Our view

The Herald-Sun reported today on the true cost of sending your child to school in Victoria. The article mostly focuses on private schools, but also includes some information on public schools for comparison. Our CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in this section of the article. State schools, which rely primarily on taxpayer funds, charge much

The Age reports today on the possibility of more pupil-free days in Victorian schools. Victorian teachers may attempt to follow their NSW counterparts by increasing the number of pupil-free days from 5 to 8 per year. Negotiations on the employment agreement for Victorian government school teachers will begin next year. The article points out that,

The Age reported today on a suite of reforms to teachers’ working conditions, developed by academics at Monash University and supported by the Australian Education Union. The reforms were developed after interviews with 8,000 teachers, principals and support staff. According to the article: The researchers found more funding for schools, better pay for educators, smaller

A recent article in the Age looks at parent-teacher interviews, in particular how many schools are now including the student in the conversation. Many schools now refer to them as “parent-teacher-student conferences”, or “student-led conferences”. The article quotes students, teachers and academics speaking in favour of the ‘three-way’ approach. Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is

Parents Victoria has been advocating on behalf of parents for some time about the high cost of school uniforms. We have suggested greater flexibility and a more ‘generic’ approach to uniforms, so that parents are not forced to buy a full set of expensive ‘branded’ items, often with no choice of supplier. Last week Education

Parents Victoria issued a media release yesterday, welcoming the State Budget announcement of a $400 School Saving Bonus for all parents at public schools. Our CEO Gail McHardy was also interviewed on ABC Radio Melbourne about the bonus payment. You can listen to Gail’s interview on the ABC website (skip to 2 hours 20 minutes).