Transcendant Tertiary: VET-FEE-HELP Reforms

I promised I'd cover this in my last Board of the News post and here it is: the VET-FEE-HELP Reforms.

Basically, in light of the scams that have been plaguing the education system ever since the introduction of VET-FEE-HELP (which I covered previously), the Australian Government introduced a bunch of reforms to target VET-FEE-HELP (which will now be known as VFH for this blog) providers and in theory, crack down on these scams. Given that these are still occurring, I'd say that it's only really good if they're actually enforced.

Anyway, this is basically a summary of the reforms culled from this factsheet: VFH Factsheet. I've summed them up briefly and will also add what this should look like as "best practice." Keep in mind that "Best Practice" here is more referring to what an institution would be doing at MOST. At the very least, as long as they are complying with the laws, what they do will differ. Also keep in mind that the only courses that are currently eligible for VFH are Diploma or higher and are nationally recognised qualifications (even if the institution itself is not permitted to teach those courses nationally). Some institutions are running trials of Cert IV courses on VFH, but they are kept under very close scrutiny by the government. And with that, onto the reforms!


1. Banning "inducements"
Since April 2015, it has been made illegal for institutions to offer any sort of inducement to students to sign up to a VFH funded course. Institutions are also not allowed to provide the form used to sign up for VFH to students who have been offered inducements. The inducements may be free iPads or laptops (even as loans), cash, meals, vouchers or similar.

Best practice: This is fairly self-explanatory. Best practice would be that institutions are not offering any sort of major inducements to students, or are offering little freebies (such as pens, notepads, balloons etc) to anyone who walks past without getting them to sign up for the course.

2. Tightening VET Marketing and Recruiting Practices. 
From July, institutions are not to make any sort of suggestion that the course is free or government-funded (unless the course is genuinely fee-free). Students must be given full information about what VFH is and that yes, it is a loan that must be repaid. Institutions will also be more regularly audited, including through random telephone surveys of students, to ensure that this is being met.

Best practice: Institutions ideally would also not be inferring that courses are funded through their state government, as this a) does not apply to all courses and b) generally only means a partial funding at best (for example, a course at full-fee might be $5000, the same course government-funded would be $2000). An example of this would be a stand at the shopping centre stating "Now funded by the NSW Government, ask about Smart & Skilled today!"

To cover the information regarding VFH, ideally, an institution would provide the VFH booklet to students upon acceptance of an offer (a good institution will have a break between acceptance and the actual course start date, or an orientation week before the actual commencement of classes) or would refer students onto the studyassist website.

3. Better information about VFH and your rights.
From May 2015, students will be provided with clear information on the VFH form (Request for Commonwealth Assistance) about VFH and the obligations of said loan, and the StudyAssist website will also be updated to reflect this, including who they can talk to if they suspect something's up. The form will also include the expected debt amount.

Best practice: This is self-explanatory. Best practice would also be reading out the form to students as they are going through it, particularly if they are enrolling students in groups. Ideally, the institution would have also provided information on the fees well before the student has signed up for their course. (They have long been required to provide the full cost of the course upfront to students well before they enrol.)

4. Streamlining the refund/waiver process for students under VFH.
The fact sheet labels this one weirdly, but in plain English, it translates to that if you feel you have been entered into a debt inappropriately (i.e. the scams I've mentioned previously), it will be easier to get said debt waived. The current ruling is that students need to apply to the provider directly under certain circumstances (which for obvious reasons is not really the most ethical practice) or as a last resort, seek a waiver from the Department of Finance. This will have plans to be introduced from January 2016 provided it will actually be passed through parliament.

Best practice: Institutions would also provide information to students on how they can actually go ahead with this process, provided that the student has had a chance to speak with the head of studies first. From experience, some students withdraw if they feel that their issues have not been addressed to satisfaction, but if the institution is NOT aware of these issues, how can they address them?
While this does not address scamming institutions, for places where learning is delivered face-to-face, this is a slightly more ethical option that provides a chance for institutions to improve on their best practice as well as allowing the student to actually get their debt refunded.

5a. Strengthening the criteria for passing audits or registering. 
This one does not affect students directly, but more indirectly. Basically if someone wants to open up a brand new RTO, they need to show that they are capable of being financially viable without relying on VFH (I'll cover a bit about this process down below). Continuing institutions will also need to show this and will be subject to a more thorough assessment to ensure they are complying with the standards. This came into effect from July 2015.

Best practice: This does not affect students directly, but if they are not providing information about upfront payment methods to students, you may want to rethink if this institution is legitimate.

5b. Formalising duty of care.
The reason why I've split point 5 up in half is that half of it relates to new providers and the rest relates towards treatment of students. In this instance, institutions will be more formally subject to duty of care guidelines and treating students equally. This will come into effect as of January 2016.

Best practice: The best practice for institutions is providing this in their handbook or as an extra statement, including how this might actually look. If the RTO is running programs for high school students (i.e. a TVET provider), this would already be part of their standard practice. For other institutions, providing something along the lines of Access and Equity, a bit about discrimination law, harassment, safety and so on would be needed.

6a. Separating student payments into term periods.
This is another one I'm splitting in half as some of it relates to finance, the rest relates to student outcomes. Basically, institutions are no longer able to charge VFH students (and in practice, upfront students) the cost of the whole course in one hit. Rather, the cost would then instead need to spread out over set study periods (for a Diploma course, this would be 2-4 periods at most, for Advanced Diploma, double that) and students must be given census dates for each unit-sort of like a university. These census dates are also tied in with the payments to providers. (So this will crack down on the "start the course anytime throughout the year" problem that some distance-only providers run on*) This will also tie in with another reform which I'll explain in a minute. This came into effect from July 2015.

Best practice: Institutions would provide these to students upon enrolment, covering the entire period of the course. Census dates would also be placed on each enrolment form, on each CAN the student receives (basically informing you on what units you've been enrolled in and what you've been charged) and students would be reminded via email and text about the census date.

*-If you do find an institution that does this, check to see if their subsidaries offer face-to-face training. OTEN is a clear example of this-they have a separate website (and programs) but are owned and run by the Western Sydney TAFE (that is, that a distance student from Blacktown and a distance student from Ashfield would not be going through the same campus for study)

6b. Student outcomes are to be provided to the government.
This reform is probably one of the better reforms really and I do hope it passes. Basically, institutions will now be required to provide evidence of student progress, when they attain their diploma and their eventual employment outcome (part of this has been implemented via the USI system) to the government. Institutions will also be required to run to a framework that looks at student satisfaction and continual improvement in their course, as well as meeting outcomes. This should come into effect from January 2016.

Best practice: This one is fairly self-explanatory. If the student is receiving additional support because of their learning needs, or has had adjustments made to accommodate their study (for example, a student with a hearing impairment would have a transcript of a video provided to them instead of being forced to rely on lipreading), that would be a start. Part of this (student outcomes and date course was completed) has already been implemented through the use of USI's (I'll cover this later, but if you've ever done a first aid course in Australia since the start of this year, you'll have one of these!) but institutions would also be providing more chances for students to have a say in their satisfaction.

7. Establishing minimum requirements before a place is offered and before a VFH loan is offered. 
This is a fairly straightforward reform. From January 2016, institutions will now be required to set up an Entry Requirements Procedure for actually enrolling in a Diploma course or higher and also before offering a VFH loan. These requirements would also include minimum literacy and numeracy requirements (in English) AND either that they would have completed Year 12 or that they've had enough experience in the field to meet the requirements*. The institution would also be required to track these and prove to the auditors that the assessment has taken place.

*-An example of this might be for carpentry. If a student left high school in Year 11 and completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter, then wanted to enrol in a Diploma of Building and Construction, they would need to demonstrate that they can meet the requirements for enrolment through their on-the-job experience i.e. they know how to calculate the perimeter, area and volume of a room and how much wood they need, the cost of building a house, how to read a quote, how to read a MSDS sheet and so on.

Best Practice: Expect them to request a copy of your Year 12 certificate (your actual certificate from the board of studies in your state, not the one your high school presents) upon enrolment, or to attach repeated supplementary documentation proving that yes you are capable. If it's a combination of on-and-off job training, someone should independently assess your skills on the job through a series of questions or a simulated environment.

8. More information about outcomes from your course.
This is another one that will really only affect students who can't pick an institution, it does not affect students directly (except at the end). Students will be surveyed after graduating on their course outcomes and their employers will also be surveyed for the same reasons. These results will then be published alongside each institution on the MySkills website and serve as a government-run way of allowing students to check credentials.

Best practice: Institutions would ideally provide a link to their MySkills page somewhere on their course website.

Hopefully, this will help you to deconstruct what the reforms are, how they work and also cutting through the government spin that has been placed on the factsheet.

Scholastic Secondary: Year 12 Formals

So I promised in one of my previous posts that I would cover some general tips on the Year 12 Formal. This is typically done either on its own, or in conjunction with another school (if your child's school is single-sex or has a low number of Year 12 students).

I'll try and keep my tips fairly broad and general based on a combination of my own experiences, other tips I've heard from family and friends over the years, stuff I've read in various magazines and stuff I've found on the Internet.

Ladies Formalwear:

The Dress:

• If you are choosing a dress, I would very much aim for a dress that you WILL wear in the future. When you are choosing your dress, think about what other events you'll wear it to in the future or if it can be altered after the formal to account for this. Ball gowns are probably not the wisest choice for exactly this reason. 
• If you are large-busted (anything above a D-cup), you will need a bra. Pony up for a strapless bra if your bra straps will be showing-Bras n Things do sell some convertible bras in larger cup sizes. Think of this as a long-term investment too, as this also enables a wider variety of clothing to be worn. 
• If your dress is low-cut, there are a variety of options available to address this. A U-bra is basically a bra where the space between the cups is cut much lower so it's otherwise invisible underneath clothing. Plunge bras are another option and serve a similar purpose (albeit at the cost of pushing the breasts together and thus giving very epic cleavage). A third option is to purchase (or even sew on) a "modesty footer". These are small pieces of fabric with straps that attach to your bra and give the illusion of a singlet or tank top worn underneath (if the footer matches the top, it just changes the neckline). These are available at some lingerie stores or online. 
• In terms of length, while the traditional choice is floor-or-maxi length, a knee-length option is also an acceptable choice, provided the dress is otherwise tasteful and appropriate for the event. Wearing your favourite tight-fitting bodycon gown is probably not an appropriate choice.
• Above all, remember these key simple points: make sure you can move in it (and by that I also mean getting in and out of cars, seats, toilets and so on), make sure that you are being modest while wearing it (that is, if you sit down you aren't flashing half of your classmates) and that it's comfortable. 

The Coverup:

• Some (although not all) ladies will opt for a shawl or coverup for either all or part of the evening. If you do opt for one, make sure that you keep it where you are sitting all night. If it's a sleeved one, make sure that the sleeves don't catch on things (i.e hair, jewellery, tableware). 
• Also make sure that it fits with the theme for the evening-a bright pink button-up cardigan will get some odd looks. Boleros are a good choice and can be easily popped into your handbag. 

The Shoes:

• The rule about "you will use this again" also applies here: if you are not likely to wear those shoes in the future, don't buy them! 
• If you do not normally wear a stiletto heel, practice, practice, practice. Wear them around the house (for short periods) while doing chores or even studying. Your feet will thank you later. 
• Regardless of whether you do or don't wear stiletto heels, make sure that you road test at least twice before the evening-wear them around the house (for short periods) or if you're attending a party before the formal, wear them then. Why twice? Once is good for blisters, twice will take into account any changes between now and then. 
• If you are not comfortable with a stiletto heel (or do not feel like you will wear them in future), a low heel is a classic and comfortable option. These are also more likely to see you through your years beyond high school. The same rules above about wearing heels apply. 
• One tip: if you are sliding out of your shoes for whatever reason, use some hairspray to stick them in place. If you're wearing stockings (or not comfortable with using hairspray on your feet), try and get some stockings with sole grips or stock up on shoe inserts. Stuffing your shoes can also help if they're close-toe ones. 
• Regardless of how high the heel is, it is also recommended to purchase a pair of "emergency flats" and keep them in your handbag. They're foldable ballet flats that are designed to be worn after a long night and will work wonders if your feet are sore from standing/walking in heels all night. 

Accessories and Primping:

• The rule with all accessories is keep 'em tasteful and subtle. They're meant to accessorise, not take over the outfit. 
• For earrings, necklaces and bracelets, try and refrain from big, heavy, chunky items. There are two reasons for this: 1) the risk of them catching on various objects or people (especially while dancing) and 2) it also looks extremely tacky. It is possible to get "large" necklaces without them being a hazard. 
• For hairstyles, if you are getting it done professionally, stop washing your hair a day or two before going in-it's easier to work with if it's a little "dirty." If you are using any pins or slides, give them to the hairdresser to add in as well for that nice touch. 
• For makeup, a good way to ensure that you get a nice look and also can touch it up throughout the night, try and visit any sort of cosmetics counter which allows you to redeem the cost of a makeover on their products. (Napoleon Perdis is a great example of this) The cost is usually kept fairly affordable as well (i.e. $60 is enough to get a touchup of eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick and so on) Try to avoid anything excessively cakey or more suited for a nightclub. 
• A small handbag or clutch is a suitable choice for the evening. Make sure that you remember where you have put it (if you're concerned about security, hiding it under a jacket is a good option) and keep the load small. (ticket, money for a taxi if you need it, mints, purse, mobile, house keys, some bandaids, hollywood tape and a pair of foldable flats are really all you need)

Male Formalwear:

• There are a wide variety of formal hire places out there, however I would advise against this if you do not already own a suit, or you need to somehow modify the suit (i.e. to accommodate a cast). depending on when you hire out the suit, things can change between now and then too. In addition, that same suit will potentially serve you well beyond high school. 
• If you're concerned about cost, look out for deals at reasonably priced department stores: Myer and David Jones both have some great options at reasonable prices. They may also even provide the option of doing a combined package (which may include a shirt, suit jacket, pants and a matching tie/hanky). 
• At the most for the evening, the only items you will need to wear are a shirt, tie, tie clip, pants, suit jacket, socks and shoes. A waistcoat is a nice touch if you wish, but be prepared for people to call you "waiter." As tempting as it may be, cummerbunds are not necessary, dickies are an absolute no-no (if you're unsure of what a dickie is, it's the false shirt-front that is commonly seen on the likes of Looney Tunes where it flips up) and I would heavily avoid bow ties for the same reason of being called "waiter." (or 'garcon' if you're somewhere really posh) 
• If you are taking a partner and wish to match your tie to their dress (or suit if you are so inclined), take a swatch of the material along when you are picking out your suit/tie (try and get the hem or if the dress has a extra bow or ribbon, take a piece from there). If you can't get hold of a swatch, your phone may be a viable substitute provided the screen is as bright as possible when you are picking out the tie. 
• Some people may struggle with tying a tie, particularly if it's not part of your school uniform or you use a pre-tied tie in your school uniform. If this is the case, pre-tied ties come in a wide variety of colours and patterns-make sure that the colour and pattern are suitable.
• To get the most out of your suit, it is strongly suggested that you pick a plain coloured suit and refrain from any patterns. 
• For shoes, please pony up for dress shoes-a simple black or brown pair are best. Refrain from any pointy shoes or anything really informal-sneakers with the formal suit are not a good look. Again, make sure that you road test them by wearing them around the house. 
• on the night, all you really need are your ticket, wallet, breath mints, phone, house keys, money for a taxi and bandaids! 

Taking a Date:

• This is not a requirement of the evening, so keep this in mind.
• If you wish to bring a partner from outside the school, ask first. Most schools will indicate somewhere on their ticket order form if outside partners are allowed or not. If they are (and especially if they're over 18), you may be asked to provide a few references. Do NOT put down your name or your parent's names if this is the case. Also put down your partner's contact number-the school may wish to contact them directly. (Also try and be appropriate with this one-taking your mum or dad to the formal is not cool) 
• If the outside partner is of the same gender as you (that is recognised gender, not biological gender i.e. you both identify as female), you may encounter a little more trouble. Be prepared to take your case to the principal if necessary or to go further if needed. Under many state discrimination laws, it is illegal to make separate rules for students who are LGBT. 
• And finally, if you are taking a partner from inside the school, choose wisely-whether you like it or not, you will become the subject of gossip. 

Hiring that limo:

It is often the highlight of the evening to hire a limo or similar and travel through the streets feeling all swanky and glamorous. As many formals are now shifting to hotel ballrooms and the like, having a limo serves more of a sense of fun rather than any actual desire to wow everybody. 

• First off, find out who does want to be in your limo for the evening. This will result in the overall cost being split amongst the lot of you. This also includes partners from outside the school. Most limos can take up to 10 guests, although 7-8 is a reasonable number.
• Do your research-visit websites, compare deals and get the reviews from others. Word of mouth is a great way to do this if there are any "Year 13" students at your school. 
• Try and aim for websites where the full cost is spelled out clearly. The fee will either be a flat fee or a fee per hour. If anyone is charging fees per kilometre or fee based on distance, avoid these. 
• Avoid companies where the only option is to pay the full cost upon booking. At the very least, the option should be to pay a deposit on booking (no mroe than 50%) and then pay off the rest at least a few days before the event. Other options may also include paying after the event. This will protect you from a scam. 
• Do NOT try and cheat the bookings to claim that you are over 18 or that your friends are. There is a reason for this which I will explain later. 
• The best way to split the cost is evenly among everyone. Yes, this includes outside partners. 
• If you or your parents are concerned about being ripped off or mistreated, place the booking under the parents name and check in with them regularly. 
• To keep costs down, have everyone meet at the closest participant's house to the formal location that you can. It also saves the driver time picking up multiple pickups on the way. 
• And finally, limos are really only good for travelling one-way. Don't go for the return trip-you'll likely be picked up by family/friends first or if someone needs to go home early (including you), you may wind up being the only one in the limo on th way home. It's also more expensive. 

General Formal Reminders:

• Do NOT, under any circumstances, drink alcohol before the event. (Or during for that matter) You may think that I'm being a party pooper, but many schools have instituted a flat ban on alcohol for school formals due to the number of students being underage at the time, the risk that someone under 18 will get alcohol and the fact that it is a school event. If teachers do get a whiff of alcohol on you, it's bye-bye formal evening and no refund. On top of that, many limo companies will charge an extra fee if you are found to be trashing the limo, puke in the limo (or urinate) or will refuse service if you are found to be intoxicated. This also extends to the champagne in the limo-this is why you should not cheat the booking system to claim you are over 18. Save it for the after-party. 
• If you have an allergy or genuine dietary need (that is a medical need), inform the school well in advance. Most schools will have this information on record already if it's a chronic issue or an allergy, but if it's a slightly more recent venture (and can be backed up with a medical letter from the GP/specialist), you may need to inform them. If your partner has an allergy or dietary need and does not attend the school, make sure you inform them in advance too. 
• If your dietary need is a religious one, many schools will offer choices to allow for this. If they don't, raise the issue (politely). Most schools will keep things simple by having the meat offers as beef, chicken or lamb to also avoid this. 
• If you are genuinely vegetarian or vegan, also informing the school well in advance will endear you. Suddenly turning vegan/vegetarian to get special meals on the night of the formal will not endear you to anyone. Most schools will also allow for the choice of the vegetarian meal as a backup. 
• For everyone else, you'll need to suck up that diet for ONE night. Aim for the closest thing that will suit your diet if you absolutely must, but the school does not have the time or resources to cater for the soup diet, detox diet, cabbage diet, atkins diet, macrobiotic diet, zone diet or gulping down Fatblaster in addition to catering for allergies, medical or religious reasons. 
• If you're taking a camera, make sure that the batteries are fresh (if it uses AA's or AAA's) or fully charged (if it uses a battery pack) for the night and you have enough space on your memory card. If the school is offering professional formal photos, don't be a dick and take pictures next to the actual cameraman! He's getting paid to be there, you on the other hand, are not. 
• Finally, if you are not inclined to take Year 12 seriously, please reconsider whether it's worth wasting that year (and disrupting others) simply to blow $2000+ on an evening that you will likely forget ten years out of high school. 
• Most importantly, HAVE FUN! 

Primary/Secondary: End of Year Time!

So it's the end of the year, the exams are over, students are winding down and the Christmas paerphrenalia is coming out left, right and centre. Some schools may have end of year concerts, some schools may even have special celebration events-it all depends!

But if you're unsure about what to do for the end of year (or to expect), read on!

General Tips:

• Typically secondary schools will have a clear timeline set for end of year activities, including exams, winding down, cleaning up and so on. Primary schools may also have this albeit in a simplified form in the form of end of year activities (or excursions) and things such as library books and loaned items being due back around this time. Read these thoroughly-they're either in the newsletter, on the website or on the Skoolbag app (if your child's school uses it). 
• If you do wish to give your child's teacher a gift, keep it small and casual-chocolates are usually good, as are small value gift cards. Large gifts or items that will take up space (such as mugs) are probably not the best option (one teacher I know of admitted to regifting stuff she received from students because she'd run out of space) and could also be construed as courting bribes or favours for end of year reports. 
• Some classes will do a Secret Santa. These are usually small with a limit of $5-$10 (the higher limit is obviously for secondary school students). No matter what your child says, try and keep it neutral for the sake of the recipient-a favourite item (if you know this) or a generic gift such as a teddy bear (if they're female) or stationery is appropriate, personal care/hygiene products (as I recall receiving from one such "gentleman" in primary school) are not. If you are getting food, check with the child's teacher first to ensure that the recipient is not allergic to anything. 
• If you do wish to bring in cupcakes or other gifts for students as an end of year treat, please check with the teacher first if a) this is OK and b) if there are any allergies/dietary restrictions. You may need to provide an alternative for those students (try and keep it in line with the theme so those students aren't being singled out, so for example, if you're bringing in cupcakes, try and bring in some cupcakes for those children with allergies) 
• Unless your child is in Year 10 or above, it is generally not a good idea to keep your child home during the last 2-3 weeks of the school year. While you may think your child is not learning anything and thus it's not important, teachers may use this time to incorporate various areas of learning in context with the holidays (for example, using literacy skills to write holiday stories, using mathematics skills to create geometric Christmas trees, researching different cultural practices around the holidays and so on)

Religious Programs/My family is not religious! 

These programs are common around this time of year and in some states, the school is required to host them. They tend to run the gamut of simply emphasising the non-religious values of the holiday (such as charity) through to full-on recreations of the Nativity complete with a suggestion that EVERYTHING (Christmas trees, tinsel, gift-giving etc.) somehow is connected back to the Nativity (hint: it isn't). Your child is not required to attend these events or even take them seriously (I definitely didn't as a child), but if you are still reluctant to have your child attend the events, you are allowed to pull them out. 

• If you do wish for your child to not attend the event, please ensure that you let the teacher know as soon as possible. You do not need to explain why your child is not attending the event, although if the reason is of a religious nature, please let the teacher know of this as this may carry over into other activities. (i.e. Christmas decorations) Just as a note, if your child attends a religious school, pulling them out may not necessarily be an option. 
• If your child's school cannot guarantee that your child will be supervised during the program running (for example, your child is allowed to sit in another class or in the library), this would be the only time I'd advocate pulling your child out for the period of time that the program is on. While this is not an encouraged practice, it does beat the school not compromising on your beliefs. 
• Take note that schools are not required to ban anything to do with Christmas on the grounds (or of any holiday), but rather they are generally not allowed to emphasise the religious aspect (in theory, in practice this may be difficult). So for example, making Christmas decorations, researching how Christmas is celebrated around the world or learning about holidays that are on during this time (such as St. Nicholas day, Diwali etc.) are all options that can be undertaken without putting the emphasis on the religious aspect (or if it covered, it's generally covered more as a contextual thing i.e. "Germans might go to church on Christmas Eve if they are Christian because they believe...") Therefore, if your family does not celebrate Christmas, please respect the rights of those who do. 
•  If you do not celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, please feel free to discuss this with your child's teacher and work out a viable compromise for end of year activities to ensure that the child is not left out (for example, if children are making decorations with Hama beads, the children who do not celebrate Christmas can instead make a coaster or something else with the hama beads. This way, they're still able to participate without being left out. Another example might be if they're doing colouring-in activities, they can do a colouring-in of their choice) 
• Another open option (provided you and your child are OK with this and your child's teacher is also fine with this), is for your child to do a short presentation to the class about their religion. Note that this would not be a marked presentation. If you want to as well, you could even do an activity around the religious holiday (or that religion itself) with the class (and teachers love this help!) to help them understand. 

I want to go on holiday at this time!

If you are going on holidays and your child is legally required to be in school, nearly all states require you to complete an exemption form and submit it well in advance of the holiday. This also needs to include the days that you will be off (and you are required to stick to this), where you're going and (in secondary school) any events that will occur during this time that your child will miss out on (such as exams, end of year concerts or similar). The decision about whether your child will be exempted or not rests solely with the school, it is not an automatic guarantee that you will receive the exemption (both schools and government departments do have the right to refuse in theory). 

The End of Year Concert.

Most schools will have some form of an end of year concert or presentation night. These are also generally compulsory for your child to attend or participate in (subject to certain rules). By now, you would've pretty much been informed about costumes (if your child needs to wear them), hair, makeup (most schools discourage this), songs, routines and so on. Keep these points in mind though:

• If your child is in secondary school, weekend rehearsals may occur. This allows the school the chance to practice somewhere without disrupting other classes, or for full-day rehearsals without disrupting learning. Make sure your child is prepared for this and try to discourage them from scheduling other important events when this occurs. 
• If your child is in primary school, there may be a few trips to and from the theatre (if they're not performing at the school) or wherever they're performing it. There may be a cost with this-this usually only covers the bus. If it seems excessively high, ask why. 
• Many schools are cracking down on parents filming the events for a variety of reasons (some reasons include copyright restrictions [and yes, there is someone in the audience checking up on this if this is the case-they do have the right to stop the show], child protection laws [especially if there is a foster child performing*], parents getting violent or disrupting the performance to get the best view, or simply that the school wants the parents to actually focus or participate rather than standing there filming the child repeatedly). The school MAY provide a copy of the night on DVD, but is under no obligation to do so. If they do, typically it's done by a professional. The DVDs may sell for between $25-$30, so keep this in mind. 
• For kids up to around Year 10 level, if they're doing several performances during the week (or one performance for younger kiddos), they're likely to be exhausted afterwards. Primary schools do recognise this and will set the concert for a Friday night to allow for recovery over the weekend, but in the event that they can't do this, they do understand if your child won't be attending school the following day (play this by ear though-it is important that your child understands this is a day for them to rest, not a "playing" day and if your child has boundless energy the next morning, they can survive a day at school). While it will be frowned upon, they do nonetheless understand. For secondary schools, there may be several performances or events over the span of a week, particularly if your child is very involved in the performing arts. Make sure your child is well-rested, encourage them to eat right during this time and to avoid consuming stimulants during this time (particularly for older children who may be tempted to skull an energy drink) 

The Formal:

Ah yes, the Year 12 formal (or Year 10 if your school does that). Pretty much all schools will have done this by this time, so I won't cover it here, but I will provide some handy tips on formals in another post separately. 

For parents of children in years 6-9, do your research on your child's potential school thoroughly and try to get a sense of when they schedule their formals. If they schedule them for the middle of the year, they're more likely to take things seriously education-wise than the school who does it at the end of the year. Why? Because many, many Year 12 students around the country will only hang around for the formal and will therefore disrupt the ones who do actually want to finish high school. If the formal is done in the middle of the year, it gets rid of those who are simply hanging around for the formal and thus makes life easier for the remaining Year 12's as they go into exams. 

Hopefully these bits and pieces of advice will make your end of year celebrations go a little less worry-free!

Board of The News: ACCC launching proceedings against RTOs

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-24/accc-launches-proceedings-against-private-training-college/6969334

The article that I've linked to is referring to an issue that is becoming somewhat problematic over the past few months and refers to a number of groups "acting" as RTOs (Registered Training Organisations, basically a private TAFE) and basically sticking people into debt while promising them a qualification in return (and they don't wind up receiving one). For those of you overseas, these are the actual "diploma mills" that you may have heard of.

The Age did another brilliant article on this which sums up the method of scamming. All of it centres around the use of VET-FEE-HELP. This is a government initiative whereby people are able to take out loans (through the government, so interest-free, just indexed annually) to cover the cost of studying either a Diploma or Advanced Diploma at TAFEs or RTOs. They're also currently trialling it for some Certificate IV courses in areas where there are genuine shortages (i.e. aged care, agriculture, disability care and so on) although the trials are mostly through TAFE.

The scam works a little like this:

• vulnerable individuals (unemployed, intellectually disabled, elderly and foreigners among others) are approached by salespeople in a variety of ways (this can involve phone calls, emails, going door-to-door in areas where they know there's a high population of vulnerable individuals, and enticed to sign up for a course promising things such as free laptops or cash (both are illegal), a nationally recognised qualification (while yes the qualification is a nationally recognised one, it's a rubber stamped one and that person will not have had any real training short of read here, sign here, answer this and so on) and that the course will not cost them anything (this is not the case).  They are then basically encouraged to sign a "Request for VET-FEE-HELP" form without being provided any further information about it.
• From there, the provider submits all the forms to the government stating that yes, this person is a student of our dodgy training school, this is the course they're doing, this is what they're being enrolled in and so on. The "student"receives online training of sorts, but they are given no support from teachers at all and nothing is taken into account for their disabilities. if they do receive the qualification, it's only been rubber stamped if the student hands in any work at all. 
• The provider then receives up to $18,000 per student. Some of that money may also go to the sales staff or course "brokers" as a brokerage fee. 
• Meanwhile the poor student is saddled with a debt that they may not ever be able to pay back to the government and this can have far-reaching impacts for their credit score. They are also generally left without a reliable qualification or support. 

While it is possible to get the VET-FEE-HELP debt removed when situations like this happen, many of the people who are targeted are not provided with this information, or they may be provided with it as part of the "general information" which they'd then be encouraged to ignore or throw away being told it's "unimportant". 

My own opinion on these is that those specific providers who do something like this are disgusting and really need as many people coming down hard on them. On top of that, it is also giving genuinely legitimate providers a bad name. There are some good providers out there who do attempt to do the right thing by the regulations set by ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority, who are responsible for managing this stuff) and they really do outnumber the ones that give the rest a bad name. Some organisations may skirt the line on what's good and dodgy or may engage in the occasional dodgy practice, but they are called out on it and make an effort to change or update their policies to better reflect the standards. (This may come in the form of changing their orientation session or the procedure for complaints)

So you may be wondering, why doesn't everyone just go to TAFE? There are a few reasons why TAFE may not be an option for students. 

•  There are a number of barriers for students that make travelling to and from a TAFE campus difficult. Some courses are offered online, but not all courses are available online through the TAFE institutions in each state. 
• Processing applications for TAFE can take quite a long time, as long as 2-3 months or more, whereas more reputable RTOs may be able to communicate to students sooner. (I've worked in a TAFE for a period of time handling these so yes, they do take quite a period of time) This is partially also to account for any allowances and entitlements that the person is able to receive (there are various subsidy options for each state), as well as the software that is used. A private RTO that does not receive that funding would therefore be able to process it quicker. 
• Some (key word SOME) institutions are designed to cater to the needs of a particular community and may thus may have staff trained to cater for these students needs (example: most Deaf Societies provide programs in Auslan from Cert II all the way up to Diploma level for both deaf and hearing students. Most TAFEs do not provide anything beyond a Cert II in Auslan. Students who complete these courses can then move on to take a Diploma in Interpreting and then move on towards becoming professional interpreters for the government or the private sector. The teachers in this course would therefore have a solid understanding of students needs) 
• Some RTOs only focus on providing certain units to fulfill an industry requirement that may need renewing over time (examples of this are Child Protection/Mandatory Reporting, First Aid, CPR, Anaphylaxis management, Asthma Management) . For some students, moving interstate can also trigger a need to update their requirements according to state legislation (example: SA has Mandatory Notification training which is currently not a nationally recognised unit but is a regular requirement, while NSW requires you to undergo Child Protection training which forms part of the Cert III in Childcare) and it is important they access this quickly to allow them time to settle into work straight away. Not all TAFEs provide these short courses to students or with enough frequency to make this accessible. 
• Finally, the nature of some courses pretty much restricts them from being easily accessible via TAFE. Creative Arts courses (this consists of any Dance, Music, Drama, Visual Art and some Design courses) require plenty of space and specialised equipment that some TAFEs may not have the space to keep hold of. These courses however, usually require students to undertake an audition, interview or both in order to determine if they will benefit from these courses and students who do not meet these requirements are not granted entry. 

So now you're probably thinking "OK, so how do I know if a RTO is legitimate?" I'll cover a few quick things to keep in mind here and I'll do a more thorough post on this subject later, along with how I believe the system could be fixed. 

An RTO that is legitimate...

• WON'T stand in shopping centres, Centrelink or canvass communities directly. 
• WON'T provide inducements to students to get them to sign up (Note: providing small trinkets like pens or mousepads to get names on the mailing list is different to getting them to sign up for a course)
• WON'T advertise anywhere that their courses are free, government funded, you don't pay it back until later or some variant of the above (they can explain this to students, but it comes under course information and is not to be used as a hook)
• WILL offer more courses than just Diplomas or Advanced Diplomas. If you're still in doubt, check the training.gov.au website
• WILL publish their data on the training.gov.au website, with clear information about what the course is, what's offered and so on. 
• WILL provide clear information about what VET-FEE-HELP is, how it works and so on. 
• WILL be a member of ACPET (basically if they shut down, you'll be refunded any fees and given the option to pick up where you left off elsewhere at no extra cost-this applies to private colleges only)

Welcome

Hello and welcome to School Daze, the blog that will cover just about every aspect of schooling from primary to tertiary. This blog is more about providing advice where needed, since as experience suggests, people are more likely to take advice from a blog than they are the newspaper! (Also, blog posts can be saved, liked, commented on etc. by reasonably sane people. Newspapers, not so much)

This blog will have a mix of different articles, bits of advice, my own opinion on various educational matters relating to the articles above and also keeping you up to date with any news regarding various educational sectors.

About Me:
I have worked across the entire educational sector in some shape or form for about the past 3-4 years, from student teaching in primary school, to tutoring in high school, to my current administration role in the tertiary sector. I have a Bachelor of Special Education and have also worked in out of school hours care (OSHC/"After Care") for about 18 months. What this has given me is a fairly nuanced perpsective on things as there are things that go on behind the scenes that parents and the general public aren't aware of.

Blog Posts: 
So what exactly will my blog posts cover? Well, to keep things fun and vaguely engaging, I've opted for the following titles to help you filter out what's unnecessary.

Peaceful Primary: This will cover everything relating to primary school aged children.

Scholastic Secondary: This will cover everything relating to high school aged children.

You may be wondering "but wait, my child's school has a "middle school"/my child attends a middle school!" Unless I otherwise note it, you are invited to read both the primary and secondary blog posts depending on your child's age group.

Also due to the fact that only one state currently recognises Year 7 as primary level schooling, I will be lumping any articles involving Year 7 students into the secondary category, regardless of state. I will cover my views on this in a later post.

Transcendent Tertiary: This will cover anything relating to universities, TAFEs, private colleges or Registered Training Organisations. Take note that apprentices and trainees will also be covered here as they are usually studying. This will also cover Year 10-12 students who are undertaking a school-based apprenticeship or a TVET program.

Board Of The News: This will cover news articles relating to all three sections and my opinions on them. Where this differs from the three categories listed above is that this will cover news articles only, while the other three categories will cover anything that is NOT a media article, in addition to general advice.

Charismatic Childcare: this will cover everything related to childcare, including media articles. Part of the reason behind this (and why I'm not covering it in other sections) is that the childcare sector encompasses both daycare (birth-5/6) and also school-aged childcare (OSHC) and many news articles relate to the cost of fees or places. In addition, while daycare centres will typically communicate things such as fees and regulations to parents, many bits and pieces of information about early childhood are not as easily accessible to parents and may be only found out via Centrelink, GP or similar.

So enjoy, comment, leave suggestions on what you would like me to cover! I will do my best and if I do forget anything, please let me know!