Scholastic Secondary: Uniform Tips

So upon re-reading the first post I did on school uniforms, I initially discarded the idea of doing a post on secondary uniforms. Then I realised that most, if not all high schools have a winter uniform and they'll be swapping into that fairly soon. Hopefully this post might provide some advice for you as we move into winter.

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.

• 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 and Jumpers:

• Unless your child is still fitting into kids-size clothing, you're generally restricted to purchasing your uniform items from the school uniform shop. Some schools will use Lowes as a supplier and there are staples available, so at the very least, you're not required to give up your day to drag your kiddo to the uniform shop for a fitting.
• 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.
• For winter, most schools will allow students to wear certain long-sleeved shirts underneath or they may have a long-sleeved alternative. If your child's school allows the long-sleeved shirt underneath rule, I would suggest making sure that the shirt is in the same colour as the uniform shirt, or at the very least white. If you (or your child) do need to cover their arms for religious reasons or otherwise, white is generally a safe option. 
• For jumpers, regardless of whether they are woollen or not, 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 may be worth learning how to darn or at the very least fix holes in clothing if your child has a woollen jumper. It is much cheaper to have those holes repaired than it is to get a replacement jumper. 
• If your child's school uniform requires them to wear a tie for any reason, check to see if a clip on or pre-tied tie is available (the latter generally will have a length of elastic or fabric that sits under the collar with a breakaway option). I say this as generally tie clips are not sold in schools (some more elite private schools will have these) and it otherwise constitutes a safety hazard for your child. If a clip-on option is not available, try and purchase a very simple tie clip that can be worn without it being obvious.

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.
• There will generally be rules around the length and whatnot, so be prepared to go up a size or two if your child has weird proportions that make a dress in their normal size fall out of the uniform rules. Also bear in mind that clothing sizes do vary between manufacturers, so if your child's school switches manufacturers at some point, that Size 12 your child wore previously may now be a size 10. Most schools WILL go up to at least a Size 24-26 so if your child is plus-size, don't panic! 
• PLEASE label your child's dress-I cannot emphasise this enough. 
• Unless the school says otherwise (generally this applies to Catholic schools and some elite schools), a good length for the dress to fall would be to knee-length or just above (no wider than a finger). If your child's skirt falls longer than that and the school does not have a rule against it, you may wish to tack the hem up. (To "tack" is to simply sew a loose running stitch around the bottom-this can then simply be cut when your child grows)
• If your child is menstruating, it may be worth teaching them how to sit so that their skirt falls out behind them and therefore the risk of staining their skirt with blood is reduced.
• Finally, please encourage them to wear simple plain sports underwear underneath their dress. As a general rule of thumb, black, dark blue or dark green underwear are fine (and would be encouraged), but I would HIGHLY recommend a white or skin-coloured bra where possible.  

Pinafores/Tunics:

• Some high schools will still insist on these for your child, especially in the younger years. As a rule, I would keep the pinafore even after they're no longer allowed to (or required) to wear it and remove the bib part. Most pinafores will come with these, especially if the pattern is the same as the winter skirt. 
• Be prepared to take the pinafore to a professional to have it altered if the bib part is NOT detachable.  

Skirts/Shorts/Pants: 

• For "summer" skirts, shorts and skorts, 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) Generally a finger-width is OK. 
• 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. 
• 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. 
• In schools where girls can wear pants in winter, 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. The school may also set this up as a rule-not because it's distracting to the boys, but more for consistency's sake and also due to the tendency for those pants to sag or reveal butt-crack when bending over.
• 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.  
• For boys, I'll keep this simple: please make sure they wear a belt! Also, ensure that their pants or underwear are not too low/high-nobody needs to know what brand of underwear your child wears when they bend over. 
• 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! You may also wish to consider stitching the pockets up to minimise the risk of damage-if you do, it is recommended that you at least stitch the back pockets. 

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. 
• Unless the school says otherwise, I would not send a separate pair of socks to school with your child on PE days-just let them wear what they plan on wearing for socks as it's one less thing they need to change.
• 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).
• 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 is required to wear tights or stockings during winter, they generally need to be footed and full length (that is, you cannot wear thigh-highs, even if you have garters). They are usually also required to be black or navy by this point-this is generally one area where you can shop freely for these, as stockings fit everyone differently and what might suit one child won't necessarily suit another. (As a side note, if your child is plus-size, I would HIGHLY recommend Sonsee brand-they sell black tights in everything from 20 to 100 denier)
• At this stage, they'll also likely insist on them being a certain "denier." This just means that they're more opaque. If they don't, 70 denier is generally a good thickness (anything over around 120 stops being tights and starts being leggings and anything less than this becomes stockings). Footless tights are generally a no-no. They are also required to be plain-if you spot your daughter walking out with patterned or fishnets, please stop them. 

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. 

• General no-nos for shoes at school are flip-flops (aka "thongs"), ugg boots, slippers, fancy shoes (i.e. the kind you might 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.
• A similar variant on this (more for girls) is that if they do require black leather school shoes, anything with a "chunky" heel is generally also discouraged. (that is, the sole is not flat or the heel height is not slight) 
• For PE, if your child has stopped growing, I would definitely consider investing in a pair of sneakers from somewhere like Athlete's Foot-they will last the rest of the school term or at least until PE stops being compulsory.
• 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) 
• 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. Even if your child's school allows or encourages sandals in summer, do NOT send them to school in these.
• "But the shoes are black" you might hear your daughter saying in regards to black ballet flats! There are a few reasons why ballet flats tend to be banned-the main ones are that they are not as supportive as regular shoes, they fall off during the day, they often tend to not cover the toes very well (basically if something drops on them, your child will know it!), there's often the question of fashionable items and cost as a result and finally, even though the outside may be flat, the inside may be slightly raised, thus essentially they become heels. 

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). Also, please do not assume that high schools are headlice-free.  
• Many private high schools 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. 
• 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 hair.
• 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 spread of headlice and makes it easier to treat.
• Makeup for secondary students is 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). 
• Please do NOT let your child get (or encourage them to get) acrylic nails, tips or anything along those lines. They will get in the way of them working, the school will likely enforce the "no makeup" rule even if there's clear nail polish on them and they present a OHS hazard. 
• 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. 
• By this point your child may wish to get a body piercing. For private schools, the rule will pretty much be one earring per ear and only in the lobe. Therefore, if they attend a private school, try and discourage them from getting a facial piercing-yes, even a tongue piercing does get noticed. Belly-buttons are generally OK provided your child wears a top or jumper that will cover it when they lift their arms up. For public schools, it's a case of YMMV, but both public and some private schools will allow clear retainers to be worn in the site of the piercing. 

Commemorative Tops:

These are usually doled out in Year 12, although some middle schools (that are set up as such) will dole them out in Year 9. By this point they will get expensive, so I would really only recommend 1 jumper or jacket and 1 or 2 shirts if they're an option. As an added point, if your child does want their nickname on their jumper/shirt (most schools do allow for this), please check what the nickname is before they hand in the form-most schools will refuse ones like "pig fucker" but depending on your child, the nickname given may also be a sign that they're bullied. 

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 over to 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,in most cases, this is to prevent students from being mistaken for non-students or for those students to take advantage of the fact that they aren't in uniform and thus leave the school grounds. 

For private schools, the same general principle applies. 

FAQS and other questions:

What about hats?

For secondary students, this tends to fall into a few categories depending on the school. Some private schools (generally all-girls ones, but sometimes co-ed do this too) and selective public schools will require your girl to wear a straw hat with a badge on the hat band (at least in summer), while other schools will allow either a bucket hat, wide-brimmed hat or cap that is designated by the school. Unless they require the latter in the uniform, please aim for the wide-brimmed or bucket hats where possible-there's a reason why we have the highest rates of skin cancer.

Your child may also be required to wear the hat out of the school grounds. If they ride a bike to school, generally the rule only extends to the child wearing it out of the school gates at least.

I don't want to go to the school uniform shop, 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 (they do also act as a supplier for some schools for their entire uniform). 

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. (and in some cases, is almost entirely non-existent)
-It also minimises that "cost" thing, as ballet flats can run the gamut from $5 at Kmart to $150 in some places.
-There are several options out there for students that tend to result in them looking anywhere from "party"-like to "pretty"
-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. Some schools may also dictate that these are worn for "formal" events. 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). If your child is prone to losing clothing, there's enough space for it and the school has no rule about requiring blazers to be worn in or out of school grounds, it may be worth allowing them to put their blazer in their locker-make sure that they can fold it up first.

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.

Transcendent Tertiary: Textbook Costs

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/why-are-textbooks-so-expensive-in-australia-20160229-gn6djg.html

Normally this would be a news post, but I do actually have some tips to help with this one and the article at least highlights the problem a little bit.

My own experience with textbooks is that they are incredibly expensive and depending on the field, almost impossible to resell. In some places, there are buyback options, but it's almost damn near impossible to get rid of older textbooks or get secondhand books without needing to use textbook exchange or similar sites. My alumni (Flinders) attempted to mitigate the need for textbooks by selling readers, but even these came at a cost and in the case of my teaching degree, the cost was partially justified by the fact that many of the books required were actively used by current teachers in schools and was seen as a way of helping us build our own little "educational library." At least with the readers and the majority of the teaching books, they weren't any more than around $40-$50 at most, in comparison to some other items that went anywhere from $60-$180 in at least one case.

A reader is basically the required readings for uni bound into a book and divided by weeks. Depending on the subject, tutorial questions were also included. This had the positive effect of at least not requiring us to buy textbooks which got old real fast as the readers could be updated over time. (This did come with the payoff that readers could not be exchanged or refunded unless the lecturer/tutor made a huge error due to copyright)

This said, the costs of some textbooks are ridiculous. Law, Medicine and Science are among the worst offenders for textbook costs alone, while Social Sciences in general (along with the others mentioned) is one of the worst offenders for needing to constantly buy up-to-date books. To give you an example, I checked the Co-Op website (one of the more reliable textbook providers in the country) and selected a course from my alumni at more or less random.

For one first year nursing unit (out of around 4), there are 3 textbooks-combined, this makes up to around $400. Multiply expected costs by 4 and you're looking at around $1600+ for textbooks alone. While secondhand books are usually available, it's entirely based on luck and if you happen to know where to go.

So if you're unsure or hesitant with your textbook costs, what can you do?

- First, if you are taking a unit as an elective, consider if the cost of any textbooks is worth enrolling in the unit. It is not worth starving yourself for a "fun" unit.

- If the unit is a compulsory one, check to see if the older edition of the textbook is an acceptable option. While it is a bit tricky, it is possible to get older editions of a textbook secondhand, or the library will carry copies of that same book, which you can borrow for a certain period of time (some libraries will allow up to 4 weeks for the book and you can extend it for another 2)

- If there is a "package" set for the unit (ie textbook, workbook, CD-ROMs), you will unfortunately be required to purchase the pack as a whole. In some cases, some parts of the package might be also sold separately (ie a language book might have their audio CDs sold separately), but this is rare and if this the case, it's generally online-only. Please do not annoy the cashier by breaking it apart.

- Also check if the textbook is actually required-this also extends to checking the Extended Unit Outline available at most, if not all unis, which will outline how often the textbook actually gets used. If you find that it's not getting used all that often, or you're only using maybe 10% of the book, then consider going on the "borrow" option.

- If you DO want to go secondhand, book despoitory and Textbook Exchange are usually fairly reliable, but please exercise some common sense. That is, don't send money over the internet if you don't know the person, always arrange for meetups in a public place (the university would be even better) and try to get cash.

-If all of these options are exhausted, then you may want to prioritise what you do get. Readers are all but required in most cases. From there, I'd then look at the cheapest option and then leave the more expensive options until last.

- Alternately, consider buying them in instalments. Lay-by is generally not an option, but if, for example, you get paid fortnightly, then you'd buy 1-2 textbooks one paycheck and 1-2 the next one.

- Finally, if your uni has that option, see if they'll do buybacks at the end of the semester. You won't get much back for your book, but you'll at least get rid of it!

Update: Safe Schools Findings

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/conservative-mps-angry-after-safe-schools-review-finds-program-should-not-be-scrapped-20160315-gnjzgf.html

So this morning, they finally delivered the review of the Safe Schools Coalition. Surprise, surprise, it's been deemed worthy and should not be scrapped. More specifically, while the professor reviewing it argues that there are some changes that should be made, the program actually aligns with the Australian Curriculum (no surprises there at all). In other words, the program shouldn't be stripped of funding or basically scrapped in its entirety.

I, for one, am very pleased with the professor who conducted the review, even if the conservatives are not. The changes that he recommends are actually fairly reasonable and do allow for some compromises. The changes noted in the article include:

- Giving teachers more guidance over how to use the material they have been given for the program. (As a note, around 85-90% of the program is school-wide policies, so really this is a small part of it)

- Restricting the dissemination of some website links to school counsellors only (such as, for example, a student coming out as transgender). This actually makes logical sense, since the counsellors are usually either psychologists, social workers or similar and would therefore be the best place for a student to actually discuss these matters without feeling like someone will eventually find out, even if by accident (i.e. teacher letting slip to students or parents). Although that said, nothing will stop the student from finding this stuff out themselves.

- Providing more information to parents: This really isn't an issue, but again, like I've said, about 85-90% of the program is school-wide policy changes.

- Opt-out options: This really only affects the classroom component. I do actually have to disagree with this one only slightly. The reason I say this is that there's no real "sex" components to the program, it's mostly looking at sexuality and gender identity-sexuality and sex are two very different things (i.e. it's entirely possible to be gay and a virgin by choice). Unless you're prepared to thoroughly educate your kids on this issue without forcing religion down their throats or controlling what information they view online/in magazines, opting-out is somewhat moot.

The fact that the conservative MPs still seem to be of the view that it's disseminating PORN to schoolchildren seem to have a very narrow-minded idea of how online filters actually work, or a broad definition of what constitutes pornography. I say the former as many schools (if not all schools) will have a filter in place to prevent students accessing certain material. In the case of public schools, the filter is put in place by the government (so cracking it is not as easy as it sounds). Yes, I'm familiar with proxy sites, VPNs and whatnot, but really, you would think the MPs would know this.

It also doesn't surprise me that they're viewing the professor who conducted the review (who, by the way, can be found here)  as a fraud among other things. Funnily enough, this same guy was previously used by the Coalition (in the Howard era) to conduct the National Inquiry into the teaching of literacy in 2005 and is also a foundation board member of the two committees who are more or less responsible for education in Australia - ACARA and AITSL (the latter of which assesses teachers against certain standards). Guess he's not a fraud when it suits them.

Furthermore, the comments on the review were that it was inadequate, too narrow and the terms of reference weren't suitable. So...in other words, you're pissy because he did what you asked of him and he found out that it went against your agenda. Oh boo-frickin hoo.

The full report will be released in the coming days and I will try and find it. When I do, I'll share it here.

Board of the News: When "Education" Becomes "Instruction"

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/instruction-confused-with-education-with-religion-in-qld-state-schools-20160303-gna0qf.html

Given all the hubbub in recent weeks around the Safe Schools Coalition, I figured this was actually somewhat fitting to discuss.

A bit of background first: in several states, there is a requirement (set by the state) for some form of religious education for one hour a week. Key word here is education. This can be as simple as the Easter and Christmas performances for schools in SA all the way through to Special Religious Education/Instruction (NSW/VIC/QLD). (This article by the ABC explains it a little better) In particular, there only needs to be time set aside for it, the kids do not need to be taught it.

In theory, how the latter programs work is that for one hour a week, the kids would be taught about various world religions by either their teacher or someone who was actually qualified to teach in the subject. Unfortunately, this is far from the case.

Some of the problems the article notes (and some other issues that have been circulating among various sources) with these programs though include (I'll be calling them RE from here on out):

- Teachers not understanding that the program is optional and that they should not be questioning why a kid is not participating.

- Parents getting misled or incorrectly assuming that the program is teaching kids about a religion, rather than being basically a condensed Sunday School/Yeshiva/Madrasa*. On a similar vein, parents not checking up on what's actually being taught in those classes (with the article quoting that parents were surprised to discover the classes were all about "Sin and salvation" rather than history)

- A huge lack of classes in other religions, with some schools not even offering anything other than Christianity at all. (The schools that do offer other religions tend to have an extremely diverse population) I'll cover this one a little more in a bit.

- The issue of "opt-out" vs. "opt-in." Most states are "opt-out" instead of "opt-in" meaning that if you do not indicate an option on the form or specifically indicate your kid is NOT to be in a class, your kid will be automatically enrolled into a particular class. In the article listed at the top, the program evidently runs off of whatever religion is put down on the child's enrolment form, although it gives no indication of what happens if that section is blank. (The article describes that for example, a Jewish person would not be shoved into a Christian class) There are calls for an "opt-in" approach, meaning that parents NEED to indicate if they want their kid to have religious instruction or not at enrolment time. NSW takes a slightly different approach, where the options of ethics classes are provided, but due to the actions of the Senate, parents really need to dig to find this option.

- A lack of real teaching qualifications to run these classes. This is something that also applies to the ethics classes. There are three main groups that run the SRI/Ethics classes: ACCESS Ministries (Christianity), Religions for Peace (everything else) and Primary Ethics (secular). All three are run by volunteers, who are required to undergo all of the necessary checks, but just because someone passes a Working With Children Check does not necesssarily mean they are suited for a classroom, let alone teaching. Primary Ethics, from the looks of things, appears to be the most rigorous of the three, in that they require an interview first and extensive training before someone sets foot in a school, along with ongoing training afterwards that helps to fill in the gaps a bit.

- Not in the article, but another valid issue that is making the rounds at the moment, is the idea of basically making those kids who don't participate feel bad about their choice (or their parents). Some stories have included bribing kids who do attend those classes with treats and other goodies (it's also very common for those kids to receive Bibles) and barring children who don't participate from doing anything during that time that could constitute "learning." (In other words, parents who pull their kids from SRI because they need extra literacy support won't get it during that time)

The last issue that bears more discussion is that the majority of schools will only hold Christian classes and nothing else. These will occasionally be divided up into Catholic, Non-Denominational and any other very specific sect (i.e. Jehovahs Witness or Mormon). NSW does provide ethics classes as an alternative, but because these are volunteer-run, there is no guarantee that the program will be offered in all schools. The group that's responsible for running the Christian programs is ACCESS Ministries, who also assist with chaplains. They, for the most part (after checking their website), appear to be a law unto themselves. That is, they are deemed to be self-accrediting in relation to what's taught in classrooms, do not have any other rules for teachers except they need to pass all the checks and get endorsed by their church and seem to be the ones who receive the bulk of funding. What's particularly telling is that ACCESS do not appear to have provided copies of their curriculum (or even samples) for parents to see and even if they do, it is not necessarily easy to obtain.

In comparison, Religions for Peace (who are responsible for everything else) actually do require religious instructors to be accredited by an independent body, also require the curriculum taught to be approved by them and also publishes the curricula for four of the main classes taught on their website (they show Baha'i, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism). It's unknown if the Jewish and Islam programs are shown there or who runs them, but one could assume that there are similar requirements. The religious instructors are also endorsed by their religious figure, but are also required to undergo more training and are required to stick to the curriculum being taught.

So why the comparison with Safe Schools?

The comparison has come about due to the accusations in recent weeks that the Safe Schools Coalition is pushing a "gay agenda" onto children (but they never elaborate on what that agenda is-the supposed assumption is that they plan on turning everyone gay, but methinks they've watched too much South Park). The irony is apparently lost on those who complain because they are still of the belief that a) the program is optional (and thus, if you don't want it, then don't sign up for it) and b) that the program is educating children about religions and not "indoctrinating" them because they aren't going to church, aren't being baptised and aren't being told to go blow something up in the name of their religion.

What about ethics classes?
I've mentioned these a few times, unfortunately the perceived controversy with these is that they push particular political or social ideologies or particular philosophies onto children. The curriculum (available here) really just looks more at different issues that are appropriate to the child's age, which start with things like "Is it OK to tell a friend's secret" in Kindergarten all the way up to "Who can judge a countries moral code?" in years 5 and 6. A common theme in all the classes as well is just looking more at "how to think" rather than "what to think" and that unlike the religious classes, there is no right or wrong answer.

What's my view on this?

Personally, I feel that if religion is to be taught in schools, it needs to follow some very strict criteria. The Steiner curriculum actually covers religion fairly well and is a good model to follow for a starting point. Schools like John Colet are also another example of how one could follow this, but my requirements would be:

- It is integrated into the existing curriculum as part of the History/Civics/Geography topics. (This is how I was exposed to other religions as a child-I learnt about Islam in Years 3/4 as part of units on Malaysia (for the Commonwealth Games) and to practice taking notes (Year 4). I then learned a little more about Buddhism in Year 5 as part of the Olympics and then covered Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in greater detail in year 7 as part of an Asian Studies unit.)

- If the class teachers do not want to teach it for some reason, qualified teachers should be pressed into service for this and it can form part of a NIT block (NIT=Non-Instruction Time, commonly used by teachers for marking, planning etc. this is typically when Music, PE etc. is taught). The qualified teachers would also need to follow a strict curriculum and be audited regularly.

- The content needs to cover ABOUT a religion, practices, beliefs and so on. This is actually easier to do than you think. I give an example below:

Teaching ABOUT Islam: One of the core festivals of Islam is Ramadan, where people fast between sunrise and sunset. Little kids are not required to fast, but they sometimes practice doing "little fasts" until their families believe they are old enough to do so.
Teaching Islam: You must fast once a month to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Mohammed. During fasting time you also cannot do <blah>.

- Schools stop parading students of a particular religion around as though they are "special" or somehow a spokesperson for their faith. This is more common with children who are of a distinct faith (i.e. Jainism) or after a major incident that involves a particular religion (i.e. the Bali bombings). Aside from it being extremely rude to the child and the family, it opens that kid up to abuse.

- Students who wish to set up religious groups (some Christian and Muslim students have been known to do this) can do so at recess or lunch, but the school cannot endorse, ban or do anything other than supervise and intervene should the students be going down a path that violates school policies (i.e. a Christian Bible group providing pamphlets to "Pray away the gay.") They are also barred from doing this until high school (that is, primary schools are not permitted to set up the groups)

- If parents want religious instruction to occur, they need to start taking their child to temple, Sunday School or whatever their religion offers as a children's service. Stop relying on the school to raise your child for you.

The Safe Schools Coalition and Why This Is Not An Issue

Normally, I would be posting a news link on this, then delving into the article in a little more detail to provide some context. Not today folks.

No doubt, it's been noted in the media by now that the Safe Schools Coalition is under review, thanks in part to the ACL (among others) complaining. The amount of mudslinging from both sides on this subject is utterly horrendous and in the interests of keeping the topic to well...the topic, I decided not to put it up here. (In addition, while I'm 100% straight, this topic has hit a bit of a raw nerve with me in terms of the bullying going on.)

When I got wind of this however on Reddit (at the moment, probably the most reliable source for me in terms of actually GETTING the articles),

The concerns with the Safe Schools program include (and why these are flawed arguments):

• Pushing an "Agenda" onto other individuals: Most of the time, people aren't able to explicitly state what that "agenda" is at all. In a further twist of irony, the groups who tend to make that claim do often have an agenda in question and aren't simply doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. 
• Denying "competing views" or a "reasonable debate": This argument most commonly tends to be held by groups who view that there's too much exposure on "the other side" of the argument and not enough to argue their point. This would make logical sense if the view was say, that Muslims were all horrible individuals and they weren't being allowed to show what real Muslims are like, but when asked for their arguments, they tend to fall into the traps of logical fallacy, reliance on a religious text or some other argument that does not in any way, shape or form address the actual issue at hand. 
• The "Too sensitive" or "Too PC" argument: The second part seems to refer more to this idea that we have to be "PC" (which ignores the point of what politically correct actually refers to) and therefore can't piss someone off without consequence, while the first part refers more to this idea that we've become too soft as a society and need to "toughen up" more. If someone can actually show me (with scientific backing) that we are becoming too PC/soft, then I might retract the following, but until then, the people who use thesse arguments are nothing more than bullies who have had their way for far too long, get away with it scot-free, are finally getting called out for their behaviour and cannot deal with the consequences. 
• The "Discrimination" argument: This one seems to refer more to this idea that it's discrimination to have set spaces for one group but not another (i.e,. a women's space but not a man's space), or that one group is being allowed to form, but the "opposing" group is banned from campus/school (good example with the school side is that a public school is OK with having a Christian prayer group, but a Muslim prayer group is not allowed). I'll make this one nice and simple: if you feel that you are being discriminated against, then go ahead and raise hell by lodging a complaint with the Equal Opportunity board in your state or the Human Rights Commission if you so desire. Just be prepared to argue your case before a tribunal. 
• The "Oppression" argument: See above on the "Too sensitive" argument/reasonable debate subject. Simply put, unless you are being jailed explicitly for your beliefs/identity and not for your actions (i.e. you're jailed for being gay, not because you assaulted another man) then yes, you can claim you're being oppressed. If your school, place of worship or other building has been torched to the ground, vandalised or similar because you are of a particular race, religion, ethnicity or sexuality, then yes, you can claim oppression. If you are being beaten up, fired, denied jobs or other services (that are the only option out there) because of your beliefs or sexuality, then yes, you can claim oppression. Until then, this argument fails. 
• The "Taxpayer dollar" argument: Usually this argument takes on the idea that "Why should my taxpayer dollars go towards this thing I don't support?" Aside from the fact that you have no direct control over where your tax dollars go (i.e. they don't specifically allocate your money to roads or welfare), this argument really shows a lack of knowledge about how the tax system actually works. On top of that, most of these rooms are usually funded by the university or student union or even the students themselves. In other words, no taxpayer funds needed. 

So, I've given quite a number of the arguments that are against the Safe Schools Coalition, that do not delve into the outright homophobic comments, along with why these are failed arguments. 

Now comes the question: well, what can I (as a parent or student) do about these things? 

Children in Primary/High School: 

• TALK TO YOUR KIDS. Seriously. Have an open and honest discussion about sexuality and gender identity. If you don't know something, admit it to your child, but also actually go and start looking for resources so you and your child can learn together. Good places to start are your local library, community centre, GP, youth/family health clinics or sexual health clinics (the latter tend to be staffed by nurses and GPs who can answer questions as well). 
• If your child does come out as something other than straight, be supportive. There are a number of support groups out there for parents of non-straight children and I would highly recommend a face-to-face group over an online one. PFLAG is a good place to start. I wouldn't fret about how it'll "look" to others-it's not worth your time or theirs. 
• In a similar vein, should your child turn out to be straight, don't celebrate it as a good thing-just see it for what it is. 
• For parents with younger children, there are a few books out there that are age-appropriate and simply discuss different families (The Family Book by Todd Parr is an excellent resource for this, I cannot recommend it enough as it covers many different families, not just families with two mums/dads or one of each). At that age, it can just be a simple explanation on homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and intersex, without getting too far into the nuances. (I.e. "Some boys grow up to fall in love with other boys, some girls grow up and fall in love with other girls, some people fall in love with both boys and girls, some people feel they were born in the wrong body and try to change it and some people don't feel that they're boys or girls.") 
• If your child is trans, get them to a therapist as soon as possible. 
• If you are from a religious background, try to avoid shunning someone on those grounds alone. You'll find that there are priests/rabbis/imams/whatever who are just as supportive of non-straight worshippers and depending on what branch of the religion you follow, there are places of worship that are a little more open with sexuality.

Teachers/Schools:

• If you aren't part of the Coalition already, it may be worth raising it as an idea at the school. Some of the issues to consider will relate to how the "All of Us" resource (which is likely the centre of the controversy) is used in the classroom, but it is entirely possible to incorporate this into your existing sex ed curriculum.
• If you aren't part of the Coalition, or your school refuses to implement the Coalition for whatever reason suggested, it is still possible to act as a supportive person for LGBTI individuals. Consider the possibility of becoming a school "Ally." (meaning someone who is supportive of LGBTI individuals, especially if your school lacks a counsellor or psychologist) It may be worth raising it with the principal or education department on the idea of you undertaking some training if you wish to take it further. 

Board Of The News: Safe Schools...for everyone? (or how an antigay protest backfired spectacularly)

There is actually a link to this with education believe it or not. The program that is being targeted though, is not part of the curriculum as such, but is designed purely for schools.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/02/due-to-gaffe-antigay-hate-group-raises-thousands-of-dollars-for-lgbtq-teen-gala/

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/conservative-group-accused-of-trying-to-sabotage-samesex-formal-aimed-at-helping-youth-20160215-gmurxu.html

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/same-sex-formal/7173918

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/anti-gay-group-attempts-to-stop-a-dance-for-lgbti-teens#.abb18OXxe

http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/safe-schools-do-better

https://chuffed.org/project/same-sex-gender-diverse-formal-2016

The program in question is known as the Safe Schools Coalition and is 100% optional. It runs in a number of schools across Australia that includes public, private, primary, secondary and religious schools. The main aims of the Coalition are to reduce homophobia, educate individuals on LGBTI issues without it being based on myths or stories and also to allow individuals who may not necessarily be straight to come out as such and not get attacked for it. The program also has sponsorship from pretty much every Sexual Health educator in the country, some of which are government funded. 

Most of the goals of the Coalition are school-wide. That is, if there are changes, they tend to affect overall school policy or certain events ie uniform policies, anti-bullying policies and expanding school formals to allow for same-sex/transgender individuals. The rest are mostly aimed at certain specific events supporting the LGBTI community and whether or not the school opts to celebrate those events is entirely up to them (the Coalition does talk with schools on this and tailors the program accordingly). 

Now that all the background information is out of the way, let's get on with the meat of this post. 

A charity group, Minus18 (which focuses on disadvantaged LGBTI individuals), opted to host an event that was designed for LGBTI individuals and their allies to attend (as while many schools have signed up to the Coalition, it does take a while for things to change). Unfortunately, a group that was attacking the Safe Schools Coalition (fitting named the STOP Safe School Coalition, or SSSC) decided that this event was linked to the Coalition and opted to try and force a shutout. That is, they planned on buying all of the nonrefundable tickets to the event, then ripping them up and effectively denying actual eventgoers a chance to attend. So going along in their merry glory, they snapped up all of the early bird tickets ($10). 

At this point, I should note two things:

1) An ally is anyone who supports LGBTI individuals and makes a point of it. They do not need to necessarily be LGBTI themselves. So yes, you can be 100% straight and still attend this formal. The aim was just to have a nice formal event where you can be outside the norm and not get bullied for it.

2) Minus18 and the Safe Schools Coalition have almost zero links to each other, except for the fact that Minus18 occasionally receives funding from the Coalition (not for this event though). 

What the SSSC missed however, is that the ticketing system this year, is in fact, crowdfunded. Yup, it's 2016 and they completely missed that crowdfunding is still very much a thing. How the plan would actually work is that when you bought a "ticket" online, you were actually sponsoring a ticket for someone else. Those individuals who actually wanted to attend the event had to contact Minus18 directly (either by phone or in person), put their name down on a list and they would receive a ticket on the night. For every $40, it gave a chance for someone to attend the event for free. Their original goal was $15,000 (which would've allowed for around 375 people to attend)

So, as of 23/2/2016, they have now raised just over $45,000. This means that a whopping 1,125 people can attend the event. The early bird tickets that were sold? Nothing but a puddle in the middle of the ocean. In other words, by effectively denying people a $10 ticket, the Coalition have now actually allowed more people to attend.

To my understanding, Minus18 have opted to move to a larger venue and any money raised for the event after the formal will be going towards a similar formal event happening in Adelaide later this year.

Update:  As of the 26/2/2016, they have raised $46,000.

Unfortunately, this has come with a consequence in that the Safe Schools Coalition is now subject to a governmental enquiry. I will cover this issue in another post.

In-Depth Info: Steiner and Waldorf Schools (not a Muppet school)

No, I am not referring to grumpy old puppets that fill the role of the peanut gallery on The Muppets. You may have heard of these occasionally in the media. You may have seen The Simpsons feature one of these schools in a somewhat recent episode. They tend to be associated with the "hippy" culture and are associated with teaching kids anything but English, Maths and Science.

Well, this post should hopefully take some of the myths and facts around the Waldorf system (from here on out, I'll refer to them as Steiner schools/streams to avoid confusion with some schools that have similar names i.e. Walford Anglican School) and take a good look at them. 

First off, what the Steiner system actually is all about:

The Steiner system of education is probably a good example of an "alternative education" method and may also be the one likely people will think of when they hear "alternative school". The system is in theory, meant to be more actively tailored towards child development based on a combination of actual research and the theories of Rudolf Steiner, the creator of the system. As kids grow, there are certain behaviours that they will exhibit and thus, the curriculum for that age group is tailored towards those certain behaviours or allows children to relate to other individuals with those behaviours (An example of this would be the tendency for 11-12 year old kids to want to "conquer" everything, so they will study the Roman empire). Steiner schools and streams aim for a more holistic approach compared to the mainstream (this does not mean that the mainstream system is not holistic) and their methods are more imaginative and play-based. This does not necessarily mean that the child is missing out on things that a child in the mainstream would have, but rather that the child in a Steiner system works towards the same goal in a different way. For example, basic maths functions (addition, subtraction and so on) are taught through stories and they are given a chance to practice it through play. Quite a few schools have adopted some play-based elements, but they are not necessarily Steiner schools or using Steiner teachings. The curriculum is also quite broad and does cover a few things that might be skipped over in the mainstream, however, there are also some things that the mainstream will cover that are skipped over in the Steiner system (usually for good reason).

And when I say holistic, children are not necessarily receiving a religious education per se. Rather, holistic is more about covering the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of the child. 

So why are they called Waldorf Schools? Is there a difference?

No. The name came about because Rudolf Steiner (a philosopher, architect and author among other things) in the mid 1900's developed his own ideas on education, based on observations of children and their development. Between the 1900's and 1920's, he then travelled around lecturing on these ideas in universities, mostly centred around a more holistic approach to education (instead of just focusing on cramming their heads full of knowledge) In the late 1910's, the owner of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company in Stuttgart, Germany approached Steiner and asked him about opening up a school in his factory for the children of his employees, based on Steiner's teachings. Steiner agreed and thus the first Steiner school was founded. This is where the Waldorf school name comes from: after the cigarette company. 

For consistency's sake, I'll be referring to the schools, system and streams with the Steiner name. This is also partially because the governing body in Australia for the Steiner system is known as Steiner Education Australia. Schools running under the Steiner system either in its entirety or simply offering it as a stream alongside the mainstream children tend to use the terms interchangably, but they're all otherwise the same.

What are Steiner's theories on child development?

See here. It should also be noted that Steiner had four main criteria for his schools, some of which I'll cover a little further below. These criteria are:

-The school is open to all children.

-The school must be coeducational 

-The school is a twelve-year school

-The teachers have primary control over what is taught, rather than the state or other funding sources.

Apart from the last two points (not all schools have the funding to run classes up to Year 12 and most, if not all, Steiner schools take on some funding in exchange for certain requirements, but the funding is minimal [25% govt, 75% parents/school] and the requirements relate to NAPLAN, statistical data and following the curriculum set by Steiner Ed. Australia)

What are the main differences between the Steiner and mainstream systems?

There are quite a few huge differences, aside from the play-based nature in the younger years. 

• Perhaps the biggest one is that the children don't actually start formal education until age 7. This is roughly in line with Steiner's theories on child development, some of which seem a little old-fashioned, but are in line with countries such as Finland, who also delay starting school until the age of 7. To cope with schooling law, children from ages 4-7 (they need to have turned 7 before the school year starts) will attend Kindergarten, which is often segregated from the main school for a variety of reasons (this is not uncommon with other schools who have daycares/preschools on site, but Steiner's reasoning on this is to encourage the kindy children to grow at the pace needed, rather than being "corrupted" so to speak by older children). The kindergarten program incorporates circle games, free play, songs, stories and practical activities that still encourage kids to learn, without the formalities behind it. For example, cooking is a common activity in Steiner schools and children will learn about the different grains, fruit, vegetables and so on during this process. This is no different to a preschool or the first few years of primary school.
• Once children do start school at the age of 7, they will then stay with that teacher throughout the entirety of their primary schooling years (this practice is called "looping"). The class will also stay the same where possible. So rather at the end of the year, instead of the children scattering rooms and the teacher staying in the same place, the teacher and students will all move together. Usually composite classes do not exist, but logistics sometimes dictate otherwise and some schools do have composite classrooms (These are typically known as "Class 3/4"). How this works is another matter entirely. Some schools take the looping approach further by setting up entire buildings for each class and at the end of the year, the entire class and teacher simply move to the next building (extra classes not withstanding)
• The other big thing you will notice is that everything where possible is "natural" or organic. There are a few different reasons for this, one of which is encouraging imagination and creativity, but this does not necessarily mean that they are entirely anti-technology or anti-science. Schools are just as likely to have computers for students as they are to have wooden toys. They will use power tools alongside traditional farming tools. They will cook over campfires and also over fully-functional kitchens. Some of the reasons behind the natural/organic approach are also based on the ideal emphasised in children that the world is "beautiful." It is also done in a way that doesn't come across overly preachy, at least to the children. (For example, they may be taught to use chicken/horse poo as a natural fertiliser as it's readily available and decreases waste, rather than being taught that using chemicals is bad). Furthermore, safety is still paramount (so with the chicken/horse poo example, the kids will be wearing gloves). That said though, the classrooms do try and minimise the use of technology where possible (you'll still find an old-fashioned blackboard for instance) and in most cases, children are not introduced to computers until high school (that doesn't necessarily stop them from knowing about this stuff outside of school, but apart from a library search catalogue, most Steiner schools discourage or outright ban students from computer use until high school)
• There is a HUGE emphasis on the Arts across the school and I mean HUGE. Children will cover the entire spectrum of arts and crafts over the years, sometimes as a part of their Main Lesson block (which I will cover in more detail below), but to give you an idea of how this works, all students in Class 1 learn how to play the lyre and pentatonic (Five-note) recorder, Class 2 learn how to play the diatonic recorder (wooden recorder similar to the recorders we've grown up with), Classes 3-7 learn how to play the recorders that we all have grown up with somewhere along the way. but they will extend this to the alto, treble and bass recorders (basically larger/lower-pitched), Class 3 students will also learn the violin, viola or cello, while Class 4 students and beyond are encouraged to pick up other instruments. Older classes will form ensembles and all students participate in regular singing activities. All children will learn how to knit, crochet, weave, do cross stitch, spin wool, wet felt and more and there is no emphasis on it being a "gendered" activity.  
• As the schools tend to be smaller, there is a huge community involvement. The school regularly comes together for various festivals to celebrate the seasons or other events (i.e. Solstices, Equinoxes, Easter, ANZAC Day etc.), parents will help out where possible and are encouraged to participate in their child's education. On the other end of the scale, teachers will conduct home visits for the students before they start school to get to know the families and students. Working bees are regularly offered and school fairs are typically held twice a year.
• The school day is also a little different. For the children actually in school, the day usually begins with a Main Lesson, which I will cover in a minute. Between recess and lunch, practice lessons in English and Maths occur (sometimes supplementing the main lesson), along with foreign languages (in some schools this is two languages, most schools in Australia do one foreign language), art and craft activities and generally more "creative" activities. After lunch, the more active classes are taught such as PE, gardening, woodwork and so on. This is usually a case of "where possible" rather than being strictly adhered to, as logistics sometimes dictate this doesn't happen.
• The classrooms are also VERY different, in that there are no smartboards, no iPads, in fact, no technology where possible. I will cover a bit about this in a minute.
• Finally, aside from the curriculum changes, there are two other units that are unique to Steiner education: Eurhythmy and Bothmer. The former starts from kindergarten, while the latter usually doesn't start until Class 4. 

So what is the Main Lesson?

The Main Lesson is a block at the start of each school day for students in Classes 1-12. This is where the bulk of the more "traditional" subjects take place and the theory behind this is that the children's minds are most active in the morning. The content of the lesson will depend on a combination of the year level and the point of the year. The areas however, are English, Maths, Science, History, Geography and Civics (with some areas, such as Economics falling under the Maths/Science area). These blocks are taught for around 3-4 weeks at a time and will swap around regularly.

In Australia, as all schools are by law required to follow the Australian Curriculum where possible, Steiner schools were required to also set up a national curriculum that is followed by all Steiner schools or Steiner streams. This curriculum was also required to show where the link was between the Australian Curriculum and the Steiner one, with the main exemption being ICT (and even then, the exemption only applies until Class 8, at which point IT skills are taught)

http://www.steinereducation.edu.au/curriculum/steiner-curriculum/

The Main Lesson topics are listed below: 

Class 1: Form drawing (2 main lessons on this), The Alphabet: letters, Letters to Texts, Stories from The Dreaming/Sentences, Ancient World Tales, Local Surroundings x 2, Numbers, Counting and Informal Processes: Grouping, Number Processes x 2. 

Class 2: Celtic Narratives, Fables, Saintly Lives, World Legends, Local Surroundings x 2, Times Tables and Number Patterns, Place Value, Magic Numbers, Layout of Sums, Form Drawing.

Class 3: Literature of Creation and Tradition*, Literature of Authority/Rulership*, Grammar, Reading Program, Farming and Gardening, Building, Mathematics Processes and Strategies, Measurement: Length, Weight and Capacity; Measurement: Time; Measurement: Money; Form Drawing.

*-In schools in Australia, this typically manifests in Old Testament stories as it's an easy way to cover both of these areas. To keep the controversy to a minimum, this is covered from the Hebrew/Jewish perspective, God is referred to as "Yahweh" and so on. The children also participate in certain activities from a Jewish perspective i.e. making matzoh. Alternately, other creation stories may come into play.

Class 4: Myths of Northern Europe; Art Science and History of Writing: Pen and Ink**; The Arts of Language and Literacy; Spirituality of The Dreaming; Local Area Mapping; The Local Region; Human Being and the Animal Kingdom; Number Processes: Factors, Multiples, Long Division and Long Multiplication; Fractions x 2; Freehand Geometry and Form Drawing. 

**-This is typically around the point that children will receive their first pen. Steiner kids will actually write with a fountain pen given to them where possible, although some teachers will allow students in Class 6/7 to swap out for a rollerball pen. Prior to this, the kids will move from block crayons to stick crayons to pencil. 

Class 5: Ancient Cultures: India, Persia, Babylon, Egypt; Ancient Cultures; Greece;*** English Language and Literacy; Indigenous Life/History Geography of the Region and State; Botany; Decimals; Decimals and Fractions; The World of Mathematics; Geometry; Form Drawing. 

***-Both of the Ancient Cultures units will be split up to incorporate a Geography and Science unit. In this case, the Science units look at the history of Science and the Geography is along similar lines. 

Class 6: Ancient Cultures: History of Ancient Rome; Wonder and Wisdom of Words; English Language and Literacy; Australian History; Geology/Gardening and Horticulture****; Astronomy; Physics: Acoustics, Optics and Heat; Physics: Static Electricity and Magnetism; Business Maths: Percentages and Interest; Number and Algebra; Geometry and Measurement; Geography: Australia and Beyond. 

****-This is split into two separate areas, but is counted as a Science unit. Some schools will split the students up for Woodwork as well during this time. 

Classes 7-12: At this stage, I won't include them as the majority of schools across the country are K-6 at best, and the streams offered in some schools are K-6 only. If I do get requests to put in the 7-12 Main Lessons, I will.

What else do the students study?

Depending on the school, the other curriculum areas are covered fairly extensively. They are:

-Performing/Visual Arts: very heavily covered. I've already touched on it above, but students will receive regular lessons in at least Art, Craft and Music, with some schools also taking Drama, Dance and Circus Skills as separate units. Eurhythmy technically falls in here, but I'll cover that separately.
Art is sometimes also covered by the class teacher, as are soft crafts. Some of the areas covered in Art and Craft are very unique to Steiner education or taught uniquely, so I'll briefly list a few below:

Art/Craft: Wet-on-wet painting (diluted paint on wet paper), beeswax modelling, felting (wet), wool spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, cross stitch, doll making/dressing.

Music is also taught very uniquely. All students learn to sing in a choir and to play the recorder up until Class 7. Class 1 students learn how to play the lyre and pentatonic recorder, Class 2 students learn the wooden recorder, Class 3 students learn a stringed instrument while Class 4 students are able to continue on with that instrument or pick up another instrument. Students may be asked to join an ensemble.

-Design/Technology: This includes woodwork, sewing, metalwork, blacksmithing and bookbinding. Gardening also falls under this subject and is a HUGE part of the curriculum. If you think of the Stephanie Alexander program that a large number of schools run, the concept is pretty much the same.

-Outdoor Education: This is covered fairly extensively across the entire curriculum with camps becoming a requirement from around Class 2 or 3 onwards. More specifically, students may study Cycling, Geology, Oceanography, Botany and Zoology. Take note these are specifically separated from biology.

-Bothmer Gymnastics: This is not a unique form of gymnastics. Rather it's more a bunch of activities around spatial awareness and just developing more movement skills. There are a few other more anthroposophical reasons behind it, but I won't get into those here. The most common form I have seen of this consists of activities with staves and involving children passing the staves to one another or jumping around them. Typically this will start around Class 4 and continue on to Class 9. And yes, this takes up a day.

-Eurhythmy: Hoo boy, where do I start with this one? The simplest way I can describe this is "performance art" or "visual music." That is, it's a visual interpretation of a piece of music. Spoken word Eurhythmy is also performed, with every word, letter and rhythm having their own gesture or movement or similar. Typically, this is a compulsory subject, but due to logistics, this may not always be taught. To get a better view of what it is, have a look at this video here.

Do they complete the Year 12 certificate?
Yes and no. Some schools do use the IB as an alternative for Year 12 students (as it requires students to have a well-rounded choice of learning areas), other schools prefer to go along the Steiner Year 12 certificate route. The schools in each state may have an agreement with the university/TAFE admissions centres in each state to recognise students who have completed the Year 12 Steiner certificate and grant them an ATAR score. The schools themselves may also provide the students with the option of if they wish to receive an ATAR score or if they just want credit for the subjects they've completed.

It should be noted that part of the Year 12 certificate for Steiner schools involves the student completing a year-long project in an area of interest. Bizarrely, this generates zero controversy compared to when the SACE (SA Year 12 Certificate) introduced this in Year 12!

Do they take the NAPLAN tests?
They are required to provide NAPLAN tests to students, but you'll find that the number of parents who pull their children out from NAPLAN tests at these schools tends to be much, much higher than other schools. The children that are given the OK to do NAPLAN tests are not singled out from their classmates (except for when they go to do the tests), nor is there any emphasis on them suddenly being taught extra skills for them to do "well" on the tests. You'll also find that those families that are OK with their kiddo sitting NAPLAN tend to recognise the value of NAPLAN as being simply a snapshot of where their kid is against the rest of the state/country, not as a tool in the great pissing contest known as parenting.

So if they are not teaching the Australian Curriculum as such, do they receive funding?
Yes they do. However, it is usually found that as the school is self-governed (compared to say, 92% of private schools that are governed by a religious body, 3-5% that are run by a corporate provider* and the remainder are self-governed), the schools tend to receive less funding from the government than say, an elite private school that is really struggling to get that extra bit of land for when they play games against other schools because the other sports ovals are too "weekly" for the away team.
This funding usually comes with the agreement that the school offers NAPLAN, submits various statistical data to the government and falls in line with the approved curriculum.

*-This is for example, a school that is run by a higher ed institution or company.

I noticed the mention of certain religions in the curriculum, is Steiner education religious at all?
No, it is not. While verses from religious texts are sometimes used as part of the morning ritual/circle, the verses in question always relate to the topic at hand (for example, a unit on light had a passage from Genesis read to the students each morning relating to light) and are not emphasised as gospel. The religious verses are usually also balanced out with verses, stories or songs from secular sources (with the light example mentioned above, another passage came from Martin Luther King Jr.).

Where religion is discussed as part of a Main Lesson topic, while the Steiner curriculum does encourage the main lesson topic be integrated into all areas of learning (hence the "holistic" experience), it is made very clear that the students are learning "about" the religion and are not being taught "the religion." Taking Class 3 for example and the Old Testament stories-while at that stage, the students may write about the stories as though they are fact, they are then taught the actual facts relating to the topic in question as they get older (Class 6 covers the birth of Christianity and students in Grades 6 and up start covering science in more detail). Class 5 does delve into Hinduism, Buddhism and even Islam to a mild degree and Class 6 covers Islam in a little more detail (alongside Christianity).

Despite all of this, the school does not have a chaplain (some use the funding instead for a support worker), does not run scripture sessions (unless mandated by law or they have an exemption), does not rely on religious donations to do anything and students of a particular faith are not discriminated against within the schooling environment (given that some schools encourage vegetarianism, this actually eliminates some of the issues around whether a particular student can eat a particular meat or not).

What about public schools with Steiner streams?
Some (not all) primary schools will offer a Steiner stream for interested students. These are usually run in line with Steiner Education Australia (that is, the school is a member and they are bound by their bylaws). These typically only cover the same age groups as the mainstream primary school, but children are not segregated from one another. How schools manage the "Kindy" part of Steiner education varies, so check with the school first. The rules around technology, classrooms, curriculum and looping are all very much the same, however, there is some degree of relaxation to account for mainstreamed children (that is, there's no flat ban on technology across the entire school and all the students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of school life, not just Steiner-only or mainstream-only) and these schools typically network with full Steiner schools.

Some schools with Steiner streams also allow mainstream students to access the same opportunities as the Steiner students in regards to their music program, but this is not always the case, so check with the school first.

Unlike "full" steiner schools however, these students do wear a uniform and the rules around enrolment among other things still apply.

Is there anything else I need to know about Steiner Education before I enrol my child?

-As I mentioned above, students in Steiner schools (not streams) do not wear a uniform. Rather, they will have a dress code. This dress code tends to be the same among schools and is aimed around practicality and comfort, as well as a few extra rules. The main rules tend to be: sensible hair, minimal to no makeup (not even nail polish), minimal jewellery, shoulders need to be covered (that is, t-shirts minimum), the torso needs to be covered (no midriff tops), skirts and shorts are to be knee length and all items of clothing need to have either no logos, emblems, numbers or letters or logos etc. no bigger than a certain size (usually the child's fist). Black tends to be a colour that schools waver on, with schools either banning it altogether, discouraging it or asking that it be kept to a minimum (eg black pants or a black-striped outfit). There are various reasons behind this and I will not get into those reasons. Shoes are usually required to be closed-in (same as any other school). Hats are usually also another requirement, but as long as they're "sunsafe" they're deemed OK (so no baseball caps, but bucket hats etc. are OK). If you are planning on sending your child to such a school, I would strongly recommend stocking up on basic t-shirts at places like Kmart or Big W. They're usually available for around $5 each and come in many colours.

-While these schools have no issues with students who eat meat, to respect all students, most cooking activities are conducted with vegetarian/vegan diets in mind. You are welcome to pack meat dishes for your child's lunch, but please respect their right to conduct a vegetarian activity. Also note that if a school says "DO NOT PACK NUT PRODUCTS", they mean it! Food allergies will still crop up in Steiner schools.

-Your child will not learn to read right away in school. Please respect this, it does not mean that they will otherwise be "late" readers, "slow", "delayed" or anything else. Education is not a race, nor is it a pissing contest despite what so many people will have you believe. There are many famous people who have attended Steiner schools from the get go and have gone to have successful careers in their field.

-How these schools handle disabilities may seem a little off to you at first, but if your child does have a disability, ask the school which outside groups they liaison with (i.e. Novita, RIDBC, Deaf Can Do and so on) for support. Just be prepared though that teachers may not always pick up on a disability at first, so if you do notice something and the teacher does not, be prepared to get outside help.

-Behaviour problems can and do unfortunately occur within a Steiner school. Some schools are great with handling this, others aren't. Just keep this in mind and try not to assume that because it's an "alternative" school, that the kids will necessarily be better behaved. (That said, they do address major issues that occur directly within the school with some degree of grace and respect for both sides, rather than automatically writing off the student who has done wrong.)

-I've already mentioned this, but you will be asked to take a more active role within the school community. Please keep this in mind.

-

Board Of The News: John Marsden's At it Again!

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/authors-new-arts-school-offers-later-start-times-to-reflect-teenagers-sleep-patterns-20160125-gmdlwk.html

I was actually a little confused when I read this piece at first and thought they were talking about Candlebark. Nope, he's actually opening a new school! Wow...

For a bit of context, John Marsden is an Australian author. A very well known Australian author. He is also the founder and principal of a school in Victoria known as Candlebark School. Formerly it was a P-10 school, it is now a P-7 school. The school itself is pretty much what I'd call a "common sense school." In other words, kids still undertake the standard lessons, but students actually get to do things that students in other schools (private and public) don't get to do either because of fear of litigation, governmental policy or some other random rule i.e. religious or cultural beliefs. It's also the only school I've come across that actually has a "Parent Code of Conduct" clearly outlined. A better idea of how Candlebark differs from other schools can be found here. The article I posted up top also points out the fact that the students spend 20 minutes in the afternoon cleaning up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially given that most classrooms these days encourage (if not require) students to clean up a little bit at the end of the day, but this takes it further by not hiring cleaning staff and winds up being very similar to Japan.

As a result of his school, he's now opened up a new high school, called the Alice Miller School. The methodology is very similar to Candlebark and is also open from Year 7 onwards, giving the students the option of whether they want to stay at Candlebark or move on in Year 7 (Victoria has the primary/secondary split between Years 6 and 7). The students in Years 9 and 10 (and in some cases Year 8) will be encouraged to take on a VCE subject and why shouldn't they be discouraged? If they're smart enough to take those classes on, they should do so! The teachers will be recruited as having life experience or something very fascinating or interesting. This isn't necessarily a reflection of age either-for example, one of the teachers has a PhD, while another teacher spent her childhood years living in Africa, Europe and Australia.

Both schools will be run under the very same methods-all the students will participate in the school life as much as the staff (instead of this ideal that the students are the "future princes or princesses" that some schools seem to run by), children will be given the chance to experience things that other schools don't necessarily do (see my point above-a solid example of this would be using chainsaws and building/starting campfires). The students are still supervised and are shown how to do things safely, but they're allowed to do them!

Most importantly, the fees are actually fairly solid and are very inclusive. That is, the only "extra" costs from the parents are for individual music lessons and optional fencing tutoring. The cost is around 11k-13k per year and that also covers camps, stationery, textbooks, excursions, bus fare you name it (and they pride themselves on undertaking regular camps). This is in comparison to most private schools where the extra costs include uniforms, textbooks, stationery, camps, excursions and other "special" events which can easily turn a $8-$9000 fee up to $12,000.

It'll be interesting to see how this school works out long-term and I hope to see him opening schools interstate soon! Hell, I'd work there! ^_^

Board Of The News: Private Schools and children with disabilities

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/disabled-children-shut-out-of-private-schools-20160120-gma5f9.html

I could label this "Private schools openly discriminate and proudly flout the law," but I know that not all schools are like this and it really wouldn't be fair on those that do follow the rules.

The article looks at a number of complaints lodged with advocacy groups and in some cases, the Equal Opportunity Board for each state or the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). There are reports of wealthy private schools refusing to take a child because "They have their quota of autistic children", they "can't afford them" (but can afford a new pool and gymnasium?), demanding NAPLAN results to screen out children with learning disabilities (I've already spoken about why NAPLAN should not be used for this purpose) or in some cases, parents being asked to pay extra to fund a teacher's aide.

This, quite frankly, does not surprise me. I do recall my uni lecturers (many of whom do actually work in both the public and private sector as teachers, principals, consultants or members of governing bodies such as the Association of Independent Schools) describing this phenomenon and unfortunately, it does also extend to some public schools. Even though public schools by law cannot refuse entry to students, it does not exempt them from otherwise discriminating against students with disabilities.

Legally, both state and federal law prohibit schools from discriminating against students with disabilities. Why on earth do they need to include state law? a) to cover those areas where federal law does not apply (i.e. a pub), b) to solve matters before they need to turn federal and c) to cover those cases where federal law would not necessarily apply (i.e. carer responsibilities sometimes fall under "Disability").

It's not always bad for the school however, with HREOC providing a report that shows cases where the comissioner has found the education sector to be acting lawfully, those cases including children being disciplined for their behaviour within reason*, lack of special programs for individuals with a disability to gain entry into courses or programs for disabled students period and parents or students not reading the manual before enrolling (that is, they enrolled in their child in a school designed for their disability, but the school did not cater for said disability in the way that they wanted).

*-the general rule of thumb is that provided the school is consistent with their discipline policy, they will otherwise work within reason for that child (i.e. after he's warned about misbehaving, he might be asked to spend some time helping the principal instead of going straight to timeout, but if he misbehaves again, he goes to timeout) and the behaviour is not consistent with the disability (i.e. child with spina bifida cyberbullying another child, spina bifida does not cause children to not know that bullying is wrong), the school is usually regarded as having acted "lawfully."

On the other side, there are also cases where the school will eventually work with the parent after conciliation, with HREOC providing several cases of this here.  These cases tend to vary along the entire spectrum of needs including complaints of access, not catering for needs, leaving a child out of an activity due to their disability and failure to provide "reasonable" adjustments. What counts as reasonable is usually decided through conciliation, or failing that, the commissioner.

Taking these points in mind, I know there will be some people who will claim "But my child attends this wealthy private school and they DO take on children with disabilities!" Here's a little test for you: find out how much of a fight the parents had to put up to get the child into the school. Ask how much support that child genuinely gets during the day. If those children are granted the exact same opportunities as mainstream students (i.e. attending excursions, camps and being allowed to represent the school in areas beyond "disability") and most importantly, if those children are encouraged to participate in the NAPLAN and (if they're in high school) if they're allowed to graduate Year 12 from the school (every state has a modified Year 12 certificate for individuals with disabilities). Just because your wealthy private school takes a child with a disability on, doesn't necessarily mean that they're receiving the best possible education they can receive. The responses will depend on whether or not the school is more focused on image than on actually learning.

So, what can we (or you) do to ensure that children with disabilities receive the best possible education out there?

• If a private school demands a child's NAPLAN results and does not have other criteria for entry (such as an audition), question why they require the results. Most states have a rule forbidding entrance exams of any shape or form for this reason. NAPLAN in this instance could be argued as an "entrance exam." The same rule also applies for any medical records (barring immunisation-that is legal under public health law). 
• Be prepared to fight if needed and document everything. Every day you visited the school, what was said during the meeting (if you can tape it even better, however some states have laws against this so check those laws first), any phone conversations, emails, you name it. The more information you have, the better prepared you are for conciliation if it comes to that. 
• If the school makes any claims around financial hardship, ask for proof of these and be prepared to negotiate in a way that doesn't affect you negatively. Depending on the disability, contacting other organisations (i.e. SPELD for dyslexia) may be needed and it may be helpful for the school to know where to go.
• If the disability is an "invisible" one (i.e. dyslexia), come armed with knowledge of support services. 
• And above all else, remember that you do NOT need to settle for second best because your child has a disability.