Welcome to the 2026 school year and fresh content from Teacher. As is tradition, we’re kicking off our 2026 content with an article to help you with your lesson planning. Read more to get across key events for the year to inspire some of your curriculum planning. 

To support the development of middle leaders, and to recognise the importance of their role in schools, AITSL has developed middle leadership standards. In this Q&A, AITSL CEO Tim Bullard explains why the standards were developed and how they can be used.

The top 50 finalists for the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize have just been announced, bringing together nominees from 38 countries. They include 2 teachers from Australia – Colleen O'Rourke and Jade Bassett. Find out more in today’s article.

What sports options are on offer at your school for 2026? Today’s infographic might serve up some inspiration. It outlines the most popular organised sports participated in outside of school hours, by age group. The data show activities such as gymnastics and swimming lessons are popular at a younger age, and participation in team sports becomes more popular in older age groups. 

In this expert Q&A Amy Ayres – President of the Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales – discusses integrating technology into science instruction and improving students’ critical thinking or inquiry skills. These were 2 areas of future PD need highlighted in the latest Australian TIMSS teacher questionnaire findings.

As the implementation of social media legislation for under-16s draws closer, many young people are feeling confused, anxious and unsettled. Here, Danni Rowlands from the Butterfly Foundation discusses what to expect from the incoming changes, the concerns already voiced by young people, how it all connects to body image, and why educators are uniquely positioned to support students through the changes.

Teacher editor Jo Earp sits down with Mali Jorm, Madison Dearnaley and Tracy Kelly to talk about managing school library and reading spaces, including building a student-driven collection, creating fresh and welcoming spaces, and strategies to encourage reading for pleasure. They also share their personal and student book recommendations. 

‘I wanted to make a meaningful change in how our kids see themselves as mathematicians.’ Mathematics teacher Holly Wedd has been making a significant difference to the way students at her school succeed in maths by boosting their confidence and reducing mathematics anxiety. 

Vocational education and training (VET) in Schools help students gain qualifications and plan for future careers. New data show student participation numbers for VET in Schools has reached its highest level in 2024 since collection began in 2006. Find out more in this infographic. 

Last term, we shared the 2025 winners of the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge. Teacher aide David Jeffery was the mentor for one of the winning student teams. In today’s Q&A, he tells us about the benefits of the challenge for student learning, and shares advice for other schools wanting to have a crack in 2026.