Student welfare

Most schools will have students who experience some level of menstrual pain during their schooling years. So, how well are teachers prepared to deliver menstrual health education, and how can they better support students whose education may be impacted by menstrual pain?

‘Ultimately, our pilot … has transformed the way we meet the needs of our students and staff, particularly in a post-pandemic landscape.’ In this reader submission, Bridget Garing shares the details of a pilot Pittwater House in New South Wales undertook earlier this year to encourage staff to work collaboratively to support students.

It’s well-known that teaching is a stressful career. Finding the time to discuss challenging matters and to reflect on your practice might seem impossible. New research shows a reflective circles peer support model has a positive impact on educators. We speak with lead researcher Fiona Gardner in this article to find out more.

Research shows that pragmatic and evidence-based consent education in schools can have both immediate and lasting effects in reducing gender-based violence. In this article, we outline 5 further readings which explore consent education in Australia.

Over 8,300 children aged between 8 and 12 answered the question, 'what would make things better for kids in South Australia?' as part of an engagement project by the state’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. Here, we share some of their responses related to school.

In this episode in our Behaviour Management series, Dr Erin Leif and Russell Fox from Monash University join us to answer questions submitted by Teacher readers on trauma-informed practice, strategies for casual relief teachers, and the links between positive behaviour support and academic outcomes.

When we think of transitions in education, often what comes to mind are the ‘macro’ transitions from home to early childhood settings, and then into school and beyond. But just as important are the everyday ‘micro’ transitions between spaces, activities and people. Here, we speak with Dr Loraine Fordham about why these transitions are important, and tips for educators to handle them sensitively.

‘As the world faced a global pandemic, the spotlight shone on our wonderful Auslan interpreters in the media, and more and more schools began to show interest in including Auslan in their curriculum.’ In today’s reader submission, Auslan educator Kerrie Taylor shares how schools can bring Auslan into the classroom in a way that embraces the richness of the language, and respects and honours the Deaf community.

In the second part of our Q&A, author-educator Vanessa Hamilton discusses what consent education is (and some of the misconceptions), examples of what it looks like for students in primary and secondary, best practice for schools, and some of the challenges faced by teachers and leaders.

Age-appropriate consent education will be mandatory in all Australian schools from 2023. Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8-12 year olds is a fictional chapter book created for use in primary classrooms. In the first instalment of a two-part Q&A with author-educators Ingrid Laguna and Vanessa Hamilton, we find out more about the resource and research about the impact of consent education in schools.