In-Depth Info: The International Baccalaureate

You may have heard of some schools offering it. You may even heard of some schools encouraging your child to go for it instead of your state certificate, as though it somehow offers prestige or class (Hint: it doesn't). But what is the Baccalaureate? Well, this blog post will try and explain a little bit about it.

First off, what the Baccalaureate actually is:

The International Baccalaureate, or IB for short, consists of four programs for kids aged from 3-19. They are:

IB Primary Years Program (Preschool - Year 6/7)
IB Middle Years Program (Year 6-10)
IB Diploma (Year 11 and 12)
IB Career-Related Program (Years 10-12)

The four programs each consist of a very broad curriculum that is taught in authorised schools around the world. That said though, it is not so much about content as it is about the method used to actually teach the content (This essay explains it a little better), while the countries are free to set the content (The Diploma is the exception to this however). Any school can apply to become an IB School (sometimes known as an "IB World School"), although that does not necessarily mean they offer all four programs. The most common three you will encounter are the Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP) and Diploma, with only one school at the moment (as of 2015), offering the Career-Related Program (known hencefoth as CP).

What makes up the subject areas:
The areas are fairly simple and broad.

IB PYP: There are six main areas of learning: Language (this is both the main language and a second language), Social Studies (this is the equivalent of the HASS/HSIE/SOSE curriculum in the Australian Curriculum), Maths, The Arts (This includes Music, Dance, Drama, Visual Art and may or may not include Media), Science and Physical, Social and Personal Education (this is the rough equivalent of Health, PE and some parts of the HASS curriculum in the Australian Curriculum). In addition, there are also six transdiciplinary themes, but I'll cover a bit about thse in a minute.

IB MYP: Language and Literature (This is typically the first language), Language Acquisition (this is typically a second language), Individuals and Societies (this is the equivalent of the HASS Curriculum), Sciences (these are still fairly broad, but by Year 10 will be split into Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc.), Mathematics, The Arts, Health/PE and Design.

IB Diploma: This actually now only consists of six subjects: Language and Literature, Language Acquisition (the latter is typically a second language, but this is no longer a requirement), Individuals and Societies, Experimental Sciences (this includes PE and Design), Maths and The Arts. Alternately students can drop The Arts in favour of taking a subject from the other four groups or taking a school-based syllabus that is approved by the IB.

IB CP: This consists of two courses taken through the IB Diploma programme, plus a further four units specifically for CP students (Personal/Professional Skills, Service Learning [community service], Reflective Project (Relating to their career studies) and a second language), along with some career-related study that is determined by the school but approved by the IB.

What's the difference between the Diploma and the CP?
If you're wondering if one program is to make "less academically capable students" feel better about themselves, don't. If students do not complete all six units to make up the Diploma, they are still awarded credit for the units they did complete and depending on the state, they may be used to gain university entrance, subject to the usual prerequisites. Students who complete the CP may also be awarded a selection rank for university and the IB website in fact states that the CP can be used for this purpose.

Aside from that and the components mentioned above, the main differences between the Diploma and the CP are as follows:

-The Diploma has very strict requirements to maintain a balanced framework, while the CP is more specific towards a student's chosen career.
-The CP has a little more flexibility in that schools are free to choose how the career studies are undertaken, while the Diploma units are a little stricter.
-The Diploma also has three further units which form part of the course-Creative Action Service (or CAS for short), Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Extended Essay (EE). The CP also has similar units, but they are not as overly specific and usually refer back to the student's career. The CP also does not have a Theory of Knowledge unit. The two equivalent units for the CP are the Service Learning Unit (equivalent of the CAS, but without the CA part) and the Reflective Project (equivalent of the EE).

What are the transdisciplinary themes?
The main component of the IB that sets it apart from other national curriculum programs are the transdisciplinary themes. These can be used to shape the content of the curriculum taught. The themes themselves are meant to be pretty much what every graduate of the program will graduate with and are the rough equivalent of values.

The themes are:

IB PYP: Sharing the Planet, Who We Are, Where we Are In Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organise Ourselves.

IB MYP: Identities and Relationships, Personal and Cultural Identity, Orientations in Space and Time, Scientific and Technical Innovation, Fairness and Development, Globalisation and Sustainability.

IB Diploma/CP: There are no specific transdisciplinary themes per se but rather the Creative Action Service, Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay along with the CP courses will take elements from all of the main areas of learning and are the closest equivalent to transdisciplinary themes.

What are the CAS, Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay?
These are units that are exclusive to the IB Diploma and as such there is a little more content for these. They consist of the following:

CAS: This is not a graded unit, however students are required to log their participation in this unit. How this works is up to each school, but one example (shown here) requires students to undertake 5 different extra-curricular activities over an 18 month period and a term-long project that encompasses all three areas. The tasks are meant to basically put the skills of the IB into a workable context in the three areas: Creativity (basically performing arts), Activity (physical activity) and Service (Community service).

Theory Of Knowledge: The best way I can describe this is more a "critical thinking" course. That is, students are taught more "how to think" rather than "what to think" (which may or may not be covered in other units). The content of this appears to be similar to "Critical thinking" seminars or similar content covered at university. This unit is graded and students are assessed based on a presentation and an essay.

Extended Essay: This is the one area that other courses (such as the SACE) are trying to implement and people are upset over it! In short, it is a 4000 word essay that is typically based on one of the six diploma areas and can otherwise be chosen by the student, subject to approval (this is more to prevent a student from choosing a topic that is inappropriate such as the study of porn, rather than any political leanings)

Will the IB Diploma allow me to get into university?
Yes, it will. As will the Career Program. States will vary on how this works, but the Tertiary Admissions Centre in each state will convert the IB Diploma mark into an equivalent ATAR mark.

Will the IB PYP or MYP allow me to get into university?
No they will not. At the end of each program, students are required to present a project based on what they have learned throughout their respective program. (That is, a Year 6/7 student will present a project in the PYP while the MYP students will do one at Year 10) The completion of the program simply states that the student completed the program-it is not required to progress to the next stage of the program. (That is, you are not required to complete the PYP to study the MYP and you are not required to complete the MYP to study the Diploma)

Is there anything else special about the IB that separates it from the State Certificates?
To a point, although it's minor. The only other practical consideration that separates the IB from the state certificates is that the IB is recognised across all states and around the world, while the state certificates may or may not be recognised across the states.

The IB framework and methodology are also consistent across schools. That is, your child can go from one IB school to another IB school without having to adjust to a new methodology or curriculum.

Furthermore, as schools are required to register to be able to offer the program, they are also subject to accountability by the IB Organisation. Teachers are also required to undertake regular training towards the IB (this is no different to teachers in other schools, as training requirements are set by the government, not by the school) and schools are evaluated every five years to ensure that they meet the requirements set by the IB Organisation (This is no different to state/national evaluations and is also separate to them-that is, IB evaluations are separate from state/national school evaluations).

Finally, IB programs are required to be inclusive of all students, which also means that the program needs to engage students regardless of their background or special needs. Teachers are meant to differentiate between student needs and abilities and this does not necessarily mean bringing the brightest students down to the level of the not-so-bright ones (This is also something that state bodies are encouraging public schools to follow). Unfortunately, due to the prestige associated with the IB programs, this tends to create that incentive for private schools to discourage entry to students based on special needs (which is technically illegal).

Will my child do better on the NAPLAN tests if they are at an IB School?
While the sole study from the IB Organisation have shown a positive correlation of sorts between the IB Curriculum and higher NAPLAN scores, it is important to remember that the NAPLAN is never meant to be used as a ranking system at all, nor is it meant to determine the ranking of schools. It is only meant to be used to determine your child's ability against other children in the state/country. As there are way too many factors that can influence the outcome of the NAPLAN tests for your child, I would not be using "my child will do better at NAPLAN" as a reason for seeking an IB School.

Where can I find out more about the IB Programme?
Right here of course: http://ibo.org/
Some of the information was found through careful extensive searching and thorough reading, but I do not have any special access to the website beyond what a typical member of the public would see. (Some of the content here was obtained through the "IB Answers" section)

Board of the News: Turning around troubled schools

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/prime-ministers-prize-for-science-ken-silburn-the-man-who-turned-a-school-onto-science-20151020-gkdfjr.html

http://www.science.gov.au/community/PrimeMinistersPrizesforScience/Recipients/2015/Pages/Ken-Silburn.aspx

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/how-principal-trevor-fletcher-helped-eastern-fleurieu-r-12-school-turn-it-around/story-e6frea83-1226650593700

The three articles are anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years old, but the point for all of them is actually quite clear: it is possible to turn a troubled school around.

For reference, Casula is a suburb in the outer southwestern area of Sydney, while the Eastern Fleurieu school is located in a country town in SA called Strathalbyn. I would not be calling Eastern Fleurieu a "rural" school by any means however, as the "suburban" fringe is no more than an hours drive away, if that. (Rural for me means 2+ hours driving). I will also add that Eastern Fleurieu actually has 5 different campuses, with K-6 campuses in Strathalbyn, Ashbourne, Langhorne Creek and Milang (each with different numbers), with the students then all feeding into the 7-12 campus (also located at Strathalbyn, but separate to the K-6 campus).

As the means for turning around these schools is quite different, I'll sum up the main points on how the schools were turned around.

Casula High (first article)-all thanks to Dr. Ken Silburn (currently Head of Science at Casula High and a member of the Regional Science Teachers Association)

• Items such as iPads, laptops and mobile phones are allowed in the science classes and students are taught on how to use them effectively as a tool of learning. Dr. Silburn's thesis was in fact on how technology could be used effectively in the classroom and can be read here.
• The content of the science classes is focused on what students are interested in and exploring that area further. As Ken himself has stated "When students come in for science in Year 7, they're only interested in dinosaurs, space or blowing things up. Dinosaurs are dead and we really can't blow things up in class, but students can see themselves as astronauts." (Paraphrased from the second link) This actually works in line with the Australian Curriculum, as the Science Understanding content (one of three that forms part of the curriculum) is actually fairly open-ended. (For example, one of the Year 8 goals is about chemical changes and how they occur. This could be displayed through forensic science and how blood reacts with bleach) 
• The classes are as interactive and realistic as they can possibly be, but still recognise that theory plays an important part. In the example quoted in the SMH article, Dr. Silburn set up a forensic crime scene and had the students dress up and act as if they were processing that crime scene (jumpsuits, photos, samples, you name it). The students then had to work in groups to share the photos they took and from there, write and solve their own murder mystery. I can only speculate that the marking criteria would've been based on not only if they understood the content, but also how they went about expressing it. 
• Extension activities (i.e. lunchtime clubs) are also offered in the STEM fields (STEM=Science, Technology, Maths, Engineering) to encourage cohesiveness and common grounds. 
• He, along with the other teachers at the school, also network with other schools and programs in the area to emphasise a community aspect and put what has been taught into a workable context. The school is a regular participant in Science Week and students also are given opportunities to visit the Powerhouse Museum, some of the universities involved in scientific research and even the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. 
• Students are also given the opportunity to visit the Space Camp in Alabama, USA. Ken has admitted that the students who initially went over there because "Yay! Overseas trip!" actually came back really taking the lessons to heart and were proud to show off what they learnt. Ken himself is very committed to teaching about space in classrooms and uses it as a way to bring the students together. 

The program itself (called iSTEM=the "i" stands for "invigorating") is currently based in NSW but Dr. Silburn has plans to expand it nationally. What they have found is that as a result of introducing the program, one-third of Year 11 students have now picked a Science subject for their HSC (formerly there were only 8 students), staff turnover is minimal and they've also had another effect of encouraging girls towards science as well. 

Eastern Fleurieu School-courtesy of Trevor Fletcher (who is currently the Principal)

• One of the big focus points of the turnaround has been consistency. Previously all five campuses had a different uniform, whereas now there is one uniform across all five. This has also extended to policies, procedures and teachers-all of the teachers are encouraged to collaborate where possible to ensure that student outcomes for each class are identical. (that is, if there are 3 Year 1 classes with students at different reading levels, instead of Class 1 having 20% of students at Level 28, Class 2 aiming for 15% and Class 3 aiming for 40%, all three classes would aim for 40%) 
• The school now encourages a culture of excellence and being proud of your achievements. At assemblies, the principal will highlight students who have achieved excellence in a variety of different ways-from the students who donated their hair to Locks of Love to the students who took it upon themselvs to act as peer mediators in the yard. 
• All Year 12 students have a mentor teacher. This is not so much a "homegroup" teacher, but rather a teacher that the student will regularly consult with to ensure that they're on track to achieving excellence. 
• There is now a SRC program across all five schools with Student Leaders being appointed to represent the school. Due to the small size of some of the campuses (such as Ashbourne, which only has an average of around 20 students across the entire school), the student leaders are not necessarily representative of every year level, but they make an attempt to do so anyway. 
• The principal in particular also manages to keep the balance between "being a friend" and "being an educator" to the students. He will interact with them and get to know them, without taking it too far. 
• The principal will also actively headhunt teachers. He will regularly give talks to promising uni students about his school and encouraging them to apply. He also regularly seeks out teachers who have become widely recognised in their field or won awards for excellence in teaching. The culture is also one where teachers who are continually lazy and teach the same program over and over, are not welcome at the school. 
• The school has also otped to play to their strengths and created vocational training opportunities for students so that should they choose to stay in the area, they are not being disadvantaged. They now offer VET programs in Hospitality (which also helps run the school canteen), Automotives and Agriculture and are planning on introducing programs in Equine Studies and Allied Health. 
• Most importantly, he is a big believer in accountability and wanting more control over the school including hiring and firing teachers. I can see a few problems with this (specifically if NAPLAN is used for that purpose), but overall the benefits are clear. 

I should add that this was done in the space of about 3-4 years. The results of his turnaround are very clear-student morale has improved massively, as has staff morale. Behaviour issues have also been reduced and are openly investigated for why they may still occur. Enrolments have increased, with many students actually coming from private schools (whereas before it was the other way around). To make this a little clearer of how much of a jump there has been, remember how I said earlier that there were 5 campuses at this school? Enrolments at the Strathalbyn K-6 campus have gone from 420 in 2011 to 538 in 2015, the Ashbourne campus has gone from 8 students in 2013 to 21 students in 2015. the Langhorne Creek campus has gone from 53 in 2014 to 58 students in 2015, the Milang campus has gone from 36 students to 51 students in the same time period and the 7-12 campus has gone from 498 enrolments in 2012 to a whopping 619 in 2015. These numbers also rule out any legislation around students dropping out after Year 10, as the Context Statement (available on their website) actually shows increases in some year levels between years. 

So what can we take from these two cases?

Well, for one, both schools are public schools. There is still a general attitude across Australia that if your child is not in a private school, they are incapable of aspiring to anything beyond menial labour and are incapable of being anything other than "low-class." This is despite the fact that a few Prime Ministers such as Menzies, Curtin, Hawke(?) Howard, Rudd, Gillard and even Turnbull (our "current" PM for god knows how long) all attended public schools for quite some time at the points where being in a private or public school is typically seen as mattering the most. 

While it's true that we all want the best for our children, studies have shown time and time again that it's not whether the school is a private or public one, but rather a myriad of factors including the child's home life and the values imposed on that child by others. 

The second thing that can be shown from these two cases is that public schools are still being given a chance to thrive in our society, despite the general attitude that they're horrible places to be. Parents however, appear to be slowly coming around to the idea that sending your child to a public school does not mean you are a horrible parent or less of a parent. It will take some time to start shifting attitudes further, but the more that schools and the wider community realise that it's important to invest in the staff, students and school community just as much as it is important to invest in the academic side. 

Peaceful Primary: Stationery Tips!

And with the uniform, also comes the stationery. Again, there will be some variations on this, so I'll note these as I go. I originally started writing this post for both primary and secondary students, but then realised that the post is way too long otherwise so I've split them up accordingly. In this case, the split is K-6/7-12 with some overlap.

Keep these points in mind:

-Some schools will either insist or provide parents with the option to purchase a "stationery pack" from the school. While this will provide your child with everything they will need for the year, this also generally has the issue of providing way too much for your child and as a result, you wind up with half a drawer full of unused stationery. If you can, definitely print out the list of items in the pack as it will come in handy. Price-wise, the pack is usually about the same or more expensive than the shops and you may be able to get a better deal elsewhere, especially if you have multiple children with similar needs or plan on purchasing some extras to use around the home.

-Some primary school teachers will provide certain items such as textas and coloured pencils as "group sets" (that is, if your child's classroom setup as them in groups of 4-6 students, there will be 2-3 tubs of pencils/textas for each group to use), but even if your child doesn't need these at school, I'd highly recommend purchasing a set for home use. The "class/group set" rule sometimes extends to pencils, pens and so on.

-Some public primary schools (this is still a very common practice) will also provide a stationery pack for your child on the first day, leaving it up to them (and you) to label everything. The only thing you really need to provide is a pencil case and book covers. This is usually covered as a part of your child's "materials and services charge" (some schools call this a "student contribution") but even if you are paying that fee off in instalments, your child will still receive a pack on your first day.

-And some schools will provide a stationery list for students, but leave it up to them for what to purchase.

So with those points in mind, I'll go down the list for each individual item and some general tips for each. I'll try not to name-drop brands, but if I do, please be assured that these are more because they're of a decent quality and are often used in schools for this purpose.

NOTE: throughout this post, I'll refer to some items as "licensed." What I mean by this is items that are themed around movies, TV shows, toys, novelties (i.e. "World Industries"), sports or similar. I am not referring to items with surf brands on them (i.e. "Roxy") or similar.

Pencil Cases:

• While it may be tempting to go cheap and get one of those tartan pencil cases or the fake leather ones (with the space for your child's name) like you see in newsagencies and some stationery shops, don't. Your child will get teased mercilessly for the tartan ones and they also often get used by teachers to store newsletters, communication books, readers or similar. The fake leather ones don't fit a ruler and tend to also be used by teachers for "small" items such as money. If your child does wish for the latter however, make sure that it's clearly identifiable as belonging to your child (i.e. child draws on it with fabric pens)
• Make sure that the pencil case can hold EVERYTHING. Do the "ruler test"-if you can fit a ruler in there, then it's OK. 
• For your child's sake, also try and refrain from purchasing any sort of "licensed" pencil case. They tend to be very cheaply made and it shows as they tend to split and break very easily. The novelty also does wear off quite quickly with those, so your child demanding that Barbie pencil case in Term 1 will be begging you for a Monster High pencil case by term 4.
• Barrel or tube-shaped pencil cases are not really recommended for primary school students unless they are large enough for items to be grabbed easily without needing to pull everything out first. The same goes for hard pencil tubes where the top or bottom of the cylinder opens up or shapes with a similar concept. Many of them also don't fit the "ruler test." 
• Twin Zip pencil cases are good in theory, but the second zip doesn't get used nearly as much. Keep this in mind. 

Pens:

• Unless schools explicitly state on the list to provide a red pen, try and keep it to blue or black only. If your child's school does ask for a red pen, question when exactly this is going to be used. Avoid any other colour pen (green or purple) as these are hard to read and don't scan well. 
• And on that note, please refrain from buying the cheap "Gel pens" in those colours. Pony up for a biro or other pen. Some companies use gel ink in their pens (such as Papermate) and these are usually fine. The ones where it becomes an issue are pens that look similar to these. 
• On a similar note, please avoid the large 10-colour pens, or any click pen with multiple inks in it. They're usually hard to hold (especially for younger children), the ink doesn't last in them and the parts in those pens tend to fail quite easily (they're also quite hard to switch between colours)
• I would also avoid any of the "Fineliner" pens or ones with a felt/plastic tip. If your child loses the cap, they DO dry out. Rollerball pens (i.e. biros and biros with gel ink in them) will not have this issue. If your child's school does ask for these, question if it's possible to have them as a "class pack" instead.
• Buying pens in the "bulk pack" (i.e. a packet of 10 or a box of 20) will also prevent pens going missing from around the house and save you having to buy replacements throughout the year. Some bulk packs will come with a mix of blue, black and red, others will come without the red and some will just be one colour only. 
• If you have a child who is prone to getting distracted or is a chronic fidgeter, avoid click pens where you can (simply put, if your kid is clicking their pen constantly, then it drives everyone else nutty) 
• Finally, try and refrain from giving your kid the huge thick decorated novelty pens (i.e. the ones that have a boxing kangaroo on top or have a fluffy thing in them) as the ink doesn't last in them and they can be quite distracting for everyone.

Pencils-Lead:

• This is one area where cost and buying in bulk are the key points to keep in mind here. 
• With perhaps one or two exceptions on brands, I would not recommend purchasing mechanical pencils for your child until at least Year 5, if at all. The mechanism for keeping the actual lead in place tends to break with a lot of them, they're also quite flimsy and long-term, they aren't as good value especially when the eraser runs out. The two big exceptions I would make are the Faber-Castell Tri Click/Grip Easy ones (they will automatically push the lead out for you rather than your child clicking it into place and the eraser is quite long, meaning it'll last a bit longer, plus they come with refills for both eraser and lead) and anything from the Staedler brand. 
• Most schools will recommend either a HB or 2B pencil for your child. There is a reason for this-they are the ones that will show up easily on paper and for the most part, don't smudge. The pencils on the H scale are often far too light to see and the B scale ones smudge easily. 
• Here, brand names are important-do NOT go for the cheap generic pencils (sold in places like The Reject Shop or Dollar King). They break very easily in the sharpener and don't write as smoothly. You'll be able to tell if they're the super-cheap ones by the sound they make on the paper. The super-cheap generic ones make a very obvious scratching noise (and in some cases will scratch the paper) while the brand name ones tend to be a little bit smoother. 
• Some newsagents and stationery shops will sell lead pencils individually. Try and refrain from purchasing these-it is much better value if they are purchased in bulk and a number of manufacturers will do this. 
• If your child is a lefty, Staedler do an Easyergo pencil for them to help them develop their pencil grip. Even if their stationery list says otherwise, I would strongly recommend purchasing one of these-your child's teacher will thank you. (and if they try and "beat" it out of them, get your kid out of that class (or school) pronto)
• Pencil grips are really not that necessary and tend to be a bit bulky. If your child is still developing their pen grip, it is worth just buying them a triangular lead pencil as it will encourage their fingers towards the right shape, whereas the pencil grips (as in the rubber ones that you buy separately) tend not to encourage little fingers especially if they're still using a fist grip.
• Pencils with erasers are good, but this isn't an excuse to avoid purchasing an eraser for your child. The most reliable ones are the white ones. 

Correction Fluid/Correction Tape:

• For primary school students, the absolute earliest I would introduce correction fluid into the classroom is around Year 5. Otherwise I would recommend putting it off until high school.
• If you are planning on introducing correction fluid, I would recommend the pen over the larger brush/foam wedge. The brush tends to clog up easily and drags fluid over the page, whereas the foam negates that issue. The pen however, encourages your child to minimise the use of the correction fluid unless absolutely necessary. 
• I would also recommend checking with the school first, as correction fluid is banned in many classrooms and schools for a number of reasons. 
• Avoid the correction tape-they are tricky to control and are best left until high school. 

Coloured Pencils:

• At the most for primary school, your child will not need anything more than perhaps a 24 pack of coloured pencils.
• Again, do NOT purchase the generic pencils and especially so if they are "licensed" pencils. Both the generic and "licensed" pencils do not last as long and the quality for the leads quite frankly sucks. They aren't as bright and the coverage doesn't last as long. There has also been a semi-recent issue where the licensed items were found to contain toxic materials, so buyer beware.
• Good brands for this are Crayola, Micador, Jasart, Staedler and Faber-Castell. If you really want to pony up for it, Derwent is also a good brand, but for school I'd suggest aiming for the Academy line rather than the Studio, Artist or Watercolour range. The Academy line is basically a rebadged Studio line for students who are on a budget (the Watercolour one likewise is the same). Try and avoid the watercolour pencils in primary school-if your child's work gets soaked, the colour does run. 
• As an absolute last resort, the only other brands I would recommend for pencils are the IKEA ones and anything from Lyra. I have actually road-tested these and they're quite solid. The Lyra ones do break if you are not careful, but provided they're well looked after will last you quite some time.   
• It is absolutely important that you label the pencils-if you do, the quickest, cheapest and most reliable option is to shave a section off the end of each pencil with a stanley knife and write your child's name in there. Do not use the "label" section on the pencils (the label tends to fade or wipe off) or stick labels on the pencils yourself (they fall off). The monogrammed pencils also tend to be of an incredibly cheap quality.  

Textas/Markers:

• No matter what your child tells you, Sharpies or permanent markers of any kind are not part of the school booklist at all. If your child claims otherwise, follow this up with the teacher and get it in writing that they need it. This will reduce the likelihood of your child later being busted for vandalism or some other issue. If they do genuinely need a Sharpie, hand it into the class teacher.
• Many schools have this tendency to provide, order or suggest the Texta Nylorite pens for both junior and upper primary students or a similar variant of these. I'm telling you now-these ones suck. If your child's teacher provides these, ditch them and replace them ASAP. For junior primary students, I would recommend any "triangular" or thick round marker, for upper primary students you can go a bit thinner. (think Crayola classic markers vs Connector Pens) 
• Try and avoid any of the really "gimmicky" textas such as the colour-change markers, brush tip, dual-ended (unless the dual-ended ones are the same colour on both sides and the nibs are not brush tip), or similar. The brush-tips tend to be really hard to control and are much more suited for home activities. Connector Pens are really the exception, but keep the "school" wallet to no more than around 24 at most. 
• Again the rule around cheap generic markers stands and they do run out MUCH quicker than brand name ones. The only real exception to this is again, the IKEA markers. I have road tested these and they are of very decent quality. 
• Make sure that the ink is either a) water-based or b) washable.

Highlighters (Middle School ONLY):

• Some primary school teachers do allow for highlighters, but generally this is an item only for middle school and above.
• Again, pony up for these ones as the cheap ones will fail quite quickly and easily. 
• The "gel" highlighters that are currently on the market are good up to a point, however suffer from that tendency of poor accuracy. While I would recommend these as they don't run out of ink (because there is no ink to work from, it's a gel "stick" of sorts, similar to a crayon), they do have their limitations. 
• At the most, your child should only need a yellow, green and either orange or pink. Most of the other colours are too dark to view easily. 

Erasers, Rulers and Sharpeners Oh My! 

I've put these three together as there's not a lot relating to these that warrant their own individual thread. 

• For an eraser, I would stick with a thumb-sized (your thumb that is) white rectangular eraser. These are often quite cheap to get hold of and can be worn down to a more controllable side over time for small details. 
• Eraser pen toppers are also a good alternative, but make sure that they are replaced regularly and are a simple shape. (such as a pyramid)
• Do NOT, under any circumstances, opt for a novelty eraser shaped like anything other than a "box." They're of poor quality, fall apart easily, do not erase very well and will get lost easily. Save them for collecting or playing, not for erasing. 
• I would also recommend removing the cardboard sleeve-it is not needed. 
• For rulers, the best ones are the 30cm rigid plastic or wooden rulers. Bendy rulers tend to get "stuck" within that bend after a while and as such, are harder to use. Keep them for home. Also try and avoid giving your child a 15cm ruler or ruler that is not 30cm long. 
• For sharpeners, I would highly recommend the "barrel" sharpeners over anything else. Aside from the fact that they aren't as messy (save for your child needing to empty the barrel every now and then), they also don't get lost as easily and apart from the cheap barrel sharpeners available at The Reject Shop or simiar, they don't break apart as easily. 
• Crank sharpeners tend to break pencils (even the ones marketed as "unbreakable") as they put a huge amount of stress on the strip of colour/strip of graphite. Electric sharpeners do sometimes do this but generally aren't too bad about it. Just make sure your child isn't going too crazy with the sharpener. 

Glue Sticks:

• The bane of teachers everywhere as the lids get lost easily, fluff gets caught in them and students overuse them. Many teachers still provide them, but will otherwise leave it up to parents to purchase them. 
• This will sound weird, but I highly recommend any of the ones where the glue goes on a certain colour but then dries clear (i.e. "Blu Stik"). They work wonders, especially if your child is unsure of where the glue actually needs to go or similar. 
• Unless your child's pencil case is quite small, I would also recommend the largest glue stick you can get hold of (currently it's around 40gms). Anything smaller tends to run out quickly. 
• Finally, take note that it is a GLUE STICK. Glue pens or anything of that nature that squeeze out "wet glue" are highly discouraged for school use. This also includes those cheap glue pens with the "grid" over the top where the glue comes out. Avoid for school. (basically, they will leave a very obvious line of PVA where the paper has been soaked)

Exercise Books/Covers:

• This is where I would recommend you stick to the booklist as the teacher will have set a reason for these books over others. While you may have a choice for brand, make sure those brands fit the requirements as not all books are created equally. 
• While they may look tempting, try and steer clear of any bulk book deals where the individual books are less than 20c each-they're often not the right size for the classroom. The booklist books are A4 or A3 for a reason.
• Binder books are good if your child's teacher has requested a binder, but just make sure that the page requirements also fit. (that is, do not buy a 64 page binder book if your child's teacher has requested 96 page books) 
• Take very careful note of the line gaps or in the case of maths books, the square size. Many parents get tripped up on these-some books are sold with wider line gaps (i.e. "14mm wide ruled") for children who are still developing writing skills and for maths subjects some books are sold with 10mm squares (for kids in Year 5 and high school, the most common size is 5mm, while anything smaller is used for more advanced mathematics and physics)
• Check the page requirements as well: interleaved refers to alternating blank and lined pages (that is, 2 pages are white, 2 pages are blank and so on), botany books will also alternate (as in one page is blank, one page is lined and so on), while handwriting books will alternate between solid and dotted lines (and the gap is also wider) to help them practice their handwriting. Some books available also have alternating grid and lined pages and some books also have music staves. 
• Books with pre-decorated covers look nice, but are quite expensive. It is far more economic to buy a few rolls of contact. 
• If you are picking book contact, the most economic (and also longest-lasting option) is for a plain coloured contact. Licensed contact tends to not last as long (1m will cover maybe 2 books at most) and is also subject to that embarassing thing of "fad change." Holographic contact is another option provided that your child does not get distracted easily. 
• If your child still wants to decorate their books, why not have them create the front covers themselves? Give them a sheet of white A4 paper, some pencils and textas and let them go to town (provided it's appropriate). You can even have them write the subject and their name on the cover and it negates the need for a book label! 
• And finally, for book labels, keep it simple. Name, Year and subject are all that's really needed. 

...and everything else. 

• Most teachers will provide scissors for students, while some will insist on parents providing them. If your child is left-handed, I would recommend buying them a pair regardless of whether or not the teacher provides scissors to the students, simply because many pairs of scissors are not designed for left-handed students. Make sure that they're child-sized though! 
• Please do not send your Year 3+ child to school with the plastic "safety" scissors (that is, the "blades" themselves are plastic but there is a razorblade "edge"). Many of the smaller pairs of scissors cannot cut butter let alone your child. 
• Unless your teacher specifically recommends these, please do not send your child to school with any other art supplies.

Board of the News: Year 12 results

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/hsc-results-2015-nsw-students-get-their-atars-20151216-glpi5b.html

There have been a large number of articles on this subject over the last few days, so I'll stick to this one.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with how it works, the high school certificate in each state (the names vary, so I'll be referring to it as this for the rest of the post rather than HSC/WACE/SACE/VCE etc.) has a syllabus set by the state's Board of Studies. Some states will have the Board linked with the rest of the education department, others will make it a separate department. At the end of the year, they are the ones who actually issue the high school certificate, while the schools just generally deliver it on behalf of the Board. (This is usually why your child may receive two certificates during graduation-one is from the state). I say high school certificate here because both the Year 11 and 12 units are set by the state.

What this particular article is also referring to are ATAR scores. These are scores that come from a student's Year 12 results (and only their Year 12 results) and are used to determine if a student is eligible for university entry, subject to other requirements. Students can complete Year 12 without receiving an ATAR score if they opted to complete certain subjects (usually Community Studies and some VET courses) or if they completed an alternative option to finish high school. Students who undertake the IB Diploma will receive their own score which is converted into an ATAR score, while students who study at Waldorf schools generally have some kind of agreement with universities on their eligibility (many Waldorf schools provide an alternate Year 12 certificate) instead.

Some states do also have a TAFE score that is used to determine eligibility. Usually the criteria is the same as an ATAR.

And despite all the ranking and posturing crap that goes on whenever this happens, the ATAR really means nothing long-term. There are way too many factors that can skew a person's ATAR including major life events, events at school, the student's health, the teacher, the school itself and even the exam/moderator can modify the final result. The ATAR is not an accurate measure of how someone will do at uni, TAFE or in their career. I have seen students with ATAR scores in the 90's drop out within 1 year of starting their degree, while students with ATAR scores in the 60's have come out on top. The ATAR is not an indication of their study skills either-I have seen those same high-scoring students spend their time goofing off and screwing up, while the lower-scoring students will take it seriously.

I know I'll cop flak for this and I'll wind up getting told "Oh, you must be in your dream job". Eh, no. My dream job? It was to be a teacher. And even then, I had to work hard to get close to that dream. My ATAR? In the 50's. Yeah, I know, embarassing. I took part in a trial program my eventual uni was offering for students who needed a boost to their ranking which involved sitting a test. The test was actually a series of questions that wouldn't look out of place in a Professor Layton game. That was enough to get me into my Bachelor of Arts, where I resolved to focus on my backup career (working for Immigration, Foreign Affairs or ASIO*). Halfway through my BA, I found out that my uni had started a Masters degree for pre-registration teachers and applied for it while finishing my studies off. That worked in my favour and I wound up receiving an offer for the Masters program. In that program, I passed all of my classes except for the practical ones (where you're in actual classrooms with actual students), where we found that there were further problems that were not the result of a low ATAR. I eventually exited with a Bachelor of Special Ed and found solace as a childcare worker. Unfortunately those same problems that cropped up while studying resurfaced and I pretty much had to leave for my own safety. I now work in administration for a private university that specialises in music and dance courses and also assist with administration for the RTO branch. It's not necessarily what my dream job was, but the skills I picked up in both my degrees have served me well here. I've made several suggestions to improve the running and management of the university and RTO and they have mostly been taken on board, resulting in increased enrolments, a smoother service to the students and ensuring that they get the help they need. My long-term goal is now looking into a managerial role or becoming a consultant for RTO/VET management.

Meanwhile, I've encountered many students with ATAR scores in the 80's or 90's (including a relative) who have gone onto uni thinking it to be "the right thing to do," only to then drop out within the year. In the case of the relative, she went on to complete a  traineeship in Business Admin and now works as a receptionist for a car dealership. It's not a bad career choice, but it's also not what you'd expect someone with an ATAR in their 80's/90's to do. Another person I know got a decent ATAR and is now in the Army, while another individual got a decent ATAR score, went to a private school and is now in the Navy. I should add that neither of them went on to study at uni. Another relative of mine also received a decent ATAR in high school and did not go on to university. She's now running a daycare centre out of her house (which requires you to at least have a Diploma in childcare or be studying towards same).

So you may still opt to go to uni, but that degree may not actually be used in your eventual career. I'm lucky in that my degrees (both of them) do get used to some extent in my current job, while others may complete a Science or engineering degree and find themselves working somewhere else. My cousin got into a Bachelor of Nanotechnology (Honours) degree (that currently requires a ATAR of around 70) and completed it but found that all the jobs in her field were interstate. Not wanting to relocate, she opted to complete an apprenticeship as a baker and has won several awards (state and local) for her work. She is now married and living comfortably nearby. I have also heard (and know) of several individuals completing degrees in various other fields (such as Software Engineering or Communications) but are now actually working elsewhere. I also know of a large number of teaching students who eventually opted to work in childcare (in SA at least, this is legal, interstate, it's another matter), a field which is typically populated by individuals who have completed a Cert III.

I hope these examples (albeit anecdotal, which is a far cry from my usual style) will at least give Year 12's and their families a bit of hope that it's not the ATAR which makes the individual, but rather what they do afterwards.

Peaceful Primary: Uniform Tips!

It's that time of year, getting ready for the new year. Chances are your child has grown out of their uniform and will need some new ones. But how can you go about balancing price vs quality? Read on my friends!

NOTE: this mainly applies to public schools, but may also apply to some private schools. Take careful note as all of the points may not necessarily apply to you. This also mostly applies to primary school students, but I'll also take into account some high school ones.

• First, check with your school regarding the uniform. Many schools will have samples in the front office, or alternately their uniform room (if they have one). Sometimes they'll provide a list in the school handbook or on the website of what is acceptable. Usually, there is some degree of leeway.
• Secondly, schools will use the terms "dress code" and "uniform" interchangably. Unless they are an alternative school that doesn't rely on a uniform (and there are a small handful of those in Australia), they pretty much refer to the same thing. 

To address this, I'll go down each item of clothing individually. 

Tops:

• Many schools are switching over to identifiable polo tops that might have certain features such as piping or a different coloured collar to the rest of the shirt. Despite this, many schools will still allow students to wear plain shirts in similar colours provided they're otherwise plain, or with a school-sold iron-on/sew-on logo. You can usually purchase the plain shirts from Kmart, Target or Big W where they're available in a variety of colours (usually yellow, sky blue, navy blue, maroon, bottle green or red) 
• If you do go with the "put school logo on shirt" option, please consider getting the sew-on option where possible. Iron-on logos tend to fall off or fall apart.
• Try as you might, but if your child's uniform has a white shirt, that shirt will get stained by the end of the day. If your child's school demands that they wear a white shirt, please question why this is the case and/or if there is an alternative, especially for primary school students.  
• For winter, most schools will allow students to wear certain long-sleeved shirts underneath or they may have a long-sleeved alternative. I would recommend these two unless your child gets hot really easily, over wearing a jumper if it's not quite that cold in the morning.
• If you do opt to go down the jumper route, please label them with a label that is ironed on or stitched-on and has their name printed on it-not handwritten. Please do not write their name on the tag-it will fade off over time (even sharpies). All it really needs to be is your child's full name, don't put their class or year level on there. (it confuses the staff especially if the school is a large one.)
• Also, if you do go down the jumper route, this is one time when I would not only recommend ordering from the school directly, but also going a size or 2 up. While they can get expensive, they are generally much easier to identify from a distance and if your child is of the absconding type, they're going to need all the identifying clothing they can get.  
• For younger children, it is generally not a good idea to give them a hooded jumper for school as it can get caught in things and is a choking hazard. Keep it for outside of school and if they do opt to wear a hoodie at school, make sure the cord is removed.  

Dresses: 

• Unless your child's school says otherwise, PLEASE keep these for summer only. They're far too thin for winter, even with tights and a jumper.
• Some smaller public primary schools will allow for the checked dresses available from the likes of Target and Kmart, while larger ones will have their own dresses that need to be ordered directly from them. The difference between the Target/Kmart ones and the direct-order ones is that the direct-order ones typically have their own pattern (as opposed to the generic blue/red/green-and-white gingham), the pattern is all over the uniform (while the generic ones typically leave the collar and cuffs white) and they're generally cut a little easier for movement (the generic ones tend to lack this) 
• While it is unlikely that your child will lose their dress of all things, it does happen, so the rule about iron-on/sew-in name tags applies here. 
• Finally, if your child does wish to wear a dress to school, please make sure they either wear sports underwear (this is typically in black, navy, bottle green or maroon and is plain), tights (if the weather is slightly cool but not cold enough for pants/jumper and if they're not going to be doing PE) or bike shorts (if your child is still quite young and/or prone to "accidents", I would not recommend this as it's another thing that will get wet) underneath. Your child and the school will thank you for it. 

Pinafores:

• again, unless your child's school says otherwise, keep these for winter only. They're generally too thick for summer. 
• If the school pinafore is one that has a detachable bib and the overall pattern is the same as the school skirt, buy a pinafore one or two sizes up if you can. When your child gets too old for the pinafore (or if the school asks that students above a certain age not wear the pinafore), you can just remove the bib and voila! Extra skirt! If the bib isn't detachable, you may need to get creative with a sewing machine or have it professionally altered. Either way, you can still get some wear out of it once they're too old for the pinafore. 
• You may need to tack the hem up a bit for length. This also helps get the most wear out of the garment. 
• If your child is wearing a pinafore to school, the same rules about underwear and sew-on tags apply. 

Skirts/Shorts/Pants: 

• If you can find double-knee trackpants, get them. It will save you (and them) money in the long run. (It simply means that there's an extra layer sewn into the knees of the trackpants, so if the top layer wears out, the bottom layer will cover up any signs of wear from a distance.)
• For "summer" skirts, shorts and skorts (this also applies to dresses), get your child to kneel down while wearing the aforementioned item of clothing. If you can fit an entire palm width between the bottom of the garment and the floor, then it's too short for them. If the hem of the skirt/shorts/skort/dress is being knelt on, (unless the school says otherwise), it's likely too long and may cause problems unless you tack the hem up. (Some private schools dictate the skirt length to be somewhere between knee length and mid-calf)
• To get the most out of the skirts or dresses (or even shorts), tack up the hem with a handful of tacking stitches when you buy the item. As your child grows, the hem can be taken down. If you are going down this route, it's best to buy a size up to account for this. 
• Skorts are a godsend if your child wishes to wear a skirt and be active. What is a skort? Typically, it's a pair of shorts with a panel across the front that gives the appearance of a skirt from the front. Some manufacturers (Target included) will also advertise skorts as being of the "skirt with built-in bike shorts" variety, rather than the "panel across the front" variety. This generally means that if they are on monkey bars or in PE, they won't be flashing all and sundry and they can still move very freely.  
• For shorts, try and refrain from getting basketball shorts unless it's part of the PE uniform. They tend to not last as long as the shorts marketed as "school shorts" because the material is also thinner and softer. The "school shorts" are more durable and will last much longer. Boardshorts are also a no-no as they're generally too thin. 
• For girls in the middle years (year 5/6-9) and beyond, they may wish to wear "trendier" pants. If they do wish to wear these, please refrain from purchasing them from anywhere apart from Target/Big W/Kmart/Lowes, shops designated as "schoolwear" shops (that is, they ONLY sell schoolwear/workwear) or from the school directly.
• Parachute trackpants or parachute shorts are also another acceptable option for primary students (secondary students not so much), but may be discouraged for noise reasons. If your child does opt to wear these, check them regularly and make repairs as needed as the material is quite fragile.   
• For private schools and nearly all public high schools, trackpants, leggings or yoga pants are a big no-no outside of PE or Dance lessons. Even then, for PE lessons, they may ask that your child wears a set "PE Uniform" or "Sports Uniform" for obvious reasons.  
• Finally, make sure that the pants have pockets and check the pockets regularly before washing. Many a notice has gone into those pants and wound up shredded all over the washing! 

Socks/Tights/Pantyhose:

• While most, if not all schools will have a rule on what socks are to be worn, how much they enforce this rule varies. For private schools, this may be enforced more heavily than public schools, especially if they dictate that the socks need to be a certain length (they'll then insist that they're a certain colour as well and/or dictate that they come from the uniform shop) and usually comes down to the teacher's discretion. 
• While it may be tempting to do, please do not send your child to school in socks with adornments around the ankle (such as pom-poms, bracelets or frills). They will get dirty, torn or lost quite easily. 
• For dignity's sake (and also hygiene), please do not send your child to school in socks with sandals (unless the sandal is completely enclosed-something like this is OK to wear socks with) 
• Take advantage of any sales throughout the year and stock up on socks regularly. I would also recommend that if you have multiple children in the house, to buy multiple sets of socks with different coloured toes/heels or even different colours entirely and allocate certain colours to each child. Using the "sew thread"/nailpolish method doesn't work if it fades or that area develops a hole. Kmart and Big W are great for these-they don't need to be pricey. 
• If your child wishes to wear tights to school during winter, there are two general rules for this: the first is that they're required to be footed tights (footless tights look like leggings) and the second is that they're generally required to be one of the school colours or alternately white or grey. Keep this in mind when shopping. 
• For high school students, they are generally given the OK to wear tights as part of their winter uniform. At this stage, they'll likely insist on them being a certain "denier." This just means that they're more opaque and less sheer. If they don't, 70 denier is generally a good thickness (anything over around 100 stops being tights and starts being leggings). Footless tights are generally a no-no. 

Shoes:

First off, before I go into my tips, take note that most, if not all private schools, dictate the wearing of black leather "school shoes", with variants on style as needed. That said, this information is still handy for sports uniforms, so don't discard this section entirely. Most of this section also really only applies to students under the Year 10 mark-students in Years 10-12 may have the rules on their dress code relaxed a little, so keep this in mind. 

• General no-nos for shoes at school are flip-flops (aka "thongs"), ugg boots, slippers, fancy shoes (i.e. the kind you might have your child wear to a wedding) including thong-like sandals, clogs or variants of these (i.e. Crocs), ballet flats (even if they have straps), shoes with high heels/wedges/platforms or anything that could be construed as otherwise inappropriate. 
• Good options for your child would either be the black leather "school shoes" that are worn commonly by private school students (these may have a heel, this is generally accepted provided the heel isn't stupidly high), sneakers, canvas lace-up shoes (think say, a pair of adidas vs. a pair of Converse for what I'm getting at), slip-on canvas shoes, boots or sandals where the toe and heel are completely covered. 
• It may be tempting for your child to get the "REALLY COOL" shoes, but unless their feet have stopped growing, it'll be cheaper for you (and them) to avoid these shoes. Also, please do not send your child to school in heelies or variants of this-they are generally frowned upon for safety reasons. (Skate shoes also tend to have a short lifespan both in quality and in fashion) 
• If your child cannot tie shoelaces, please do not send them to school in lace-up shoes. 
• For high school students, sneakers, lace-ups, boots or Mary Jane style shoes are an absolute MUST for OHS reasons. Even if they are not taking technology, PE, Science or Home Ec subjects, that does not mean they will be avoiding those classrooms or spaces.

Hair, Makeup and Accessories.

• Check with your child's school on acceptable haircuts for both genders. There will be some leeway on what is considered to be unacceptable, but the gender divide on hair is more prominent in the private system than the public (that is, girls might be OK with long hair, boys not so much). 
• For boys, shaving designs into the head, rattails, mullets and similar are generally a good way to get written off as a troublemaker or bogan by both teachers and students. For girls, any sort of "trashy" hairstyle will get the same treatment. 
• For both genders, go easy on the hair products. While you may have heard the trick about using hair products to prevent head lice from invading your child's scalp, it doesn't work. (I'll cover the dreaded head lice in another post) 
• Many schools (both public and private) will encourage or insist on your child using hairties or clips that match the school colours. These are quite easy to obtain from most shops and supermarkets and may also make it easier for you when you're doing their hair. Some schools may also have these (along with ribbons) in their uniform shop. Keep these in a separate bag/pouch so they don't get lost. 
• Regardless of whether or not you use the "school colour" hairties, I highly highly recommend going for the snagless elastics. The ones with the metal bit on them WILL get caught in your child's hair at some stage, whereas the snagless ones do not have this issue. 
• Also, pony up a bit for these-while it may be tempting to buy the super-cheap bobbles and hair ties from the local Reject Shop, they fall apart quite quickly, aren't as secure and also may contain other bits or pieces that will catch on hair. Save them for home. 
• If you have multiple school-age children (regardless of the school they attend), it may be worth making up separate "hair bags" for them. Purchase a cheap makeup bag (they're readily available at department stores, chemists, supermarkets and such), add a hairbrush, comb, nit comb (just in case), a supply of hair ties, ribbons, clips and bobby pins and voila! It also helps reduce the risk of headlice.
• Makeup for primary students is a flat-out no-no. Makeup for secondary students is also generally a flat-out no-no, however some schools may allow for it provided that it's discrete and not immediately obvious (for example, if your child is wearing a light foundation and maybe a hint of lipgloss, it will be more accepted than one who is wearing a bronzer, eyeshadow, mascara and so on). 
• Jewellery tends to be limited to watches, studs or sleepers (and even then I recommend studs as sleepers can still catch on hair or other students may pull on them) and maybe an item of religious significance (schools may vary on this). Occasionally, a necklace may also be worn if it's of a modest nature. This is almost entirely for OHS reasons over any reason to squash fashion trends. 

Commemorative Tops:

These are usually doled out in Years 5-7 (depending on state and school) and Year 12. I would suggest ponying up for at least 1 jumper and 2 shirts if they provide these as an option. Even better, go for 3 shirts if you can stretch it that far. Why 3? One can be signed at the end of the year, 2 for wearing during the year. For the jumper/jacket going up a size is recommended.

Exemptions:

Most schools are not that heartless and will understand that from time to time, things happen. By law or by policy, most public schools will make exceptions in their dress code for the following reasons:

• Financial hardship (this is on a case-by-case basis and the school may be able to work with you for being able to afford the uniform.)
• Cultural or ethnic (this may be a little rarer nowadays, but may be that for example, your child might be allowed to wear certain items during certain times)
• Religious (this one is a little easier to modify and most schools are now incorporating parts of this into their standard dress code. What this may typically look like is the allowance of a student to wear religious dress provided it's in the school colours. Note that schools can and do check up on these things and will not simply take your word for it.) 
• If you are a brand new student (this ground is a little harder to prove nowadays given that most parents would have their child settled into the area well before they move schools. That said, as some schools are tightening uniform policies to include items that can't be purchased from Kmart, it's a little harder)
• If there's a genuine medical need for it (this might be that for example, the student can wear a sandal to allow for a swollen or infected foot that's being treated, or that they can wear shorts to allow for a knee brace/cast)
• Mobile or transient students (the school would be aware of this. Examples of this might be families where one or both parents are in the defence force, emergency force or where one parent is escaping an abusive relationship) 
• Any other situations (these are assessed on a case-by-case basis)

These are not automatically granted however and parents do need to take their case to the principal as soon as they are aware of the matter (for example, if it's a surgical thing, making the school aware before the surgery). Some states will require it to be done within 3 weeks of the term. These exemptions are usually temporary although in some cases, they may be ongoing. If your child is attending a K-12 school, any exemptions may not necessarily apply when your child moves overto the high school.

Schools may also insist that students with exemptions are restricted to certain areas of the school during recess and lunchtime. While this may seem like a case of putting on a "front" and that the school cares about image more, this is actually more so they can be easily located and not mistaken for a non-student.

For private schools, the same general principle applies. 

FAQS and other questions:

What about hats?

There are generally 3 varieties of hat available to school students both primary and secondary. They are a bucket hat (aka "fisherman's hat), wide-brimmed hat (sometimes called a "Greg Chappell" hat or "cricket hat") or a legionnaire's hat (which is a caped baseball cap). The school will typically ask that your child has a school hat and this is not a bad thing. In order I would recommend going for a bucket hat, legionnnaire's hat and wide-brimmed hat. Why this order? Wide-brimmed hats don't always grow with your child's head (of the other two, one is typically larger to allow for this and the other is adjustable) and a lot of them do not have a breakaway cord, thus making them a choking hazard. If you do opt for a wide-brimmed hat, make sure that it has a breakaway cord. 

If my child can't tie shoelaces, why should I not send them to school in lace-ups?

Part of being at school is learning to gain some degree of independence. By this age, your child should be able to dress themselves and thus this extends to shoes. Shoes with buckles (such as sandals) or shoes with velcro are generally easier for little hands to manipulate and helps them work on those fine motor skills needed for tying up shoelaces. Save the lace-ups for when they're at home and get them to practice tying them right then and there. I would only recommend replacing laces with elastic if your child's school absolutely demands lace-up shoes and no other alternative, simply because as your child's foot grows, the buckles/velcro can be adjusted, elastics don't always have that luxury.

Do you work for Kmart/Big W/Target? You keep mentioning them! 

I'm only mentioning them as typically around this time of year, they will start stocking most "staple" uniform items such as polo shirts, shorts, pants and so on. Some of these items are good for private schools if they're not too picky about the school logo being on the clothing. If you're not wanting to fork out $50 for a shirt, then those three can usually provide stuff of a semi-decent quality. 

I don't want to go to Kmart/Big W/Target, can you suggest anywhere else?

Lowes (Australia Lowes), Best n Less, any shop that designates itself as a schoolwear shop and some workwear stores. And yes, Lowes do sell school uniform "staples" for both genders-they are not just a menswear store. For dresses in either category, unless your child's school allows for the colour-and-white gingham, they'll need to go direct to the school.

Why do you discourage writing their name on the tag, even if there's a space for it? 
The problem with those particular tags is threefold:

-They generally do not hold ink very well and even laundry pens can fade or smudge over time.
-If your child has a sensory issue and can't cope with the tags on the clothing, they generally need to be cut off (it's not always just that the tag is rubbing because it's moving, it may also be the composition of the tag fabric) negating the need for it.
-Finally, there's generally not enough space for a full name to be put on there so if your child has a long name, they can't really have the name on the tag and use short forms/nicknames generally doesn't work.

The added benefit of the iron/sew-on labels is that they can be put in a place that's not immediately irritating to the student (such as on the bottom) and they can also be firmly ironed/stitched into place reducing the irritability issue. Many, many places will allow you to order custom-made printed labels with your child's name on it and if you own a labelmaker, the two main varieties sold in shops (Brother and Dymo) sell label "tapes" that are of a fabric nature.

Why are ballet flats not an allowed option? They cover the toes and feet! 

They're generally forbidden for the following reasons:

-They slip off easily.
-While they do appear to encase the toes/heel, not all varieties of ballet flat do this. (most in fact, only just cover the toes)
-They provide very minimal support for the foot, especially when you're active.
-The sole is also often very thin.
-It also minimises that "cost" thing, as ballet flats can run the gamut from $5 at Kmart to $150 in some places.
-Finally, ballet flats also tend to fall into that realm of "party shoes."

Canvas slip-on shoes and canvas flats that look like ballet flats do generally have a lot more support and coverage, but for fairness sake, the latter tend to be banned.

What about if my child has special needs?

If your child has special needs, the same rule around exemptions applies. I would suggest talking to your child's GP or therapists about modifications. Alternately the school can also assist.

What about if my child has an injury?
For temporary injuries, the rule about exemptions does apply. Generally speaking, if the area needs to be kept "exposed" or covering it causes discomfort, schools will relax a little on the coverage rules. If your child breaks their arm/wrist, it is still possible to get them into their school uniform tops/shirts-you will need to lift their arm right up and it'll take some time to slip the casted arm/hand into the sleeve. Then simply replace the sling (if they have one) and you're done! For winter, you may need to use a jacket instead of a jumper.  If your child breaks/sprains their leg/ankle/foot, the same issue applies, or you may need to buy an item of clothing the next size up to accommodate the cast. Some schools may allow for a loaner if needed, but check with them first.

You don't mention blazers...why?

These are almost entirely restricted to private schools, although some public schools will either provide or loan/hire out blazers for official functions. If they are required, they're usually only for students in Years 6 and above, although some schools will insist on them for students as young as year 2 (Kindy and Year 1 students generally tend to be exempt). In this instance, the main tips for them are pretty much the same everywhere: stick to 1 blazer (as they are PRICEY), get it dry-cleaned regularly (some schools provide this as an option) and make sure that your child is aware of the protocol with said blazer (such as when to wear it, take it off and so on).

Why/when do public schools loan out blazers?
Typically this is for formal events or occasions where the standard school uniform won't cut it. Typically that same uniform will already have a white button-up shirt (or in some cases green/blue) or school dress as part of it, but the blazers tend to clarify exactly where they're from. The events include things such as inducting school captains, Open Day (worn by students acting as tour guides or similar, parents do see students in the actual uniform), representing their school at memorial events, graduation (rarely, but it does happen), photo day (SRC only usually), greeting MPs or foreign dignitaries and some competitions. Your child will usually be advised if the blazer is needed or they will be provided with one.

My child attends a private school and I can't afford the uniform, what should I do?

Both public and private schools will regularly keep a stock of pre-loved uniform pieces. There's usually nothing wrong with these, just that they've previously been worn by another child. Some schools will also hold secondhand shop days with the same idea. Check with your school's uniform shop to find out how this works for you. If you'd like to repay the favour, a lot of schools will encourage this, sometimes under consignment (meaning that you will get some money back when another parent purchases the garment) sometimes simply as a donation. Check with your school's uniform shop on how this works and what condition the garment needs to be in. For hygiene purposes, old sports uniforms (not the PE uniform, this is more sports team competition uniforms), socks, some skorts, bathing suits (some schools do demand this too) and hats are generally not allowed to be sold or donated.

My child keeps losing clothing, what do I do?
Aside from labelling the everloving crap out of everything (it is possible to get labels printed with your child's name for a fee in some places, alternately a labelmaker and fabric tape are available from Big W, Kmart, Target and Officeworks for around $50-$60 total), there are a few things you can do.

-Check the school's lost property box regularly. Once a week will usually be enough.
-Understand that the most common items to go missing are hats and jumpers. Lunchboxes may also occasionally go missing if your child's school does not get kids to eat in their classrooms first (or if your child puts other items in there) .
-If your child attends any sort of after-school care program, check the lost property box there as well!
-If your child is continually losing items despite efforts on their end (as well as yours), it may also be a sign of bullying or another psychological issue and it may be worth taking further action.

Chrismastic Childcare: No Jab, No Pay Reform FAQs

Continuing on with the trend of reforms, this time we go to the other end of the scale and look at "No Jab, No Pay" reforms. While I'm aware that every single anti-vaccine blog out there has done the "No Jab, No Pay" thing to death, I am going to keep this simpler and deconstruct each part of it, also including what vaccines your child SHOULD receive and if you do have a genuine reason for not vaccinating (that is, medical), how to go about solving it.

To help me answer these questions correctly, I've deferred to a number of different factsheets on this subject, as well as a brilliantly written booklet on vaccination from the Australian Academy of Science. The link to the booklet will be provided at the bottom of this blog post.

WARNING: I have absolutely zero tolerance for parents who refuse to vaccinate their children for reasons other than genuine medical conditions. If you are a parent of a child who has a valid medical reason for not being vaccinated (that is your licensed GP has said so), you have the absolute patience of a saint and for this, I applaud you. For the rest of you, I will get snarky throughout this blog at anti-vaccine folks. You have been warned.

First off, what are the "No Jab, No Pay Reforms?"
These are not to be confused with the "No Jab, no PLAY" reforms which have been introduced in Victoria and to a mild extent, in NSW and Qld. The No Jab no Pay reforms are federal and are tied entirely towards benefits you receive from Centrelink for your child.

I will cover the "No Jab No Play" reforms later.

Anyway, what this translates to is twofold: From January 1, 2016, your child must either be:

a) fully immunised (according to the current federal schedule) for their age group (so your 2 year old would've received all of his vaccinations up to the 18 month mark) OR
b) on a catch-up schedule devised by your GP (and this must be adhered to) OR
c) have a medical exemption that has been verified by a GP (who should also attach documentation backing this claim up. If it's due to an allergic reaction, it must also by law have been reported to the state/territory health department.)

This will be tied in with any Centrelink payments you receive for the purposes of caring for your child. As a result, the National Immunisation Register will now be extended to cover all your vaccines your child receives up until the age of 19 (previously it was up to the age of 7). The register is available online and you will need copies of this when you enrol your child at daycare or at school.

The other main aspect of these reforms is that they will no longer accept religious reasons, cultural reasons or conscientious objection as a reason for your child's immunisation record being nonexistent/not up to date. Some states may still allow this as a valid excuse for not showing an immunisation record upon enrolment (or a partial one), but on a federal level, it is no longer acceptable.

What vaccines will this cover?
All vaccines in the federal health schedule. This is readily available here.

This will not cover any vaccine that is not on that schedule, including the flu vaccine (NB: while the flu vaccine is encouraged/compulsory for certain children at-risk, this will not necessarily interfere with payments). This also includes vaccines that are required for travel that are also not on the schedule, and will also not include any boosters for tetanus that are given outside the schedule. (your child will receive a tetanus shot as part of their diptheria/tetanus/whooping cough shot, what I'm referring to is if the child needs to receive a tetanus shot as part of a hospital visit.)

When does this come into effect?
1 January 2016. If you submit a form stating you are an anti-vaxxer before this date, you will only receive any payments you would've been eligible for before this date. After January 1st, this form will become invalid.

What payments will this affect?
It will affect the following payments.

-Family Tax Benefit A supplement (the one that you will receive at the end of the year). This will not affect your fortnightly payment (if you receive this). This will include any backdated claims for the supplement from the 2012-13 financial year onwards.

-Child Care Benefit (the one that requires an income test and depends on your income). This will also directly affect the Child Care Rebate (the one that does NOT require an income test and can be claimed to the tune of $7500 per year per child) as in order to be eligible for the rebate, you either need to be receiving, or be otherwise eligible for the benefit but earning too much.

-Grandparent Child Care Benefit. (This means that your child is being looked after by the grandparents as the primary carer-that is, they are raising your child.)

-Special Child Care Benefit (granted in rare circumstances, although you still do need to be otherwise eligible for CCB)

-The Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fees.

The Family Tax Benefit A & B fortnightly payments will not be affected-only the end of year supplement will be affected.

How will it affect these payments?
Each payment will be affected differently. From what I could find, here is how this will work.

FTB A Supplement: In the financial year that your child turns 1, 2 or 5, their immunisation record will be checked. If the record shows that they are not meeting the schedule and don't have an exemption due to medical reasons (or a catch-up schedule showing this), then the supplement will not be paid. (For example, Mavis turns 2 in January 2015. Her record will be checked for the 2014-15 financial year. If she does not meet the requirements, the supplement is not paid. Meanwhile Joshua turns 2 in July 2015. His records would be checked against the 2015-16 financial year.)

Child Care Benefit and Rebate: Previously, if you met all other eligibility criteria barring the immunisation requirement, your claim was approved and you had a 63 day "grace period" to get your kid up to scratch with their immunisations. This is actually being made a little bit simpler: from Jan 1 2016, if your kid's record is "not up to date" (and you cannot show an exemption or catch-up schedule) before you submit your very first claim, your child will not receive the benefits. (this also means that you cannot claim CCR as the only waived requirement for the Rebate is the income test) I will cover more about this one in a minute.

Grandparent CCB and Special CCB: The requirements are very much the same as the previous CCB. Take note that being on one of these does not grant you automatic access to Child Care Benefit or Rebate.

JET Child Care Fees: How this will directly affect these parents is unknown at this stage.

For all of the above payments as well, the age limit will also be extended. Previously it only applied to children up to the age of 7. It will now apply to all children up to the age of 19. So if you are making the claim for CCB/CCR and your child attends an OSHC program, they will still be affected. This will also mean that your child's immunisation records will be checked annually against the Family Tax Benefit requirements.

My child is under 5, I have been approved for Child Care Benefit (and therefore rebate), so what happens to all the immunisations between the claim date and the age of 5? 

If you miss a scheduled vaccination (and are not on a catch-up/exempt) you will receive a letter from Centrelink informing you that you have missed a particular vaccination. You will have 63 days from the date of that letter to get that vaccination and submit proof of this to the childcare centre/Centrelink office. If you continue to get your child vaccinated at the normal schedule, this should not affect you.

For children over 5:
It's not clear how this will be addressed (since most of the major vaccinations occur before this age), but it would make sense that if you have not previously used childcare before your child starts school and you need to do so now, you will be subject to the 63 day grace period. Keep this in mind!

If I miss the FTB A supplement, is there a way I can fix this?
You will have 1 year from the last financial year in which you did not receive a payment, to fix this. Keep in mind that this does not stack up (that is, if you missed vaccines in the 2012-13 financial year, 2013-14 financial year and the 2014-15 financial year, you will still only have 1 year to fix these, not 3).

Does this bar me from enrolling my child in daycare or school?
No. What it does mean however, is that the government will not be "subsidising your lifestyle choices" (to quote Tony Abbott previously). Refusing to vaccinate (as opposed to not vaccinating because your GP-who has had years upon years of training for this and has actually seen first hand the effects of vaccine-preventable diseases-has stated that the risks do not outweigh the benefits in this case ) is a lifestyle choice.

HOWEVER: State and territory legislation will differ on the entry requirements for daycare (in particular) for each state. It would be wise to contact your child's daycare centre or OSHC program to get more information on this. Some states will be introducing ongoing checks on immunisation (that is, if you get your child immunised up until the 12 month mark and miss the 18 month mark, you will be affected) while others will be allowing daycare centres and such to set their own policies. Childcare centres and OSHC programs that run nationally will most likely set one policy across all their centres regardless of what state the centre in question is located, or they may simply place it in line with the state that has the harshest policies.

Are homeopathic vaccines an acceptable alternative to any of the above legislation (state or federal)?
Nope and nope. In addition, the Australian Council of Homeopathy (yes, they actually exist) has also stated that they do not support these and actually say that you should get your child vaccinated with the normal vaccines. They do not suggest using these to reduce side effects (in this case, mild side effects i.e. fever, rash, sore arm, are a good thing as it means the immune system is doing what it should be doing)

I have a religious objection to vaccines!
This, as of next year, will no longer be a valid reason for being exempt from vaccinating your child at federal level and in the states that have introduced stricter legislation. Yes, this is perfectly legal-there are many examples of exemptions in the various discrimination acts for each state/territory.


But isn't this violating my human right to decide on what medical treatment is best for my child (or some variant of this)
Since I know this one will be going around in circles, let me put this simply to you: it is NOT FORCING VACCINES. It means that you will no longer be rewarded for not vaccinating.

There are also times when legally a doctor is allowed to intervene and override the parent's wishes for the child (a common case of this is the Jehovah's Witness blood transfusions). If you're going to use that claim, at least be consistent about it.

Also guess what-even the United Nations (who set those "human rights") are big proponents of vaccines.


OK, so I'll get my kid vaccinated, but I might have trouble doing so for some reason, how do I go about doing this?

Get your kid to a GP pronto, who will then develop a catch-up schedule that takes into account what is missing, what can be given and when, the child's health and what paperwork will need to be submitted. That catch-up schedule will then need to be submitted to your child's daycare/school care service, as well as a copy of your immunisation record. Your GP should submit this to the national immunisation register, who will also inform Centrelink.

If your child has only just recently hit one of the milestones and has missed a dose, nearly every single local council, shire or similar has an immunisation service that is conducted by a registered nurse who can give your kid the missed shots. If your kid has missed multiple doses, get your kid to the GP.

For children under 10, any catch-up programs from next year will be free to allow for you to deal with this. Programs for children between the ages of 10-19 will also be free until the end of 2017. Regardless of this, vaccines that are given as part of the standard schedule (and are given on time) are always bulk-billed (both the visit and the cost of the medication).

What about high school children?
While it is on the schedule what vaccines your child needs, you can relax. Schools every year will have registered nurses coming from the local council or local hospital to conduct a vaccination program for children in a particular year. Take note that they will go by Year level, so if your child is 12 and is in year 9, he would be offered the year 9 vaccinations. This is why at this point the vaccine schedule I linked to above allows for some flexibility on the ages for the vaccines that are given.

The vaccines that are given during this time are a top-up of Hep B (if your kid did not receive them previously, 2 shots), a booster for diptheria/tetanus/whooping cough (also called pertussis, 1 shot*), a vaccine for HPV** (3 shots?) and if needed, a meningococcal C vaccine*** (1 shot) or chickenpox vaccine (1 shot). There may also be other top-ups given occasionally, but you will receive adequate notice.

*-The reason why it'll say "DTPA" on the form you are handed rather than "DTP" just means that the vaccine is an acellular one. What that means is that the vaccine contains cell material, but no actual complete cells. (think of it like an orange juice-it contains the pulp of an orange, but no actual complete oranges in there)
**-This is given to both boys and girls. You may also know of this as the "Cervical Cancer" vaccine or "Gardrasil." Australia uses the version that stops the four most common strains of HPV from occurring, which were found to cause genital warts (which is why it's given to boys, as it also stops it from being passed onto girls) and cervical cancer. It is meant to be given BEFORE they're sexually active, hence why it is usually given around the Year 9-12 mark. Your daughter will still need pap smears however. (There is also a version that has been approved in the US that stops 9 strains!)
***-There is a vaccine for Meningococcal B out there (which is the more common one in Australia). This however, is not publicly funded. The Meningococcal C is the second most common, but has dropped meningococcal cases period from about 180 or so in 2013, to about 15 in 2014.

Help, I'm missing my vaccine record!
This can happen. Best thing to do is to contact the database, who can provide you with a copy of your child's record. You will need your child's Centrelink number. Take note that Blue Books/Red Books are not always the most reliable option for vaccine records, especially if your GP subscribes to the school of chicken scratch handwriting.

Who should I talk to if I'm unsure or need to know more?
Your GP of course! If your child has a chronic health condition, speaking to the specialist that manages your child''s condition will also be of a benefit.

If you are still unsure, there are a few excellent references via immunise.gov.au on the subject.

Also, this booklet.

Board Of The News: School Captain speech tells it like it is

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/ravenswood-captain-sarah-haynes-accuses-school-of-betrayal-20151206-glgmfq.html

For those of you who don't know, private education in Sydney, Australia can get RIDICULOUSLY expensive. As in, $30k+ a year. Ravenswood is one of the higher-fee schools (one of the highest, Sydney Grammar charges around $31k per year regardless of the year). Oddly, the Uniting Church is actually one of the more progressive branches of Christianity, but I digress.

The speech itself actually seems to share some of my sentiments with the private system and even some of the more "elite" public schools in recent years. What you're seeing in the media, during open days, during school tours, is not always necessarily the "real" picture. Some images are carefully crafted or manipulated just slightly, others will be purely "set up" to show "We're a great school, come and see us." Some of the problems are also partially government-driven, not by funding, but by the MySchools databank and more specifically NAPLAN.

There have been a huge number of anecdotal reports involving students with a learning disability or who just aren't doing "well" in class being asked to stay home on test days, or even outright being told that they shouldn't sit the NAPLAN, because their results drag the school's result down. Not only is that an incredibly stupid move to do (it's also actually illegal if the student has a disability), it's also a really horrible way of using NAPLAN. NAPLAN is meant to be for individual use, not to compare schools. It is also meant to be a snapshot of how you do for one day out of around 200. If your child is scoring lower, then it's a sign that they need help in that area. Schools do receive the same data, which is used to plan whole-school strategies, but this data doesn't (and shouldn't) need to be released to the public as a whole. So if you've got that student who has dyslexia, testing them to see how they're going against other children might be a good way to determine if any sort of intervention program actually works!

Unfortunately, schools don't always do that. The higher-fee schools in particular, I've noticed, will treat certain students as "reputation students". That is, those students are there so the school can say "we have students of <xyz> background" even though they won't necessarily provide them with the best practices they can offer. They'll educate them sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those students will receive the proper support needed. Or on the other end of the scale (like Sarah), they'll use them as a mouthpiece or as a proxy salesperson. That is, their role is to get their numbers up.

I've seen this happen in public schools too, it is not just a symptom of the elite private system. I vividly remember the two high schools I attended growing up and how they managed particular matters for each. I actually figured out that my first high school cared more about reputation way back in Year 9, while my second high school started caring slightly more when I was in Year 11, but didn't spend more time on image than on education (they tightened up uniform standards, but that was about it). A third high school my university lecturer told me about made some changes to improve image, but they didn't impact education. (My partner also attended this school). These changes were small things, such as emphasising the community aspect over "image." In the case of the second and third high schools, they found that enrolments increased heavily and that teachers were now begging to work there.


At the end of the day, I'd argue that the community seems to be the aspect that schools SHOULD focus more on when it comes to attracting students, not about their graduate results or how hard they push students to achieve top marks in the HSC. Once that child graduates, the real world won't care about where they went to high school (unless they're unethical). The real world won't care that your child failed an English class in Year 11.The real world won't care that your child only got an ATAR of 83. Universities definitely do not care about prestige, or where your child went to school.
Schools are meant to however, prepare you for dealing with people from all walks of life. Private schools however, can pick and choose who they please. This doesn't actually benefit anyone in the long term.

"Sure," you might say, "But those schools do community service programs!" How many of them are doing it as a genuine altruistic need and not in anyway to benefit themselves? How many of them are doing it as part of a religious studies program of some description? How many of them are doing it as a genuine academic requirement? I would imagine that you'll find more of the former in the public system and more of the latter two in the private system.

"But wait!" you might say "Those elite schools prepare them for high-level jobs!" Sorry, but no they don't. You need to study at uni first. And at uni, unless you have a disability or another need that legally requires intervention, they don't care about your private school status. they will not hold your hand. They will not intervene if you are verbally assaulted by a less-than desirable student. That "less-than-desirable" student will be in fact be allowed to continue studying. They will not intervene if you fail an exam. They will not assign you homework and chase you up if you fail to submit it. Work ethic is also not determined by the school at all. Work ethic is determined by many factors and some of the best and brightest schools will have students with the suckiest work ethic. Don't believe me? Go into your local supermarket or McDonalds. Take a look at the students behind the counter. Guess which ones are privately educated and then actually ask them. You'll find that there's a mix of public and private. You'll also find that the students with the crappiest ethic might actually be privately educated. You'll also find that the private students might not even actually be studying further.

So in short, if you are going to pick a private school, make sure you pick one that focuses on the community, not just the end result. The end result can be skewed. The community can't.