Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says a digital detox for schools will be discussed at a meeting with state education ministers, expected early next month. The push follows efforts overseas to cut screen time in classrooms. Sweden has moved strongly away from digital devices since 2023, but its recent PISA results still declined. An OECD report found moderate device use for learning was linked to stronger science performance, while excessive use was linked to weaker outcomes. Experts say China and Estonia, both strong PISA performers, take different approaches to technology in schools.
The Australian Education Union Tasmanian Branch has called on politicians and their representatives to avoid Tasmanian public schools for the rest of Term 4. The union has set a condition: the stay-away request lasts unless Premier Jeremy Rockliff apologises.
Year 5 students from 19 Catholic, independent and public schools met at Bundoora Park Farm on Tuesday 20 October for the ninth annual Darebin Schools NAIDOC Yarning Conference. Local Elders and First Peoples led activities including Caring for Country, dance, weaving, music and Traditional Games. Students wrote poetry on truth-telling, which was combined into one spoken word piece. Travis Lovett presented each school with a Wurundjeri message stick and urged students to build safer, kinder schools. Gellung Warl representatives celebrated Victoria's Treaty with First Peoples.
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Labor has pledged $18.59m for an applied learning and tech centre at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, if it wins power. It has also promised $7.9m to upgrade Maiden Gully Primary School and $3.95m for a larger fire station for Mandurang CFA. The Nationals have committed $4.3m towards a total $7.3m redevelopment of Ken Wust Oval in Quarry Hill. They have also pledged $2m for the California Gully Recreation Reserve and $2m for a splash park at the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. The Victorian election is on Saturday 28 November.
Several Wyndham schools will receive extra classrooms to meet growing demand. Werribee MP John Lister announced on 20 October that Laa Yulta Primary School, Lollypop Creek Primary School, Ngarri Primary School and Riverbend Primary School will receive some of the 204 modular classrooms the government has promised across Victoria. Mr Lister, a former teacher, said the spaces help schools grow with their communities. The buildings will open early next year and create capacity for an extra 5031 students across the state.
Registrations are open for Brimbank's School Battery Blitz, a competition where classes collect household batteries for recycling during National Recycling Week, from 9 to 15 November. Classes register online, and students bring batteries to school in sealed bags for placement in buckets supplied by the council's recycling partner. The buckets are collected at the end of the week and weighed, with prizes for the classes that collect the most. Grades three to six receive a recycling truck visit, and years 7 to 12 receive a pizza lunch. Registrations close on 2 November.
Primary students from Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Manor Lakes and Werribee have placed first, second and third in Greater Western Water's National Water Week poster competition. Over 2320 students from early learning to year 8 entered, using painting, drawing and digital media to show water saving tips and the need to protect the resource. First prize winners in each age group moved on to state awards, with individual prizes valued at up to $100. Cambridge Primary School in Hoppers Crossing received this year's $500 school prize, sponsored by Southern Rural Water for a sustainable project.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to resist the feeling that artificial intelligence is inevitable and to take back control. Speaking with activist Ilana Glazer at Webster Hall in Manhattan, he said the rapid rollout of the technology is not inevitable and that public officials should hold AI companies accountable. Last month he ordered a ban on AI use in elementary and middle schools, and over the summer he proposed requiring landlords and real estate platforms to disclose AI-made listing photos or videos.
A record 90 schools have planted almost 4000 trees through the Trees for Schools program, including Daraweit Guim Primary School. Greater Western Water aims to increase tree cover, reduce stormwater run-off to waterways, improve green spaces and teach students about the benefits of trees. Greater Western Water strategy and partnerships general manager Kessia Thomson said trees release water vapour that becomes rainfall and their roots help strengthen soil. The program began in 2021 with 22 schools.
WA Premier Roger Cook says he is proud of how Western Australia has come together for Telethon 2026. Speaking at RAC Arena during the Telethon Family Festival, he said the event offers a welcome break from difficult times. Cook said children's efforts, including coin and pocket money donations, matter as much as large gifts. More than 75 schools across the state took part in The Premier's Challenge. Mindari Primary School was the most successful, raising $32,000, partly through selling 1.5 tonnes of cookie dough.
Industry groups are targeting young people to improve the public image of data centres, which face growing local opposition. The nonprofit 7x24 Exchange International promotes a children's story, themed activities and an International Data Center Day. Companies including Sabey and Amazon have hosted student field trips. Researcher Alex Molnar says industries with image problems have long used schools to promote their message, and he questions whether children can assess such messaging. Surveyed Americans increasingly view data centres negatively.
Western Australian schools have presented fundraising totals during this year's Telethon. North Woodvale Primary School raised $20,521 through a 12-hour discothon. Mindarie Primary School raised $32,202 and slimed its principal live on air after reaching its $30,000 goal. Regional schools, including Yakamia Primary School and Denmark Primary School, also raised funds and travelled to Perth to announce their totals. Several schools raised money in honour of their Little Telethon Stars classmates.
Ninety schools across Melbourne's west have planted 3911 native trees through Greater Western Water's Trees for Schools program. The initiative aims to increase tree cover, reduce stormwater run-off to local waterways and teach students about environmental benefits. Schools received native trees, stakes, guards and expert planting advice. Since launching in 2021, the program has grown from 22 schools to 90. It is delivered with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action through the More Trees for a Cooler Greener West initiative.
Schools and teachers across Australia have been warned to use AI sparingly in classrooms, or risk harming students' lifelong learning. The Australian Education Research Organisation, a government-owned body, released the advice today. Its chief executive, Jenny Donovan, said AI could disrupt learning and hide students' reliance on it as a crutch. She said AI should be avoided entirely in the first three years of primary school. Education Minister Jason Clare linked heavy screen time to recent weak results in global PISA testing.
Sydney parents are paying up to $1.3 million more for homes in prestigious public school catchment areas. Research from property valuation firm Opteon shows homes in these areas sell at a 10 per cent premium. Anna Porter, a property valuer, says families are effectively buying access to these schools as part of the property package. The trend is also seen in Melbourne and Brisbane, with significant premiums for homes near high-performing schools.
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The ACT Government disputes claims that budget adjustments will disadvantage lower-income schools, asserting that reported figures were incomplete. Leaked data suggested schools like Kingsford Smith and Theodore Primary could face cuts, while wealthier schools might receive increases. Parents and principals have raised concerns about the funding process and its impact on students. The government maintains that final 2027 budgets are still under review and will prioritise equity and sustainability. ACT Parents executive officer Veronica Elliott has called for greater transparency and a more gradual approach to funding changes.
A Parisian mayor received treatment after trying to shield students from riot police during violent nationwide protests over school conditions. Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, was seen receiving eye drops while standing between police and masked students. Protests began in marginalised suburbs over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and unequal opportunities, spreading across France with over 6,000 arrests and hundreds injured.
The Western Australian government has released tenders for nearly $50 million in upgrades at two public schools. Belridge Secondary College in Beldon will receive $17.9 million for a new sports hall, classrooms, and facilities, while Karrinyup Primary School will get $27.4 million for a double-storey teaching block and refurbishments. Education Minister Sabine Winton and local MPs highlighted the benefits for students and the community. The contracts are expected to be awarded in December, with completion anticipated by mid-2028. This investment is part of a broader plan to expand educational infrastructure across WA.
