The number of children enrolled in specialist disability education settings in NSW has surged nearly 50 per cent since 2020 for those with complex, overlapping needs.
  NSW Department of Education data show enrolments in the multicategorical category - which includes children with complex needs such as autism - grew from 6,584 to 9,833 between 2020 and 2024. The findings come as more families leave mainstream education altogether. Read more

Schools relying on one-off wellbeing surveys may be overlooking students who need mental health support.
   Tracking students’ moods over several weeks, provides a more accurate picture than a single snapshot in time.
   A study followed more than 750 secondary students in Australia and the United Kingdom and found that most schools use a one-off survey, which captures how a student feels on that day. Read more

I recently met with Meg*, a VE student with suspected Dyscalculia. Schooling has been difficult for her, and five years post secondary she enrolled in a pathway program with the end goal of a career in medicine. Meg was a determined and impressive individual, persisting through setbacks and challenges to follow her dream.
   Meg has done what many neurodivergent adults learn to do over time - develop her own ways of coping. Read more

There is growing recognition that many young people reach crisis point without having the tools to manage distress earlier on.
   This is why there is increasing emphasis, reflected in government initiatives, on early, school-based prevention.
   Programs that build coping skills, emotional literacy, and help-seeking behaviours can play a critical role in reducing risk over time. A preventative, skills-based approach appears more effective.  Read more

A new report from the Australian Public Policy Institute (APPI), Addressing teacher supply through key worker housing, warns that rising housing costs are undermining the state’s ability to attract and retain teachers, placing the quality and equity of public education at risk.
  Led by Professor Scott Eacott from UNSW Sydney, the report argues that teacher housing must be recognised as essential public infrastructure. Read more