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EXCLUSIVE

Era of uncertainty has put focus for kids’ education back on basics

Nova 96.9 co-hosts and devoted dads Fitzy and Wippa are backing the PM’s Spelling Bee as exclusive research reveals majority of parents worry kids’ literacy is suffering.

Battle-weary mums and dads skidding into term 3 convinced it’s time for operation damage control can take some comfort in knowing that they’re not alone.

Even Nova 96.9’s famously laconic radio personality Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, father to Hewie, 16, and Lenny, 12, feels major social transformations like social media, AI and geopolitical tensions have disproportionately pulled focus.

“We’ve got a couple of wars … it is quite confusing at the moment,” Fitzy said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty out there.”

But have these global forces distracted all the adults in the room from adequately monitoring Australian children’s literacy development? That’s a question worrying the majority of parents.

Exclusive new research reveals 64 per cent of Australian school parents (K-12) fear kids’ education is at risk of becoming collateral damage as societal stresses mount.

Fitzy & Wippa, pictured in the 96.9 studio at Nova Radio in Sydney, joined the launch of the PM’s Spelling Bee. Picture: Justin Lloyd.
Fitzy & Wippa, pictured in the 96.9 studio at Nova Radio in Sydney, joined the launch of the PM’s Spelling Bee. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Two in three parent respondents “worry the education of this generation is being overlooked and damaged in the face of growing societal change and the pressures on families”. That concern peaks for children in junior primary, with 72 per cent of surveyed parents in agreement.

The survey of 1307 Australians – conducted exclusively for Kids News as part of the June 2025 Lighthouse Consumer Tracker, by News Corp Australia’s Growth Intelligence Centre (GIC) – comes as the free classroom news site’s flagship literacy initiative, the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee, opens for its fifth year on Monday.

After the competition’s record 70,557 student registrations last year, leading social demographer Mark McCrindle said the PM’s Spelling Bee’s surging popularity nationwide was part of a “corrective” movement “back to the real world”.

“We do need to master English for our future and parents are pretty clear on that,” Mr McCrindle said. “Can our children write? Can they construct sentences? That (GIC) survey picked that up … literacy and numeracy really are front of mind for parents, through that practical lens of what it means for their (children’s) future.”

Recent McCrindle research has itself found that while parents support wellbeing as a focus in schools, they also want to know that students are equipped “with foundation learning blocks and therefore with the ability to thrive”.

Leading Australian demographer Mark McCrindle.
Leading Australian demographer Mark McCrindle.

“That’s why we’re starting to see an intense focus back on the basics,” Mr McCrindle said. “There’s a need for priority and a recognition that maybe we’ve eased off a bit too much on the foundation responsibility of schools, and that’s to deliver on numeracy and literacy.”

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) CEO Stephen Gniel agreed that “early intervention is the key to improving educational outcomes”.

As the nation’s main measure of kids’ essential literacy skills and knowledge, Mr Gniel said the results of ACARA’s NAPLAN assessments were an important tool for teachers and parents “to identify if a student is at risk of falling behind”.

Registrations and the school round for the fifth annual Prime Minister's Spelling Bee open at 9am AEST on Monday 21 July.
Registrations and the school round for the fifth annual Prime Minister's Spelling Bee open at 9am AEST on Monday 21 July.

Now established on the annual calendar for educators teaching across years 3-8, the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is an additional tool, delivered in schools as a free, fun challenge that kids simply enjoy.

“Literacy is one of the foundational skills that underpins learning and life, so it is fantastic that the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is highlighting this important issue,” Mr Gniel said.

News Corp Australia community ambassador Penny Fowler said the fifth year of competition was cause for celebration.

“The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee has fantastic momentum, growing in popularity every year and bringing to the fore the critical role literacy plays in educating young Australians and positively impacting their path to adulthood,” Ms Fowler said.

“Amid concerns about children’s social media exposure, it’s inspiring to see so many embrace the written word to unlock a lifetime of learning, reflecting Kids News’ belief that education is an investment in future generations.”

News Corp Australia community ambassador Penny Fowler said the fifth year of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee was cause for celebration. Picture: David Caird
News Corp Australia community ambassador Penny Fowler said the fifth year of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee was cause for celebration. Picture: David Caird

Fitzy’s Nova co-host and devoted father of three Michael “Wippa” Wipfli said the PM’s Spelling Bee “rewards concentration, curiosity and persistence”.

“Every child deserves the chance to shine through effort, not algorithms,” Wippa said. “A good old-fashioned spelling bee offers more than just a chance to memorise words – it helps kids to slow down and build confidence at a time when many are overwhelmed.”

Michael “Wippa” Wipfli pictured at home with his family, from left Francesca, Wippa, Jack, Lisa and Ted. Wippa is a strong advocate of raising the minimum age for social media use and is an active supporter of the 36 Months campaign. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
Michael “Wippa” Wipfli pictured at home with his family, from left Francesca, Wippa, Jack, Lisa and Ted. Wippa is a strong advocate of raising the minimum age for social media use and is an active supporter of the 36 Months campaign. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

A big believer in cultivating resilience in kids, Fitzy said the Bee was “an unbelievable confidence-building” initiative.

“We need to start learning and adapting, combining the latest technology with those basic skills of literacy, English, grammar that we grew up with,” he said, likening his own sons’ development to “getting into the gym”:“You’re not going to see results straightaway, but when you do start seeing results, it’s really fulfilling.”

Catch Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie from 6am at Nova 96.9 in Sydney and nationally on Nova Player.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the milestone birthday of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee with the help of Rockdale Public School. These students were finalists in the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee and principal Amy Ha said the school was entering the national spelling challenge for the first time in 2025. Picture: Jonathan Ng
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the milestone birthday of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee with the help of Rockdale Public School. These students were finalists in the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee and principal Amy Ha said the school was entering the national spelling challenge for the first time in 2025. Picture: Jonathan Ng

ABOUT THE BEE

● The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8.

● Students compete at their school in three levels: Green level for Years 3-4, Orange level for Years 5-6 and Red level for Years 7-8.

● They get 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer. The students with the most correct words in the fastest time progress to finals.

● Teachers can register their students from July 21 when the school round begins.

● The school round ends on August 22. State and territory finals will be held September 1-5 and the national finals on September 10-11.

● The national champion in each age group wins a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school.

Details: kidsnews.com.au, spelling-bee.com.au

The PM’s Spelling Bee is the flagship literacy initiative of free classroom news site kidsnews.com.au
The PM’s Spelling Bee is the flagship literacy initiative of free classroom news site kidsnews.com.au

FROM ‘FUTURE STRESS TO CAN-DO KIDS

Parents are worried children will pay the price for today’s pressures and uncertainties – and kids are feeling it too. Research by online mental health service ReachOut found nearly half of 16-18 year olds (43 per cent) said “future stress” was one of the issues concerning them most.

ReachOut clinical governance lead Linda Williams. Picture: supplied
ReachOut clinical governance lead Linda Williams. Picture: supplied

ReachOut clinical governance lead Linda Williams said young Australians’ worries included climate anxiety, world news and future jobs. While solid foundation literacy skills like spelling will always help young Aussies prosper, Ms Williams said ReachOut had some building blocks for parents to help

children unburden themselves and embrace the future as can-do kids:

Maintain open communication

“Regular check-ins about how they’re going can be really helpful to understand what challenges they are dealing with, how these might change over time and how (difficulties) are impacting (them). Approaching conversations … with curiosity can help.”

Try not to minimise or dismiss their feelings

“Trying to understand where they are coming from, what’s causing them stress and how it’s impacting them is a really important first step, which can come from conversations but also from observing their mood and any changes.”

Identify options

“Once you understand more it can become more clear what kind of support and coping strategies could be helpful. That could include things like mental health support, scheduling in times for hobbies they love and screen breaks.”

Practice self-care

“Parents are sometimes dealing with similar challenges themselves in real time too. (Having) the energy to support your young person when they need you is also vital,” Ms Williams said.

ReachOut supports Australian parents and kids at au.reachout.com

Originally published as Era of uncertainty has put focus for kids’ education back on basics

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/era-of-uncertainty-has-put-focus-for-kids-education-back-on-basics/news-story/1e23c566fcc02ba7472b003fe012e5e9