, children do not line up, and there is no whole-class teaching. Instead, children encounter hands-on learning at all times. Ms Goodyer and Mr Bradford will explain their ‘why’ and ‘how’. EM

To register for the free Knowledge Centre program in either Melbourne or Brisbane, or the Classroom of the Future in Melbourne, visit www.nationaleducationsummit.com.au

Louise Wallace-Richards, Radford College.

Dr Shyam Barr, University of Canberra.

Gemma Goodyer and Jarryd Bradford

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A new dawn

New secondary schools have opened in Victoria and South Australia, and another is under construction in Wester Sydney, in order to meet the growing enrolment demand in city suburbs.

Victoria

Four new secondary schools and two specialist schools in Victoria’s fast-growing suburbs opened their doors on the first day of Term 1 this year, sharing in more than $527.2 million allocated for new schools in the 2022–23 State Budget.

Brinbeal Secondary College in Tarneit opened to Year 7 students only this year, and will progress by year level thereafter. It is a supported inclusion school, which is a mainstream school with additional professional capabilities and facilities designed to cater for a higher than usual proportion of students with disability.

Brinbeal Secondary College foundation principal Mr Simon Haber features in Principally Speaking on page 20.

Bemin Secondary College in Truganina in Melbourne’s west has a junior and senior campus. In its first year of operation, Bemin Secondary College opened to Year 7 (junior campus) and Year 10 (senior campus) students only. It will progress by year level thereafter.

Colleges, Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College opened to Year 7 students only and will progress by year level thereafter.

Mr Bradley Moyle was appointed as the first principal of the new school, whose name Walcom Ngarrwa (pronounced wel-cum nar-wa) are Wadawurrung words meaning steps to knowledge.

Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College is located next to Nganboo Borron School, a new specialist school with capacity for up to 148 students aged 5- to 18-years-old with mild to profound intellectual disability.

Nganboo Borron (pronounced naan-boo bore-on) are Wadawurrung words meaning children first, nurturing on your shoulder. Ms Michele Marcu is principal of the new specialist school which opened in Term 1. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the education and disability sectors.

most recently principal at Hamilton North Primary School. Before that she spent 12 years at Point Cook P–9 College.

Yarrabing Secondary College, located next to Dharra School, opened to Year 7 students only at the beginning of the year.

Mr John Mitsinikos was appointed as principal of the new school.

The school was known by its interim name, Aintree Secondary School, during planning and design. Yarrabing Secondary College was chosen as this new school’s name following a two-week community consultation. Yarrabing (pronounced yarra-bing) is a Woi-wurrung word of the Wurundjeri people meaning white gum.

South Australia

The new Morialta Secondary College in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs officially opened in February 2024.

Ms Joanne Camozzato was appointed as the first principal of the school, which was known by its interim name, Truganina North Secondary School, during planning and design. Bemin Secondary College was chosen as this new school’s name following a wo-week community consultation. Bemin (pronounced bee-min) is a Bunurong word meaning ringtail possum.

Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College opened in Werribee at the beginning of the year. Like Brinbeal and Bemin Secondary

The Victorian State Government has also built a new specialist school in Aintree, in Melbourne’s west. Dharra School, which has capacity for 148 students aged 5- to 18-years-old with mild to profound intellectual disability, also opened day one of Term 1 in 2024. Dharra (pronounced darrrah) is a Woi-wurrung word of the Wurundjeri people meaning white hawk.

Ms Lizzie Tout has been appointed as principal of Dharra School. She has spent the majority of her career teaching in Melbourne’s western suburbs. She was

Construction began in February 2022, on the former site of Norwood Morialta High School middle campus, with the aging buildings replaced by four contemporary, multi-level learning facilities.

The $88.4m school was officially opened by Premier Peter Malinauskas and Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer.

In 2024, the school has grown to 373 students across Year 7 and 8, after welcoming its first 168 Year 7s last year. Another year level will be added to the

Yarrabing Secondary College Year 7 students.

school annually until 2028, when it will cater for up to 1,200 students across years 7 to 12.

The state-of-the-art design features a 150seat performing arts centre, gymnasium, sports ovals and courts, a library, gallery and café.

Morialta Secondary College will cater for 1,200 students from year 7 to 12. The Morialta Secondary College zone will take in parts of the suburbs of Tranmere, Magill, Woodforde, Teringie, Montacute, and the whole suburbs of Hectorville and Rostrevor.

Speaking at the official opening, Mr Boyer said all South Australian students deserve access to a high-quality education – and education infrastructure plays an important role in that.

“We know that there is projected growth in the eastern suburbs, and we have to be prepared for that, which is why this investment is vital,” he said.

“Students attending Morialta Secondary College will receive a first-class education and I’m pleased the facilities reflect that.

“After opening with Year 7 students last year, the progressive enrolment strategy will mean the school can focus on establishing a strong community foundation while building towards a full cohort of secondary students by 2028.”

Morialta Secondary College Principal Mr Roley Coulter said, as a new school, it is building a community together where every student feels that they belong, can achieve their potential, and become inspired, active citizens.

“When we welcomed our inaugural class of Year 7 students in 2023, they appreciated the

we want to remain community minded and student led as we continue to support all of our students to achieve their own success.”

New South Wales

The NSW Government will deliver a new co-educational high school in Liverpool by bringing together the two existing single-sex high schools into a new school build, following extensive consultation with the community.

Liverpool Boys and Girls High Schools, which are currently co-located on adjoining sites, will come together within the area’s new health and education precinct, as part of the NSW Government’s $3.5 billion commitment to new and upgraded schools in Western Sydney.

The new school will cater for up to 2,000 students, with facilities including new teaching spaces and specialist facilities, as well as a new library.

Community consultation, undertaken in 2022, found support for co-educational schooling in the area, particularly among future high school parents.

Among future parents surveyed, 56 per cent stated a preference for a co-educational high

In recognition of the preferences of some students and families, the co-educational schools will also provide opportunities for single-sex-focused classes and activities.

The new school will form part of the Liverpool Health and Education Sub Precinct, in collaboration with NSW Health, TAFE NSW and the Liverpool City Council.

Planning for the new school build is underway, with concept designs to be shared in coming months.

As the schools come together, they will work with local primary schools to ensure a strong transition process from primary to high school for local students.

The NSW Department of Education will update the community as the project progresses.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, said the project is a huge investment in a rapidly growing community, ensuring working families have access to a world class public education.

“The majority of families in this area expressed a preference for co-education, with the increase in student population at the school to expand the range of subjects and extracurricular activities available for students,” Ms Car said.

“For the new high school to be part of the new health and education precinct is exciting, offering more learning and career opportunities for students in the area.”

Member for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda said the consolidation of Liverpool Boys and Girls into a single, brand-new co-educational campus is an essential milestone in creating a ‘cradle-to-PhD’ education precinct in the Liverpool CBD.

“Liverpool’s population surge has caused us to assess the suitability of our existing local schools. This redevelopment is about creating state-of-the-art secondary schooling for our modern city.” EM

Brinbeal Secondary College students.

Images: Victorian School Building Authority

Dharra School has capacity for 148 students with mild to profound intellectual disability.

Policy to practice: implementing a new curriculum and assessment

Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Whitsunday Anglican School, Natalie Sunner, is tracking a new system in Queensland.

Teaching is a noble profession. So, why then are schools nationally buckling under increasing pressure to employ and maintain quality teachers? The education sector is pulling out all stops with lures of lucrative scholarships and internships to attract new teachers or the attention of those that have long left the profession; otherwise known as ‘refugees from the classroom’. Add distance, isolation and a diverse demographic to any school context and the pressure to find quality teachers increases exponentially.

Is the catalyst for the decline in teacher attraction and retention location? Or is there a more complex explanation to investigate in workforce conditions? According to Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) National Trends, teachers in remote Queensland are 10 per cent more likely to work 50 plus hours per week, compared to their colleagues in major cities (AITSL, 2021). Workforce conditions are clearly a trigger that can incentivise or deter teacher aspirants. ATWD have also found that pay is not commonly the reason for teachers to remain in the classroom.

In other industries, such as the resource sector, paying conditions are regularly quoted as the main reason for people to make a career change to driving coal trucks on FIFO deals. I’ve tried to imagine it for myself; swapping my classroom gig for a truck cabin. Where’s the fun in that? As a career teacher and stalwart for improving educational outcomes for all students, I prefer the excitement that comes with the cauldron of a Year 12 classroom. It’s full of energy and contest, mixed with North Queensland summer sweat. So, perhaps location and context do matter in education, but not so much the pay.

How do we begin to fix this problem? My view is that the solution must come from within; that is, from the experience of our teaching brethren. Is it change management, location, professional development and/or pay that is disincentivising our teacher workforce?

To examine this further, I decided in 2020 to do something about it myself. It was a very real COVID thought bubble that turned into reality. Currently, my PhD research is investigating a case study of secondary schools across Queensland.

status (Index of Community SocioEducational Advantage [ICSEA]).

Documented teacher experience of policy implementation is showing that regional and remote schools appear challenged by isolation from adequate professional development and are struggling to contend with the learning needs of an increasingly diverse generation of adolescents.

Teachers are claiming that managing diversity is now a politically correct term for contending with serious student behaviour management issues, truancy and indiscriminate parent support.

Twenty-first century national educational reform agreements between states and territories reiterate that the learning outcomes of equity cohorts should be our policy focus. Schools, as we well know, are often a hotbed of social reform agendas.

The field of 21st century policy enactment for teachers is clearly influenced by the availability of expert professional support and their working conditions. This is particularly important for schooling communities that service the needs of students with a Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE), students with disability and students whose families have been identified as low socio-educational

These equity cohorts are identified by research participants as increasingly at-risk of further disadvantages if teachers are not adequately resourced with the necessary expertise in policy implementation.

My examination of the reform experiences of teachers and curriculum leaders in Queensland secondary schools is providing further insight into the contemporary challenges behind teacher attrition.

Teachers in regional and remote secondary schools are pointing to largescale curriculum changes and high-staff turnover to explain the nature of change fatigue. Do we need to go back to the drawing board to save what is essentially good educational policy and rethink the ‘one-size-fits-all’ implementation skin that is applied to the entire state of Queensland?

Could thinking from the ground up be the solution for schools struggling to incentivise teaching as a noble career choice in their area? My case study of secondary schools in Queensland concludes in 2024. I hope to have some answers then. EM

Reference: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2021b. Technical Report. Supplement to the Australian Teacher Workforce Data: National Teacher Workforce Characteristics Report December 2021 (the ATWD Teacher Workforce Report – Technical Report).

Image: Natalie Sunner

Real versus reel: Lessons learnt from teachers on screen

Analysing fictional teachers portrayed in modern film and television has generated several practical insights, says Dr Hugh Gundlach.

In many comedies and dramas, teachers reluctantly enter the profession due to financial necessity, lacking enthusiasm and subject knowledge. Dewey Finn in School of Rock focuses solely on music, while Louanne Johnson in Dangerous Minds strays far from the curriculum. Possessing knowledge on content alone isn’t sufficient; the ability to effectively engage students is paramount. Remember the monotone Economics teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off who, while knowledgeable, fails to inspire and engage.

While many cinematic teachers deliver lengthy, inspirational speeches, it’s important to recognise that real-life students are less likely to be captivated by verbal instruction alone. Only a handful of screen portrayals, usually subjects such as art, chemistry, physical education, or food science, depict students actively engaged in practical activities. Instead of monopolising class time with lectures, encourage student involvement by incorporating hands-on learning experiences. Providing opportunities for students to actively participate in their own learning can enhance their comprehension and retention of material.

Bad Teacher’s Elizabeth Halsey and Summer Heights High’s Mr G represent cases of self-indulgent and egotistical educators who prioritise their own interests over the needs of their students. While exaggerated for dramatic effect, they serve as cautionary examples. Quality teachers place students at the centre of the learning process. It’s natural to consider our own roles and responsibilities in the classroom, but adopting a student-centred approach empowers students to become the protagonists of their own learning.

While witty banter between teachers and students provides comedic relief in comedies, emulating such behaviour in real-life classrooms can have serious consequences. Mr Kennedy from Inbetweeners

Periods with Mr Gormsby, Michael from liners, but their approach could be deemed abusive and offensive in real educational settings. Building positive relationships based on kindness and optimism fosters trust and respect, creating a supportive learning environment where students feel valued and understood. Humour can enhance engagement, but it’s essential to have sensitivity and awareness of its impact on students.

While many educators work solo in the classroom, and films often romanticise the lone teacher making a significant impact, the reality is that education is a collaborative effort. Characters like John Keating from Dead Poets Society and Erin Gruwell from Freedom Writers dangerously position themselves as challengers who consciously subvert the norms and rules of their respective schools.

Gruwell’s determination to keep her class the following year may be presented as ‘heartwarming’, but her actions undermine her colleagues and superiors. Furthermore, both Keating and Gruwell prioritise inappropriate friendships with their students over fostering relationships with their fellow teachers. In real-life educational settings, it’s crucial to cultivate positive collegial relationships by connecting professionally and socially with colleagues. Collaboration enhances support for students’ holistic development and strengthens the teaching profession.

spotlight just one or a few students with whom a teacher interacts closely. Freedom Writers notably overlooks the reality that teachers typically have multiple classes. There are numerous concerning instances in films and television where teachers become excessively involved with a single student. These scenarios include offcampus interactions, visits to students’ homes, inappropriate remarks, and unwarranted physical contact. While it’s essential to foster a friendly atmosphere in the classroom, it’s equally vital to maintain professional boundaries to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for all students.

‘Hero’ teachers like Ron Clark in Triumph and Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver are portrayed as inspirational figures who devote extensive hours to their work beyond the regular school day. While this dedication may reflect the reality of teaching, these characters frequently sacrifice personal relationships and, arguably, their own happiness, as they shoulder responsibilities beyond their professional duties.

It’s crucial for educators to maintain their wellbeing through leisure, a social life, and life outside of work. Work-life balance is essential for sustaining long-term effectiveness and retention in the teaching profession. EM

Image: The University of Melbourne

Why school routine is good for kids’ health

Dr Dot Dumuid explains how structure can be a hidden benefit for children’s health and wellbeing.

When it comes to summer holidays, most teachers would have noticed that children tend to go backwards with their learning.

Despite all the efforts made during the school year – and even the sneaky educational ‘holiday activities’ that well-meaning teachers may give their students – children tend lose about a month in their reading and maths ability over the summer break. But what teachers may not know, is that this backward step also occurs in other areas, particularly when it comes to health and fitness.

New studies show that children tend to put on more weight during the holidays than the school term, and that their body composition becomes higher in fat, relative to their body size. In fact, one American study found that increases in fatness among early primary school children occurred only during the summer holidays – and that when they returned to school this slowly improved over the year, but not at a rate sufficient to undo the impact of the holidays.

Unfortunately, the summer holidays have a negative impact on Australian children too. Our team at the University of South Australia recently followed a group of primary school children over two complete school years, finding faster increases in fatness and decreases in fitness during the summer holidays compared to school terms. If children spent the entire year on holidays, their body fat percentage would be 3 per cent greater, and their aerobic fitness 10 per cent lower, than if they spent the entire year at school.

So, why are summer holidays so detrimental for children’s physical health? Without school commitments and homework, it’s easy to assume that children and families have all the time in the world to engage in healthy behaviours. But as it turns out, that’s not the case. In fact, 2007 research showed

that Australian children spent 10 minutes less in sports and exercise but spend almost an hour more on screens.

The situation has not changed over time, with primary school children in our 2023 study getting 12 minutes less sports and exercise, and 70 minutes more screen time during summer holidays compared with term times. As a result, children expend less energy during the holidays – we estimated that their daily energy expenditure was about five per cent lower, which is enough to put on at least half a kilogram over the six-week Christmas break.

Children’s diets also changed during the summer holidays. Although fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant during summer, we found that children actually ate less fruit (by about half a serve) and the quality of their diet was lower overall during the holidays compared to term time.

What is it about schools that promotes healthy lifestyle behaviours and good health? We think that a large part can be contributed to the structure that school brings to a child’s life. Schools provide a consistent routine which encourages healthy sleep habits and regular physical activity.

At school, opportunities to participate in sports and exercise are provided equally to all children, regardless of their sociodemographic background or abilities. The academic demands of school and homework keep students occupied, leaving little time for playing on screens or watching television. During the school day, meal and snack times are scheduled, so children can only eat at certain times. Healthy foods are encouraged through ‘fruit’ or ‘brain food’ snacks, and the school can control the quality of foods offered at their canteen.

activities happening in the local area during the holidays. Examples can range from exhibitions at museums to sandcastle competitions. Local councils can be a good place to start when looking for relevant information. Getting families out to events leads to incidental exercise and less time for screens.

3. Provide suggestions for holiday camps in your area. Studies show that children spending more time at summer camps are more active than those staying at home during the holidays. Other options may include music camps, coding camps or sporting camps where children are not required to live-in, but still receive all the benefit of having days filled with structured activities. EM

Image: Dr Dot Dumuid

To list an event in our calendar, email

rhiannon.bowman@primecreative.com.au

APRIL

The Association of Independent Schools of NSW Wellbeing Conference 2024

5 April aisnsw.edu.au

Growing the whole student roundtable event

30 April

h1.mailout.ct.com.au/bloumdiscovery-day-30april-reg

MAY

Device Discovery Day

1 May

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALT) Summit

9–10 May aitsl.edu.au

Growing the whole student roundtable event

10 May

h1.mailout.ct.com.au/bloumdiscovery-day-30april-reg

Association of School Business Administrators (ASBA) (VIC) 2024 State Conference

27–28 May asba.asn.au

Association of Independent Schools of NSW ICT Conference

29–30 May aisnsw.edu.au

Principals Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools (PAVCSS) 2024 Conference

29–30 May pavcss.org.au

National Reconciliation Week

27 May – 3 June reconciliation.org.au

JUNE

Growing the whole student webinar event

5 June

h1.mailout.ct.com.au/bloumdiscovery-day-30april-reg

National Education Summit, Melbourne

14–15 June

nationaleducationsummit.com.au

JULY

Schools Tree Day

26 July treeday.planetark.org

AUGUST

National Education Summit, Brisbane

2–3 August

nationaleducationsummit.com.au

National Science Week

10–18 August scienceweek.net.au

EduTECH Australia, Melbourne

13–14 August terrapinn.com/exhibition/ edutechaustralia

Book Week

17–23 August cbca.org.au/cbca-book-week

It Takes a Spark STEM conference – Queensland

30 August spark-educonferences.com.au/ queensland-2024

SEPTEMBER

R U OK? Day

12 September ruok.org.au

APPA/NZPF Trans-Tasman

Conference, Christchurch, NZ

18–20 September appa.asn.au

It Takes a Spark STEM conference – WA

18 September spark-educonferences.com.au/ western-australia-2024

OCTOBER

It Takes a Spark STEM conference – Victoria

24 October spark-educonferences.com.au/ victoria-2024

World Teacher’s Day

25 October worldteachersday.edu.au

NOVEMBER

National Recycling Week

11–17 November recyclingnearyou.com.au/ nationalrecyclingweek

It Takes a Spark STEM conference – Tasmania

29 November spark-educonferences.com.au/

Dr Shyam Barr will discuss fostering students’ self-regulated learning at National Education Summit in Melbourne.

Image: National Education Summit

Celebrated for revolutionising AI-powered learning, Mr Sal Khan is keynote speaker at EduTECH in Melbourne in August. Image: The Lavin Agency

World Teacher’s Day on 25 October celebrates educators like secondary school teacher Kate Kovalik. Image: Cranbrook School

People on the Move

Welcome to People on the Move, Education Matters’ bulletin to keep the Australian education sector updated on new appointments and personnel changes.

ESA appoints new board chair

Vicki Baylis has replaced Diane Joseph as Education Services Australia board chair, effective from 1 March. Beginning her career as a classroom teacher, Ms Baylis then served the Queensland and Northern Territory Departments of Education, was chair of the Australian Education Senior Officials Committee (AESOC) and of the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Education Advisory Group to AESOC. She has served on the ESA board for the past year.

Image: Education Services Australia

joining Flexischools, Mr Biddle was Global Sales and Marketing Director at ClickView for eight years, overseeing its Australian, UK and US operations. He has also consulted for the Australian Edtech peak body, EduGrowth, and for numerous EdTech startups including Inquisitive and Life Skills Go.

Image: Flexischools

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership appoints Acting CEO

The AITSL Board has appointed its Deputy CEO, Edmund Misson, as acting CEO, following the resignation of Mark Grant. Misson has been with AITSL for almost the entire life of the organisation, and has extensive experience in the education sector. Grant resigned in January to take up the role of Deputy Secretary (Chief Operating Officer) at the NSW Department of Education.

Image: AITSL

Education portfolio

Queensland premier Steven Miles appointed Di Farmer Minister for Education and Minister for Youth Justice in December 2023. Her responsibilities include state schooling, early childhood education, higher education, non-state school funding and youth justice. She previously served as Minister for Small Business and replaces Grace Grace as Minister for Education.

Image: Queensland Department of Education

Acting CEO steers ACARA into new year

Stephen Gniel joined the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) as its acting CEO in November 2023, following the resignation of David de Carvalho. Gniel was seconded into the role from Victoria where he is CEO of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. His secondment into the role extends until the recruitment process is complete and a new appointment commences.

Image: ACARA

New president leads ASPA in 2024

Former principal Andy Mison has succeeded Andrew Pierpoint as president of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA), taking over in October 2023. Mison has previously contributed to the development of the Australian Curriculum in the arts and the implementation of remote learning and vaccination initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image: ASPA

responsible for achieving Grok’s vision of enabling teachers to confidently deliver the digital technologies curriculum to all students around Australia with free, classroom-ready resources and ongoing teacher professional development.

Image: Grok Academy

a career in the public service driving complex policy issues, including within both the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Education. He is currently CEO of the Australian Council of Learned Academies, a role he has held since 2019. He starts his new role in May.

Image: STA

If you’d like to tell the sector about a new person in your school, company, institute or not-for-profit, please send the person’s name, position, image and a short description about their role to editor Rhiannon Bowman for consideration at rhiannon.bowman@primecreative.com.au.

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Helping students to shine

At JB Hi-Fi Education, we’re dedicated to empowering the next generation of Australians with the tools and technologies that will allow them to shine on the world stage. We help educators create world-class education programs by providing simple, affordable and manageable technology solutions that support new modes of learning and collaboration.

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Education products can differ from those available in retail stores. They are designed to be compatible with school curriculums, ICT, infrastructure, processes and students.

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Whitegoods Mobility and wireless Core infrastructure Interactive Software Warranties and repairs

Accessories STEM, STEAM and Esports Audio-Visual

If these pages spark an idea, we’d love to explore it with you

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Galaxy Tab A9+

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Write, sketch and draw in class on your favourite notetaking app

Get ready for epic productivity with the new Galaxy Tab S9 FE. Smash through work with the powerful processor and long-lasting battery, and collaborate with your classmates like never before with the HD video call features.

• Water and dust resistant1

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*Keyboard sold separately

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1. Based on test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water and dust for up to

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Our BYOD program offers access to education-specific laptops, tablets, accessories, and insurance through your school’s dedicated portal. Each product has been carefully selected to ensure it is fully supported by your school’s ICT infrastructure, all at competitive JB Hi-Fi pricing.

30 minutes. Not advised for beach or pool use. Ensure the charging port is dry before charging. Dust resistance rating is tested under lab conditions by a third party: 2kg of talc powder (max. diameter of 0.05mm) per cubic meter was blown into a test chamber housing the device (air pressure within device kept below surrounding air) for 2 hours. Rated IP6X. Dust-resistance may vary by actual usage conditions.

Learn, create and express with Laptops designed by Microsoft

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Plan exciting, interactive lessons using voice, animation, and video.

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Allow students to co-create, be seen, be heard and understood.

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Provide better access to technology with 5G models and versatile form factors. Tablet mode can be perched on a table, attached to a wheelchair, held in a hand, or laid flat on a table.

Encourage independence and confidence with responsive, rugged devices that make students feel capable.

Reduce outside distractions with immersive Reader on the HD PixelSense screen. Omnisonic speakers provide crystal-clear sound and dual HD speakers for engrossing video lessons.

Microsoft Surface delivers

All-day battery life, fast chargers to 80% in an hour1

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Up to 4 years warranty coverage, including accidental damage protection2

Meet the Surface family

Devices and software, built to transform education. Surface devices are light, thin, and truly versatile; intuitive to use; powerfully efficient; and incredibly secure.

Microsoft Surface Pro

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• Lightweight starting at 879g

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1. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage, and other factors. Contact us for full details.

2. Surface Laptop Studio 2 display has rounded corners within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape the screen is 14.36” diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

3. Surface Slim Pen 2 sold separately

Discover the range of Surface accessories on the next page

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• Protect institution-owned devices with accidental damage protection for 2 claims (Basic Plan) or 3 claims (Premium Plan)

Surface Protection Plans for Education go beyond your Surface warranty

Maximise your Surface investments by protecting your devices with extended coverage and services that help you with every stage of support you might need for your Surface devices.*

Complete for Students

Available for individuals e.g. students aged 18+ or their parents purchasing a commercial Surface device where the individual owns the device and title to the protection plan.

• Extend the life of a student’s Surface device to 3 years

• Protect a student device with accidental damage protection for 2 claims (Basic) or 3 claims (Premium)

• Transferrable to another consumer if a parent or student sells their Surface device

With over 21 years experience working in the Education sector, we can help design and implement the most effective and efficient ICT solutions for your pedagogical objectives.

Contact us today

Protection Plans enable your school to hit the ground running when you deploy Surface, and help your educators and students to stay productive when issues arise.

Designed by Apple. Powered by learning

Why Mac in Education?

• Accessibility at its Core: Built-in features like VoiceOver, Text to Speech, and Dictation support diverse learning needs, ensuring every student can navigate, understand, and engage with their content.

• Creative and Interactive Learning: The Mac ecosystem offers a wide range of applications and software that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

• Personalised Education Experience: With the ability to run a variety of educational software and apps, each student can have a learning experience tailored to their strengths and challenges.

• Seamless compatibility: Mac is the perfect computer for all the apps and workflows students depend on, including Google Workspace for Education, Microsoft 365, and many of today’s common learning management systems. And with macOS, they can run many of their favourite iPhone and iPad apps directly on Mac.

• Built to last: With its incredibly thin and light design, Mac lets students and teachers get work done almost anywhere. The enclosure is made with 100 percent recycled aluminium, so it’s better for the environment, yet durable enough to handle the rigours of daily student use. The Force Touch trackpad provides precise control, along with plenty of room to swipe, pinch, or zoom. And MacBook Air with the M2 chip has a MagSafe charging port for peace of mind when it’s plugged in.

A better world starts in the classroom, with flexible, easy-to-use tools that have privacy, accessibility, and sustainability built right in. Apple products and resources are designed to make learning personal, creative, and inspiring.

Reaching all learners

The best technology works for everyone. That’s why Apple products and services are inclusive by design, with built-in accessibility features to help you connect, create and do what you love — in the ways that work best for you.

Learning goes anywhere with iPad

In a time when one in five Australian students navigate learning differences, the iPad provides innovative technology to customise each student’s educational path. It’s not just about access; it’s about empowerment, personalisation, and breaking down barriers, and buidling scaffolds to learning.

Why iPad in Education?

• Built-In Accessibility: Speak Selection, Magnifier, Scribble and Spoken Content remove barriers for the learner.

• Interactive Content: Access to a rich ecosystem of apps and resources makes learning dynamic and engaging.

• Seamless compatibility: iPad is the perfect device for the apps and workflows students and teachers depend on, including Google Workspace for Education, Microsoft 365, and many of today’s common learning management systems. And the Files app on iPad makes it easy to access files from USB drives and cloud services all in one place.

• Personalisation: Customise learning paths to suit individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

• Empowering Choice: Students take charge of their learning, selecting tools and resources that best suit their learning style.

• Unrivalled versatility: iPad empowers students and teachers to learn and teach where, when, and how they want to. With built-in tools for creativity and collaboration, iPad can become anything they need it to be: a camera, a recording studio, a notebook, a sketchbook, and much more.

Smarter technology at every stage of development

Unlock your students’ full potential with tailored solutions that are designed to enhance education. Accelerate learning outcomes, and ensure security wherever your students are working.

Lenovo ThinkPad 13w Yoga Gen 4

Next-generation AMD Ryzen™ processors

Versatile, portable, and built for modern learning

• FHD IPS Touch display with 16:10 aspect ratio

• FHD (1080p) front camera with webcam privacy shutter and 5MP world-facing camera

• Wi-Fi 6 and 4G/LTE connectivity

• Garaged Active Stylus and Pencil Touch technology

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4

Takes productivity to new levels

• Intel vPro® with 13th Gen

Intel® Core™ i7/i5 processor U series

Up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM (4800Mhz)

Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage

• Flexible 360-degree hinge for multimode usage

• Optional garaged rechargeable ThinkPad Pen Pro

• All-day battery life, plus RapidCharge to get 80% charge in 60 minutes1

Lenovo 500w Yoga Gen 4

Perfect for today’s agile learners

• Wi-Fi 6

• 12.2” 16:10 1200p IPS touch display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass

• Integrated Intel® UHD graphics

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 11

Where aspiration meets innovation

Intel® processor N100 /N200

Up to 256GB storage

Intel® Core™ i7/i5 processor P series

Up to 64GB

LPDDR5 RAM

Up to 2TB Gen 4

performance PCIe NVMe SSD storage

• Intel vPro®, & Intel® Evo™ Design with 13th Gen Intel® Core™

• Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics

• Up to FHD + IR MIPI camera with webcam privacy shutter and Computer Vision

• 2.8K OLED display option with low blue light Eyesafe® certification

1. Battery life (and recharge times) will vary based on many factors, including system settings and usage.

Up to Intel® processor N200

Up to 128GB storage

Lenovo 500e Yoga Chromebook Gen 4

Powered by endless possibilities

• Integrated Intel® UHD graphics

• 12.2” 16:10 IPS Touch display

• 720p or FHD front-facing and 5MP world-facing cameras

• MIL-SPEC-810H and Lenovo DuraSpec durability

• Optional LTE capability

• Optional garaged pen

Adapt, grow, and thrive

Bridge the digital divide, giving students the tech they need, where they need it.

HP ProBook x360 Fortis G11

Primary school device

Intel® Processor N100/N200

Up to 16GB RAM

Up to 256GB SSD

Stylus holder

• Rugged design - Co-molded rubber contact points and strengthened corner design

• Robust - Passed 19 x MIL-STD 810 tests

• Flexible 360° design: tablet, tent or laptop mode

HP EliteBook x360 830 G10

Student device

Intel® Core i5-1335U

16GB RAM

Up to 256GB SSD

• Bang & Olufsen Audio with AI Noise cancellation

• 13.3” touch screen with HP rechargeable Active Pen

• Flexible 360° design: tablet, tent or laptop mode

Bulk Pack with HP

HP ProBook x360 435 G10

Student device

• Robust - Passed 19 x MIL-STD 810 tests

AMD Ryzen™ R5 / R7 7000 Series

16GB RAM

Up to 256GB SSD

• 13.3” touch screen with HP rechargeable Active Pen

• 5MP Camera + World Facing camera

• Flexible 360° design: tablet, tent or laptop mode

HP EliteBook x360 1040 G10

Teacher device

Intel® Core i5-1335U

16GB RAM

Up to 256GB SSD

• Bang & Olufsen Audio with AI Noise cancellation

• 14” touch screen with HP rechargeable Active Pen

• Flexible 360° design: tablet, tent or laptop mode

Selected HP Commercial Notebook products offer shipping of 5 units within 1 box. Reducing waste and supporting your sustainability goals.

5 Units / Pack

Eligible products

ProBook 400/405

24 boxes/pallet

120 units per pallet

EliteBook 600/605

EliteBook 800/805

EliteBook 1000

• Enhances security of units in storage

• Inventory efficiency

• Quicker deployment

• Warehouse storage space savings

• Reduces packaging material waste

• Improves shipping pallet density

• Logistics efficiency

• Reduces overall carbon footprint

STEM & Esports

Embrace creative learning tools and prepare students for careers of the future. STEM and STEAM solutions make teaching and learning collaborative, fun, and inspiring. And just like traditional team sports, Esports can help students develop critical life skills they will require in their social and professional lives.

Intel® i9-13900K

32GB

Up to 2TB SSD

Omen by HP Gaming Desktop PC - GT22-1011a

Built for extreme performance

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i9-13900K (Raptor Lake)

• RAM: Kingston FURY 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 5200 XMP RGB

• Storage: Up to 2TB SSD

• Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB

• Unique cooling chamber

Omen 27 - 27” FHD Gaming Monitor

• Incredible visual experience with a 27” screen and a 1920x1080 resolution

• Full High Definition (FHD)

• Smooth precision with a fast 165Hz refresh rate

• Premium performance with adaptive AMD FreeSync

AMD Ryzen™ 9-7940HS

32GB

DDR5 RAM

Up to 1TB PCIe

Intel® i7-14700F

DDR5 RAM 16GB

DDR5 RAM

Up to 1TB SSD

Omen by HP Gaming Desktop PC - GT14-2001a

Look good and play even better with the OMEN by HP Desktop PC

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-14700F (Raptor Lake-S Refresh)

• RAM: 16GB (1x16GB) DDR5 4800

• Storage: Up to 1TB SSD / 1 TB HDD

• Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB

• Experience incredible performance and dazzling graphics

OMEN 32q - 32” QHD Gaming Monitor

• Incredible visual experience with a 32” screen and a 2560x1440 resolution

• Quad High Definition (QHD)

• Smooth precision with a fast 165Hz refresh rate

• Premium performance with adaptive AMD FreeSync

Omen by HP Gaming Laptop - 16-XF0057AX

• Processor: AMD Ryzen™ 9-7940HS

• RAM: 32GB DDR5 2DM 5600

• Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4

• Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB VRAM

• Keyboard: SDB CP RGB-Backlit 4 Zone numkypd AUST

• Fast Charge Battery

Keep playing. Gaming accessories for beginner or pro Supporting students with Esports.

G305 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse

• LIGHTSPEED wireless

• 12,000 DPI HERO sensor

• Up to 250 hour battery life

PRO Series

G335 Wired Gaming Headset

• 240g lightweight and comfortable

• On ear controls & flip-to-mute mic

• Works with PC, Xbox, PlayStation®, Nintendo® Switch

PRO X Superlight 2 Wireless Gaming Mouse

• Ultra lightweight at under 63 grams, nearly 25% lighter than standard PRO wireless mouse

• LIGHTFORCE hybrid optical- mechanical switches enable prolevel precision

• HERO 2 features the most advanced optical sensor in gaming

• Up to 95hr battery life with USB-C charging

CORE Series

G502 X Wired Gaming Mouse

• LIGHTFORCE optical-mechanical switches

• HERO 25K sub-micron gaming sensor

• Dual-mode scroll wheel: hyper-fast or ratchet

• Lightweight at 89grams

G413 TKL SE Wired Mechanical Keyboard

• Tactile mechanical switches

• 6-Key rollover with PBT heat and wear resistance keycaps

• LED Lighting

PRO X 2 Lightspeed Gaming Headset

• Delivers a pro-caliber audio experience for competitive play because every sound matters

• The headset helps pro players and serious gamers eliminate barriers and distractions in the pursuit of victory

• Wireless headset with up to 50hr battery life

• 50mm graphene drivers provide clear and immersive audio

• Connect via Lightspeed Wireless, Bluetooth + 3.5mm

G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset

• LIGHTSPEED Wireless + Bluetooth®

• Works with PC, PS5/PS4, Switch, Tablet, Mobile and more

• Beamforming mic reduce background noise

• Up to 18hr battery life

PRO X TKL Wireless Gaming Keyboard

• The next evolution of the PRO keyboard, delivering the championship-trusted performance and reliability of LIGHTSPEED wireless offers competition-ready speed and top-tier performance

• Compact tenkeyless form factor designed for the highest level of competitive play

• Up to 50hr battery life

• Connect via Lightspeed Wireless and Bluetooth

G512 Carbon RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

• LIGHTSYNC for responsive in-game effects

• Premium top case with aircraft-grade alloy for durability

• Full keyboard with function keys for lighting, media control and more

Enabling new ways to teach and learn

Thousands of schools, colleges, and universities around the world trust Wacom to help prepare their students for successful art and design careers.

Help students master their passions by training them on the tools that today’s industry-leading studios, agencies and creative professionals rely on.

Our products boost collaboration and interaction, creating a classroom feel - even when you’re not in one. Designed to work seamlessly with your IT infrastructure, they’re proven performers in any learning scenario.

Meet the WACOM Family

The professional’s choice – Wacom Intuos Pro family

Best professional creative pen tablets with serious pen performance and productivity features

• Battery-free ergonomic Wacom Pro Pen 2 with 8192 pressure sensitivity levels

• 6/8 Customisable ExpressKeysTM, Radial Menu and pen side switches to help boost productivity

The studio benchmark – Wacom Cintiq Pro

Best professional creative pen displays feature 4K resolution, superior colour, and no parallax

• Modern design including 8 easy accessible ExpressKeys

• Multi-touch and pen control incl. pen gestures

• New customisable Pro Pen 3 experience

• Near-zero pen & screen latency

Your creative journey begins - Wacom One and Wacom One Pen Tablet family

Entry-level pen displays and tablets for creative beginners wanting a pen-on-screen experience

Feature rich – Wacom Cintiq family

Perfectly equipped to help you begin your journey as an illustrator

• Creative pen display with quality pen on screen experience

• Exceptional creative pen technology with 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt-recognition

• Full HD display lets you see your work in crystal clear detail

Case Study STM Goods and Westbourne Grammar School

With over 2000 students across three campuses ranging from P-12, Westbourne Grammar School was in need of high-quality protective cases and accessories for its students’ devices. They turned to a trusted partner in JB Hi-Fi Education to oversee the rollout of STM Goods – Australia’s No.1 provider of device protection and accessories.

In the Australian educational landscape, technology plays a crucial role in the curriculum. Laptops and tablets are essential tools for students, therefore safeguarding their longevity and functionality is vital. Accidental drops and mishandling are common among students, and without proper protection, device damages can hinder the learning process.

JB Hi-Fi Education’s Account Manager Kathryn Steel said STM Goods was the perfect fit for Westbourne’s needs: “We recommend STM to schools because of the protection, the testing that they go through for it, the warranty, the price point, and the fact that they’re really, really robust.”

To protect the iPads used in the Junior School, the Dux Plus Duo iPad cover was selected. They offer a reliable barrier against the rigors of being used daily in the classrooms. “STM Dux cases are drop tested by our military standard drop tests and they survive all the rigors of the classroom environment.” according to Paul Hy, STM’s Victoria State Manager.

Head of the school’s Winjeel campus, Andrea Elliot, said the partnership between Westbourne, JB Hi-Fi Education & STM has been a roaring success,

“STM does stand out from its competitors,” she said. “The STM products have helped us as a school protect our students’ devices over many years.”

STM supplied students and teachers with the following products:

Discover the full range of STM products on the next page

For any accessories enquiry

email us at education@jbhifi.com.au or call us 1300 746 752

Dux Plus Duo iPad cover

The

Apple Pencil charging and storage

Easy access to buttons

Transparent back panel

Reinforced corners

Patented magnetic closure

Instant on/off cover

Folding cover doubles as a stand

Model Colour

Dux Plus

Dux Plus Duo

Dux Plus

Dux Plus

Dux Plus

Dux Plus

Compatibility

iPad 10th gen

iPad 9th/8th/7th gen

iPad Air 5th/4th gen

iPad Pro 11” 4th/3rd/2nd/1st gen

iPad Pro 12.9” 6th/5th/4th/3rd gen

iPad Mini 6th gen

Rugged without bulk. Passes Mil-Spec drop test standards.

smarter case, designed for Apple.

Smarter device protection for all

With over 20 years of feedback and confidence from teachers and education IT specialists, STM Goods incorporates the highest quality standards to protect laptops and tablets, better organise daily essentials and ultimately save you money.

Surface pro compatible

Bluetooth Trackpad Keyboard - iPad* Stylus holder iPad compatible Stylus holder 13.5” screen

Compatibility: 9th/8th/7th gen & 10th gen

• Mil spec drop protection

• Pry resistant keyboard keys

• Unique flip forward camera corner

Ace Eco Vertical Cargo

Compatibility: From 13” to 14” laptops

Dux Shell - Surface Pro 9* Stylus holder

Compatibility: Surface Pro 9

• Slim and lightweight

• Integrated pen storage

• Ventilated design

Dux - Surface Laptop 5*

Compatibility: Surface Laptop 5 13.5”

• Custom fit for either fabric or metal keyboard

• Optional surface pen storage

• Sleek and rugged case

Myth range

JB Hi-Fi Education Exclusive Protection

• Reinforced corner for drop protection

• 5 Year warranty

• Removable pouch

• Made with 100% recycled polyester fabric and lining

Compatibility: Most 15” laptops & 16” Macbook Pro

• For educators and school staff

• 28L and 18L backpacks, selection of shoulder bags

iPad compatible

EcoGlass Screen Protector – iPad*

Compatibility: iPad 9th/8th/7th gen & iPad 10th gen

• Shatterproof design

• 100% Recycled & recyclable

• True iPad feel & function

*Device not included

UAG is built on a mission to make quality protective gear that empowers people on their adventures while keeping them connected. Rugged, lightweight, drop-tested protection is the core of its DNA and each product is thoughtfully designed to give consumers a rugged, functional product that stands out from the pack.

UAG Metropolis - iPad*

iPad compatible

Stylus holder

Compatibility: Available for all iPad sizes and generations

• Smart folio cover with auto wake / sleep functions and adjustable stand

• Apple Pencil holder and compatible with pairing and charging

iPad compatible

Stylus holder

UAG Rugged Keyboard Folio - iPad*

Compatibility: Available for all iPad sizes and generations

• Durable smart folio cover with auto wake / sleep functions and adjustable stand

• Superior laptop-style experience with spacious contoured keys and multi-touch trackpad

Quality. Protection. Innovation.

This defines the ethos of ITSKINS and is our obsession that we pursue without compromise. ITSKINS cases good looks grow out of their protective form and features. With the introduction of Made in Australia products and Essentials bundles ITSKINS continues to innovate with quality and protection.

ITSKINS Made In Australia Origin

Phone Cases Black*

Compatibility: Available for iPhone, Samsung and Google

• Drop and scratch protection

• Magsafe compatible

Stylus holder

UAG Plasma - Microsoft Surface Pro*

Compatibility: Available for all Microsoft Surface Pro generations

• Includes a rotating hand strap, shoulder strap and Surface Pen holder

• Compatible with Microsoft Surface Type Keyboard

ITSKINS Made In Australia Origin

Phone Cases Clear*

Compatibility: Available for iPhone, Samsung and Google

• Drop and scratch protection

• Magsafe compatible

*Device not included

ITSKINS Essentials 360 Protection

Compatibility: Available for Oppo, Motorola, Samsung A series and iPhone legacy models (check with us for availability)

• Includes clear phone case and tempered glass screen protector for full 360 degree protection

• Scratch and drop protection

Survivor products are engineered for the front lines with trusted products that protect your tech and maximise utility at school, work or at home.

iPad compatible

Survivor All Terrain - iPad* Stylus holder

Compatibility: Available for all iPad sizes and generations

• Protects your device from extreme conditions including drops, dirt, sand and rain

• Built-in screen protector, port covers, kickstand and Apple Pencil holder

Survivor Rugged Folio - iPad*

iPad compatible

Compatibility: Available for all iPad sizes and generations

• Securely seals to protect from drops, dirt and debris

• Adjustable kickstand

Incase design solutions are centered on protection and mobility to meet the evolving demands of today’s creatives. Incase heritage is deeply rooted in the lifestyles of those who create on the Apple platform, with key product focus on MacBook protection (cases and sleeves), bags and backpacks.

Incase Hardshell Dots for Apple MacBook*

Compatibility: Available for all Apple MacBook sizes and generations

• Lightweight form fitting case offers protection with sophisticated styling

• Rubberised feet for stability and ventilation to keep your MacBook cool

Survivor Strong Clear- iPhone*

Compatibility: iPhone14, iPhone 15

• 12 foot drop protection

• Scratch resistant anti-yellowing coating

• Slim, strong and ergonomic

Incase Carry Zip Sleeve - Graphite

Compatibility: Available in 13” and 15” devices universal laptop compatibility

• High quality strong and durable Woolenex material

• Secure zipper enclosure

*Device not included

Incase Facet 20L Backpack

Compatibility: Compatible with up to 16” laptops

• Made for the campus, commute and life on the go

• Dedicated laptop sleeve compartment and dual water bottle pockets

Unleash your productivity

Enhancing student productivity by protecting and powering their essential connectivity tools.

Stylus holder

Pro Keys 2 - Keyboard and Trackpad

Compatibility: New 2024 iPad range*

• Rugged, lightweight design

• 6.6ft / 2m drop protection

• Detachable keyboard with adjustable kickstand, for multiple viewing angles

• Comfortable typing experience with back-lit, laptop-style keys

Rugged Book

Compatibility: iPad 10.9” (10th Gen)*

• Military grade 6.6ft / 2m drop protection

• Full-size backlit interlocking keyboard

• Multi-device pairing

• Seamless Bluetooth connection

• Multiple Viewing Angles

• Apple Pencil / Stylus holder

iPad compatible compatible

Denali iPad Case*

Compatibility: New 2024 iPad range

• Ultra-protective case strengthened with Graphene®

• 6.6ft / 2m drop protection

• Includes Fusion Screen protector, kickstand & Pencil / Stylus holder

• Made with recycled materials.

*iPads not included

Pro Stylus 2

Compatibility: iPad 2018 onwards

• Wireless charging compatible

• Magnetic connection

• Supports Apps for Apple Pencil

• Palm rejection technology

• Tilt recognition

• Long lasting battery

• Pen click to power on

Contact us to discover the full range of ZAGG accessories and to request an evaluation sample.

JB Finance for Education

Save time. Save money.

Empower your staff and students with the latest equipment and technology to support learning outcomes with our asset financing solutions. JB Finance isn’t just limited to computing technology – we can also support you with a wide range of equipment for audio-visual, STEM programs, home economics and more.

• Fast and simple way to acquire equipment

• Free up capital by avoiding large upfront costs

• Add a payment holiday to match your equipment delivery time frame and school’s budget

• Improve cashflow with regular fixed payments

Rent to own

Acquire new equipment for your institution through monthly payments. You own the equipment at the end of the term for a nominal residual payment.

Rent to return

Contact us to find out more

Let us help you finance the technology and equipment for your institution over an agreed period. When the agreed period ends, you have the option of returning the equipment with no more to pay*, continue to rent it out or request fair market value to purchase it, giving you flexible options to suit your financial needs.

*Assets must be returned in good working order.

Designing education-first solutions for today’s learning environments

Designed for everything Apple.

Choose the tablet accessory to fit your device.

Combo Touch for iPad, iPad Air & iPad Pro*

Create your own space. In the classroom and at home.

C270 HD Webcam

• 720p HD video calling

• Built-in microphone

• Plug and play

M185 Wireless Mouse

• Equally comfortable for both leftand right-handed users

• Wireless

• Available in Red, Grey or Blue

Slim Folio for iPad and iPad Pro*

*Device not included

Rugged Combo 4 / Combo 4 Touch for iPad*

C922 Webcam

• Full HD 1080P Streaming

• Equipped with HD autofocus and light correction

• Two omnidirectional mics

H340 Headset

• USB Computer headset

• Digital stereo sound

• Adjustable headband with swivel mounted foam ear cushions

M90 Wired Mouse

• Plug and play USB

• Full size comfort, ambidextrous design

• Optical tracking

MK295 Silent Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Combo

• SilentTouch technology

• Compact mouse

• Full-size, spill proof keyboard

H390 Headset

• USB Computer headset

• Digital stereo sound

• Rigid, left-sided mic can be positioned for better voice capture

• Padded headband and cups

MK120 Wired Keyboard and Mouse Combo

• Low-profile

• Whisper quiet keys

• Spill-resistant keyboard

Empowering student success

Kensington’s headphones, mice, keyboards, and more are designed with features, comfort, durability, and productivity in mind. With certifications like Works with Chromebook and Designed for Surface, our solutions provide seamless function with many devices.

Security Connectivity Privacy Audio

Years K-3 Featured Accessories

Classic 3.5mm Headphones

Years 4-12 Featured Accessories

Compatibility: 14.0” (16:9) laptops

Compatibility: 15.6” laptops

Boost academic performance and well-being

Equipping students with the right accessories, such as keyboards, mice, and headphones is crucial for their learning experience. These tools can help improve comfort, accuracy and productivity allowing children to focus on their work and help them succeed in their studies.

Wired Mouse in a Box

Compatibility: 15.6” laptops

*Device not included

Blackbelt™ Rugged Case - Surface Pro 9*

Simple Solutions™ Wired Compact Keyboard with Lightning Connector for Apple iPads and iPhones

Simply Portable Neoprene Slevve

Universal AC lock & Charge Station

LS440 14.4” Sleeve

LS510 Laptop Backpack

AC12 12-Bay Security Charging Cabinet

MagPro™ Privacy Screen with Magnetic StripLaptop*

H2000 USB-C® Over-Ear Headset

AC32 32-Bay Security Charging Cabinet

Wall Charger

Unlock full teaching potential with the new Google EDLA-Certified BenQ Interactive Board.

Teach Your Way with the power of built-in Google apps, Microsoft Office compatibility, and advanced Al tools like text-to-speech and multilingual translation.

• 50 Touch Points

• 5-in-1 Type C 100W power charging

• Built-in 20W x2 speakers, 16W subwoofer & 8 array mics

• Eyesafe 2.0 (RPF 50) & germ resistance

• Built-in air quality sensors & ioniser

BenQ Board - RM04 Master Series

Available in: 65”/ 75”/ 86”

• 40 Touch Points

• 5-in-1 Type C 65W power charging

• Built-in 20W x2 speakers

• Smart 6 array mic

• Eyesafe 2.0 (RPF 35) & germ-free resistance

LapCabby’s ergonomic designs eliminate cable clutter, prevent charger breakage, and safeguard laptops during transit, preserving walls from damage. With over 30 years of expertise, we provide secure, thoughtful solutions for your classrooms.

• Charge multiple 14” devices including protective cases

• Energy efficient & customisable charging schedules

• Individual cable pockets

• Fully assembled delivery

• Lifetime warranty & 5 year electrical warranty

DV01K Smart Camera

Designed for RP04 & RM04

• Zoom Certified 4K Camera

• AI powered auto framing

• AI noise cancellation

• Voice Tracking

• 4x ePTZ digital zoom, 120° FOV

• Low-light performance

Vertical Mobile Trolleys

Chromebooks, Laptops & Tablets

• Charge multiple 17” devices with a programmable timer

• Dual-locking system security

• Top handles & non-marking wheels for silent transport

• Fully assembled delivery

• Lifetime warranty & 5 year electrical warranty

Lyte Single Door Stations

Chromebooks, Laptops & Tablets

• Charge multiple 15.6” devices

• 6 plate lever lock top security

• Noise-free charging with isolated power compartment for safety

• Fully assembled delivery

• Lifetime warranty & 5 year electrical warranty

Reduce device downtime for students and teachers

24/7 - 365 day

Access to Devices

SMART LOCKERS

POWERED BY

FUYL Tower™ Pro 5 & 15

FUYL Tower Smart Lockers give students, teachers, relief teachers and others convenient and quick access to loaner or replacement devices.

Contactless Self Service

Faster IT Response Times

Secure Public Charging Device Accountability

Putnam 8 & 16 Charging Stations™

A brighter charging solution for USB-C mobile devices

Featuring USB-C PD for fast and efficient charging and external charging status indicators.

The Putnam’s are pre-wired with integrated USB-C cables, fully assembled and built to last.

Carrier™ 20, 30 & 40 Carts Transport devices easily and safely

Our top-loading carts with baskets enable hand out and pack up devices in half the time of a traditional cabinet-style cart.

CLASSIC S4, Sensor Box & Karter Combi 2-in-1 Stand

Empowering teachers to deliver engaging and meaningful lessons.

Available in: 55” | 65” | 75” | 86” | 98”

The CommBox Classic Interactive S4 sets the standard in interactive displays with its intuitive OS, customisable home screen, and smart tools and apps. The Classic S4 takes collaboration to new heights for Education.

• Log in using your Microsoft or Google Account

• Access and save content straight from your Google Drive and OneDrive

• Customise your screen for a personal experience with CommBox OS

• Enjoy useful built-in tools like Planner, Floating Timer, Reveal, Calculator, Spinner, Quotes and more

• Integrates with Microsoft Ink

Available for CommBox S4 & S4+

The CommBox Sensor Box enhances the functionality of CommBox interactive screens by seamlessly integrating NFC (Near Field Communication) support into CommBox OS.

• NFC Support for CommBox Accounts

• Secure Registration

• Quick tap on and off the screen for instant access to personalised screen

•

•

•

Interactive Display

Eboard Interactive Display WAC Series

Available in: 65”, 75”

Samsung’s interactive WAC series display offers a dynamic, engaging experience designed for the classroom of the future. Its usability and compatibility are designed to make it easy for teachers to leverage education apps and features that optimise lessons and help students discover the joy of learning.

• Android OS based

• Easy multi tasking with 3 modes: full screen, split screen and multi-window

• Can share up to 9 screens simultaneously

• Intelligent apps accessible from the home screen

• Up to 40 simultaneous touchpoints for multiple users

Flip Pro WMB Interactive Display

Available in: 55”, 65”, 75”, 85”

The premium interactive display that takes learning to the next level. With intuitive writing, comprehensive connectivity, smart solutions and brilliant hardware, Flip Pro provides both educators and students with boundless resources and great flexibility to create engaging learning.

• Fast & multi-touch

• Easy multi-tasking with 4 modes

• SmartView+ technology to support up to 50 devices wirelessly

• Versatile connectivity: USB, HDMI, DP and OPS slot

• Screen Mirroring and Airplay 2

Dual Pen

Double-sided nib to switch between 2 colours on the pen. No need to change settings when changing the colours.

More power where you need it

TruSens Performance Series Air Purifiers deliver complete coverage with powerful CADR performance designed to improve indoor air quality in professional large spaces.

Clean Air in extra-large spaces

• For spaces up to 186sqm

• Ideal for classrooms and schools

Know Your Air Quality

• SensorPod interactive air quality indicator

• Display the particulate matter and VOCS

• SensorPod provides detailed reading of air quality and communicates it to the air purifier

Reduce Airborne Virus Exposure

• Dual sided True HEPA filter

• Eliminates 99.99% of airbone coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), virus and bacteria

• Captures volatile organic compounds (VOCS)

JB Hi-Fi Education | Technology Buyback program

Sustainability meets savings.

We have collaborated with strategic partners to provide a simple and secure way to recover value from your school’s redundant and end of life technology assets.

Best of all, by ethically recycling your technology and giving it a second life, your school will be contributing to a cleaner planet and more sustainable future.

Support your sustainability goals

The Buyback Program can potentially reduce your environmental impact by creating a circular economy – a system where resources are re-used and recycled.

De-risk your critical information

Data security is paramount for educational institutions. Our Buyback partner uses Blancco Mobile Diagnostics & Erasure software, compliant with ISO 27001. All erasures on your obsolete and end of life assets are verified and certified through a tamper-proof audit trail.

Take the next step

Reduce your total cost of ownership with JB Hi-Fi Education credit

By extracting residual value from your old or unused assets, you can receive credit on your JB Hi-Fi Education account to offset the cost of your technology upgrades.

No additional or hidden costs

The price quoted for this service includes device collection, certified secure data erasure and e-Waste recycling, with no additional or hidden costs.

Reach out to our experts to learn more about how the JB Hi-Fi Education Technology Buyback Program can help your institution - while supporting a cleaner environment.

The innovative gardening solutions for schools

Teachers and students can easily grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The raised garden beds help students develop a large panel of benefits such as teamwork, environmental awareness, healthy eating habits, and relationship skills.

Vegepod supports the Early Years Learning Framework accreditation

Discover How Vegepod works

Raised garden beds*

• Easy to assemble and can be at waist height

• Self-watering

• Micro-climate to promote rapid growth of your vegetables

* Stands are optional additions