Beyond the classroom, health and other professionals use a child's academic report card as additional, valuable information when assessing a child or adolescent presenting symptoms. A teacher's observations and insights can add to the diagnostic process. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I frequently rely on the report card to assist in making a diagnosis of ADHD or autistic spectrum disorder.
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Ending the 'School Lesson Lottery' 

Teachers are left to scour the internet and social media to find lesson content, exposing Australia's school students to a damaging 'lesson lottery' because governments have dramatically underestimated how much support teachers need in creating lessons.
   A Grattan Institute survey of 2243 teachers and school leaders across Australia, found that only 15 per cent of teachers have access to a common bank of high-quality curriculum materials for all their classes and teachers in disadvantaged schools are worse off. Read more

It is not a secret that professional learning is often the mechanism used to build excellence in educator practice. Ensuring that the professional learning actually translates into improved student outcomes is easier said than done. Often whole school or individual professional learning plans are vague. Clarity begins with educators intentionally co-designing professional learning plans with consideration to these 5 key components of building clarity. Read more

Girls learn from an early age what activities are 'acceptable' for them, and by participating in risky or more adventurous activities, they destabilise that unwritten status quo.
   The new girls-only, adventure-packed itinerary at Scouts NSW's Cataract Activity Centre is helping break these barriers by showing girls and young women in Years 4-12 what they are capable of by challenging them with fun outdoors exploits.
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In any one classroom the mathematics skills gap among primary students can range from one year to five years or more, depending on the year of school, and as children progress through primary school the gap continues to widen.
   That means there are significant challenges for primary school teachers as they look to deliver the best teaching for all students no matter their levels of ability.
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Education is changing and evolving as our society grows. A recent enquiry recognised that community and systematic expectations are consistently impacting on teacher workload. The increasing working hours of teachers and school leaders was identified in a recent Sydney University study. School leaders work 62 hours per week, while classroom teachers reported working 55 hours per week. A pay rise alone will not ease the increasing work of educators. Read more