Latest news with #NAPLAN
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hunter was 2 and couldn't speak. Getting him help became his mum's ‘living nightmare'
'Disadvantaged children are starting preschool and school on an unequal footing compared to their peers. That does not mean that they can't catch up, but unfortunately, research shows that children who start behind tend to stay behind. 'Ultimately, we need an early childhood education and care system where equity is baked in from the first three years – this is when our research showed that the gaps were appearing,' she said. The research was taken from a longitudinal study of Australian children, which assesses 10,000 children and their families and measures early cognitive and developmental differences from children aged birth to five years as well as NAPLAN results. Tham recommended the federal government provide more Child Care Subsidy funding to childcare centres that enrolled more disadvantaged children. Researchers said some areas still had poor or no access to childcare, and in some cases quality remained an issue, as did price. 'We know that the first years of life are crucial to the development of children. We also know that, without the right supports in place, disadvantages in early life can have a profound impact on a child's educational journey,' said Tham. When Belinda's son started at kinder, Our Place - which acts as a glue for families and support services - linked her up with a pediatrician, who she saw within the month. She says the wraparound services changed Hunter's life. He now sees a speech therapist and Belinda has received parenting support to help manage his behaviour. 'I'm actually enjoying being a parent again,' she said. She said if parents knew something was wrong, they should ask the right people for help. 'And don't stop at the first stop, don't give up,' Belinda said. Our Place director Elfie Taylor said their end game was better educational outcomes for children. She said 'trajectories are really quite set and locked in from six [years old] onwards', when prevention was no longer an option. 'Identifying gaps early and working on them earlier would actually lead to changing trajectories,' Taylor said.
The Age
6 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Hunter was 2 and couldn't speak. Getting him help became his mum's ‘living nightmare'
'Disadvantaged children are starting preschool and school on an unequal footing compared to their peers. That does not mean that they can't catch up, but unfortunately, research shows that children who start behind tend to stay behind. 'Ultimately, we need an early childhood education and care system where equity is baked in from the first three years – this is when our research showed that the gaps were appearing,' she said. The research was taken from a longitudinal study of Australian children, which assesses 10,000 children and their families and measures early cognitive and developmental differences from children aged birth to five years as well as NAPLAN results. Tham recommended the federal government provide more Child Care Subsidy funding to childcare centres that enrolled more disadvantaged children. Researchers said some areas still had poor or no access to childcare, and in some cases quality remained an issue, as did price. 'We know that the first years of life are crucial to the development of children. We also know that, without the right supports in place, disadvantages in early life can have a profound impact on a child's educational journey,' said Tham. When Belinda's son started at kinder, Our Place - which acts as a glue for families and support services - linked her up with a pediatrician, who she saw within the month. She says the wraparound services changed Hunter's life. He now sees a speech therapist and Belinda has received parenting support to help manage his behaviour. 'I'm actually enjoying being a parent again,' she said. She said if parents knew something was wrong, they should ask the right people for help. 'And don't stop at the first stop, don't give up,' Belinda said. Our Place director Elfie Taylor said their end game was better educational outcomes for children. She said 'trajectories are really quite set and locked in from six [years old] onwards', when prevention was no longer an option. 'Identifying gaps early and working on them earlier would actually lead to changing trajectories,' Taylor said.
The Advertiser
03-08-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Quiet 'missing middle' kids left struggling at school
Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard."
Perth Now
02-08-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Quiet 'missing middle' kids left struggling at school
Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard."
News.com.au
02-08-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Prime Minister's Spelling Bee abuzz after NAPLAN results land
This week's NAPLAN results were a bag of licorice all sorts for Australian parents but the nation's teachers wasted no time rallying the troops. For the second straight year, the release of NAPLAN results coincided with the Prime Minister's Spelling busiest day of traffic since registrations and the school round opened. Just two weeks into the rego period, the Bee has sailed past 40,000 students nationwide. The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee registrations and the school round close at 5pm AEST on Friday 22 August 2025. BEE in it to win it! With three weeks still remaining to register students across Years 3-8 to take part in Kids News' free, fun and fast online spelling challenge, Grattan Institute education program deputy director Amy Haywood said the simple digital format for classrooms – with each student separately playing against the clock on their computer or tablet – 'lowers the barrier to entry'. 'It's great to have an activity that focuses on spelling that's kind of 'gamified',' Ms Haywood said. 'It's individualised, you're on your own computer, it's not so embarrassing to get something wrong. 'It means that all students can take part and have a go and we do want all students to be practising their spelling.' Grattan Institure's Amy Haywood. Writing in the Wentworth Courier on Wednesday, reigning Red level (Years 7-8) national champion Aditya Paul likened the Bee to a game of 'bullet chess'. 'It is fast, relatively painless, and an easy way to boost your English skills,' Aditya said. Boosting those basic skills across the board is what the Bee is all about. Ms Haywood said Grattan's advisory work with government, Catholic and independent schools confirmed that different states and territories are moving to 'that structured literacy approach', in particular explicit early childhood teaching in sound and word combinations and phonics. 'That approach – which we know is most effective for teaching early readers how to read – is something that's been taken up across a number of states,' Ms Grattan said. 'In Tasmania, they've got their Lifting Literacy reforms, which are in the works and have been prior this most recent election, but also South Australia, WA also has a strong early reading focus, NSW, Victoria and Queensland have also made similar commitments. 'There are several different Catholic diocese that have also committed to this approach, so that's great to see across a system-wide level.' A former classroom English teacher, Ms Haywood is strongly in favour of sequenced learning models across school years, and advocates Australia adopting England's stunning success with 'hub schools', best practice community partnerships that share teachers' expertise, elevating learning strategies and student outcomes across the board. The 2024 Prime Minister's Spelling Bee national champions from left Echo Feng, Aditya Paul and Jillian Strong at the National Gallery in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman But it's the UK government's system-wide professional development for English teachers, the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses, that she sees as 'the game-changer'. 'Spelling (is) such a gateway … because being able to read is so fundamental for every other subject they'll do in school, for so many work environments, and particularly those growing jobs of the future as well,' Ms Haywood said. 'It is really important to get those foundationals right and then it opens all these doors to all these other subjects that we can focus on and students can really dive into, particularly as they go into secondary school. 'One of the NAPLAN testing areas is spelling. I think it makes sense that (teachers might) think potentially being part of the PM's Spelling Bee could be a great addition to the curriculum that we're already teaching, because it could be a fun and engaging way for students to show their stuff.' Minister for Education, Jason Clare said after NAPLAN results were released that there is 'more work to do'. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman In a July 30 press release, Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said NAPLAN results were 'encouraging, but there is more work to do'. He confirmed the Albanese Government has now signed agreements with all states and territories to fix the funding of public schools in the biggest ever investment in public schools by the Australian government, worth $16 billion over the next 10 years. Registrations and the school round of the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee close at 5pm AEST on Friday 22 August. Visit ABOUT THE BEE â The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8. â Students compete at their school in three levels: Green level for Years 3-4, Orange level for Years 5-6 and Red level for Years 7-8. â They get 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer. The students with the most correct words in the fastest time progress to finals. â Teachers can register their students until August 22, when the school round ends. â State and territory finals will be held September 1-5 and the national finals on September 10-11. â The national champion in each age group wins a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school. Details: Originally published as Prime Minister's Spelling Bee abuzz after NAPLAN results land
