A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Whole school cultures will need to change, and sometimes, radically so. Photo: ALAMY The mental health epidemic among the young represents one of the greatest challenges facing our schools. According to the leading charity, Young Minds, between 2001 and 2011 inpatient admissions for young people who self-harm increased by 68 per cent, while in another survey [...]
Students were caught doing what many say is happening everywhere. Photo: Glen Mccurtayne When students were caught participating in an illicit photo ring that was operating out of Cañon City High School in Colorado, parents and school officials there were quick to say that kind of thing was surely happening everywhere. They're not exactly wrong. The [...]
I’m regularly asked about my views and concerns of school formal after-parties, particularly those where every aspect of the after-party is outsourced to a private company. I want to share with you an emerging concern for some of these parties that is particularly of interest to schools, parents and teachers. In some cases, a private company contracts a photographer and videographer as part of the after-party package. The video footage and photos are then uploaded on the company’s social [...]
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that are associated with significant physical complications. Eating disorders not only involve considerable psychological impairment and distress, but they are also associated with major wide-ranging and serious medical complications, which can affect every major organ in the body. Eating disorders occur in both men and women, young and old, [...]
Police are being called to Victorian schools three times a week to investigate sex offences that are often perpetrated by children. The revelation comes amid reports of a surge in the number children sexually abusing other children in the wider community that has been linked by treatment services to family violence and pornography. New data [...]
Schools are unique and vital communities within suburbs, towns, and cities across Australia. Like all communities, relationships in schools are woven together with complex connections at a range of levels – between students, students and teachers, teachers and executive staff, teachers and families. Death touches all communities and schools are not immune. It is estimated [...]
Conflict is a part of everyday life in schools. According to research teachers report that conflict behaviour is increasing and a threat to effective learning. When children learn constructive conflict resolution skills, conflict can become an opportunity to learn more about themselves, others and create harmonious schools. Just as children come to school with a [...]
Children who are taught about preventing sexual abuse at school are more likely than others to tell an adult if they had, or were actually experiencing sexual abuse. This is according to the results of a new Cochrane review published in the Cochrane Library today. However, the review's authors say that more research is needed to establish [...]
Amid debates about budget cuts and the rising costs of schools and degrees, there is one debate receiving alarmingly little attention in Australia. We’re facing a slow decline in most educational standards, and few are aware just how bad the situation is getting. These are just six of the ways that Australia’s education system is [...]
Last week I came across an interesting article on The Conversation. It was entitled, Wellbeing programmes in schools might be doing children more harm than good by Professor Kathryn Ecclestone from Sheffield University. It’s a counterintuitive statement isn’t it? How could wellbeing programmes do our students harm? Certainly in Australia we’re seeing an increase in [...]
