Page 1978 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 June 2021
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The Canberra Times quotes a parent who talked about what she was experiencing:
“It’s been nothing short of a disaster,” she said. “It’s very alternative. It obviously will work for some kids, but it doesn’t work for a lot of kids, especially kids who have been to structured schools.”
I have many more quotes but in the interest of time I will move to the issue of bullying and violence, which I outlined as one of those five key areas. A report from a 2019 committee inquiry states:
The ACT Parents and Citizens Association (ACTCPCA) told the Committee that the rate of bullying has become a concern to the majority of ACT students with 86 percent of students agreeing that they are worried about the incidences of bullying.
Issues raised by the ACT education union came up in question time today. A report in the Canberra Times on 20 June—just a few days ago—says:
The figures outlined by the ACT branch of the Australian Education Union in its submission to the government are concerning.
The union says that staff reported nearly 1000 safety incidents a month in February and March. Of these, more than 800 in each month involved violence.
The arithmetic of these figures is clear and worrying …
The report goes on:
If teachers fear for their own safety, that is a cause of concern. Apart from any other factor, fearful teachers are not best placed to impart an air of safety and reassurance to students …. Danger to teachers and students in schools needs to be assessed and addressed. Teachers do not deserve to be traumatised while just doing their job.
There are many more quotes from experts, including about concerning rates of bullying against principals. When it comes to school governance—this is an issue on which I agree with the Australian Education Union—school autonomy and the way that schools are structured needs to be reassessed. The Standing Committee on Education has said:
Principals exercise significant autonomy in responding to bullying or violent incidents in ACT government schools. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how schools respond to incidents.
Australian Catholic University and Deakin University studies show that school principals continue to report sheer quantity of work, lack of time to focus on teaching and learning, and student mental health as their main sources of stress. A better balance between school autonomy and consistency across schools in how performance information is analysed and used is needed. Dr Geoff Gallop, who I think was talking more broadly about schools, said, “We need a strong, coordinated public education system, not a collection of schools.”
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