Education
These types of schools are becoming harder to find in the HSC rankings
The same 19 selective schools have placed in Herald’s HSC top 100 for the past 20 years. Other public schools have become scarce.
- by Mary Ward
Latest
They topped the HSC decades ago. Where are they now?
As HSC students prepare to receive their results this week, we tracked down high achievers of decades gone by – from the Opera House all the way to NASA.
- by Cindy Yin
This island was once a mental asylum. Now, a top Sydney school uses it to improve HSC scores
It’s the secret camp that propelled North Sydney Boys to the top of the HSC rankings last year. This is how its incoming year 12 spent their weekend.
- by Christopher Harris
Meet the HSC student who built an AI model to detect breast cancer
In the middle of her HSC, Michaela Loukas was able to identify malignant tissue with 98 per cent accuracy.
- by Emily Kowal
How the top VCE performers found the formula for success
What students learnt about their strengths and weaknesses as they strived for top marks.
- by Jackson Graham, Nicole Precel and Craig Butt
Private school fees and luxury cars driving surge in bankruptcies
Private schools chasing fees have driven 128 bankruptcy actions since 2021, of which 45 were last financial year.
- by Shane Wright
Exclusive
Inside the new HSC drama and music syllabus
In a major backflip, NESA has scrapped most of its controversial changes to music and drama, including removing group drama performances and extending the drama and Music 1 theory examination.
- by Emily Kowal
As David Gonski leaves the education system, he has one wish for our universities
The outgoing Chancellor of the University of NSW says critical thinkers are needed more than ever.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Scots principal takes swipe at parents after human tunnel incident
The alleged incident occurred off school grounds on Saturday afternoon after numerous students gathered nearby Woollahra Golf Course in Rose Bay.
- by Christopher Harris
When Emily walked into maths class at uni, there were only three women. Then something changed
Before 2020, female enrolments in advanced mathematics at the University of Sydney were in decline. But an intervention transformed everything.
- by Emily Kowal
Editorial
Vicious hazing attack has no place in any school
The principal of The Scots College was slow to react to a brutal initiation ceremony by his students.
- The Herald's View
‘Scots boys are on fire’: Complaints of unsupervised drinking site as police investigate alleged assault
The Scots College principal has vowed “consequences will follow” after a 17-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted as part of an off-campus event on Saturday afternoon.
- by Christopher Harris
Police called after alleged assault at Scots College human tunnel ‘tradition’
Police say a 17-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted as part of the human tunnel event on Saturday afternoon.
In 37 years of HSC marking, Lindy always sees students make this mistake
Castle Hill High School’s English head is one of the longest standing markers: one of just 30 to have marked students across four decades.
- by Siena Fagan
‘Clear boundaries’: The private school rule changes in wake of social media ban
Cranbrook will ban smartphones for certain grades, while other schools are removing YouTube in response to the social media ban.
- by Christopher Harris
‘We shouldn’t mimic mediocrity’: Outgoing SCEGGS head defends single-sex schools
Departing SCEGGS Darlinghurst principal Jenny Allum has warned teens worry about themselves too much in a culture that pathologises normal emotions.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
Yes, cutting uni staff and courses is painful – but we must to keep running
Without tough action, we cannot secure the future of UTS.
- by Andrew Parfitt
‘Everyone knows the hierarchy’: The selective school that attracts the most top-performing students
James Ruse was outperformed by two girls’ schools on a single metric, Year 7 NAPLAN results for the state’s selective schools reveal.
- by Christopher Harris
How to read your school’s NAPLAN results
More than a million students took the test, but results take more than raw marks into account. Here’s a guide to reading them.
- by Jackson Graham
These schools topped HSC maths and English. Here’s how they perform in NAPLAN
NAPLAN results released on Wednesday reveal that while some top-performing HSC schools show strong year 9 results, others show significant growth before the final years of high school.
- by Christopher Harris
Offshore and out of touch? The curly questions confronting Australian universities overseas
The University of Wollongong’s decision to become the first foreign university in Saudi Arabia has raised eyebrows across the sector.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Editorial
Decline of school sport a poor result for students, teachers
The seven-odd hours a day children and teenagers spend at school is becoming more sedentary, despite Australian research showing the benefit of “brain break” exercise.
- The Herald's View
The change to the school day that helped Emmanuel and his peers focus in class
Two studies of physical activity breaks in NSW schools have now demonstrated their benefit for behaviour and focus.
- by Emily Kowal
Flashy cars, hand-me-down outfits: Sydney teenagers head to formal, their way
Perhaps the greatest trend at this year’s year 12 formals is that there isn’t one, with each student group celebrating their freedom in their own way.
- by Siena Fagan
Exclusive
People started screaming. Someone started filming. A boy vomited
Teens close to the brutal stabbing have recounted the moments leading up to a 17-year-old’s death in Sydney’s north-west this week.
- by Amber Schultz
A decade after Katrina Dawson’s death, Adele hopes to ‘do justice’ to her name
Adele Burke has been named the inaugural Katrina Dawson John Monash Scholar, receiving a $100,000 grant to study at Oxford.
- by Siena Fagan
‘Difficult choices’: UTS in chaos after backflip on degree cuts
The cash-strapped university will continue to offer teaching and international studies degrees after announcing plans to slash them earlier this year.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Exclusive
Principal who shredded notes about child sex allegations promoted by Catholic Church
The woman destroyed written claims against a staff member who was later convicted of child rape, saying the victims were known for “starting drama”.
- by Amber Schultz
Instructor allegedly sexually assaulted three 11-year-old girls at school camp
Hundreds of public and private schoolchildren attend the Christian camp in Sydney each year. Samuel John Kelly, 18, has been charged with more than a dozen offences.
- by Riley Walter and Emily Kowal
Opinion
Inside the Sydney school where the teachers change classrooms, not the students
It was Sydney’s first public high-rise school. With others built and more to come, we find out what it’s really like.
- by Evelyn Tran
Inside the shed where HSC marks are being decided
Hard at work marking HSC papers in a shed at Sydney Olympic Park, teachers reveal what is being rewarded – and what is not.
- by Christopher Harris
Azka was told not to write about her mum’s death for her HSC. So she wrote a book instead
Azka Ishfaq lost her mother on the cusp of beginning year 12. Her teacher says she has now written some of the most beautiful words you will ever read.
- by Emily Kowal
‘Cut admissions in 2026’: The new rules shaking up university entry
The government says university places will grow in coming years, but analysts say that’s unlikely due to major changes in funding.
- by Christopher Harris
Why high school is coming early for these northern beaches students
To tackle the anxiety at the end of primary school, Harbord Public has radically reformatted term four in an experiment the Department of Education is keen to replicate.
- by Emily Kowal
One billionaire’s plan to build a women-only residential college at major Sydney university
Venture capitalist Solina Chau’s donation will house science, technology, engineering and maths students on campus.
- by Christopher Harris
Inside the Sydney academy that trains kids to have a super memory
Children are attending mind academies in Sydney to gain a “secret superpower”. But some become so focused on the method that they forget the point of having it.
- by Emily Kowal
This top Sydney uni has a $500 million surplus. Now there’s talk of job cuts
The report had a disquieting note for staff that said it was “possible we will find adjustments to our staffing levels will be required”.
- by Christopher Harris
‘He’s been sacked!’: How Gough Whitlam’s downfall caused chaos in an HSC class
A legendary northern beaches teacher couldn’t contain his shock.
- by Michael Dodd
‘I didn’t feel that pressure’: Students sceptical about the International Baccalaureate’s new format
An alternative to the HSC, the International Baccalaureate is moving online and students are divided.
- by Emily Kowal
TikTok generation meets Socrates: Is this the new education battleground?
In the US, the liberal arts and classical education movement has been under way for about 15 years. Now it’s coming to Australia.
- by Jordan Baker
A year ago, this girls’ school swapped smartphones for Nokias. Here’s what happened
The private boarding school radically overhauled its smartphone policy last year after noticing a decline in the school’s sense of community.
- by Lucy Carroll
Sensitive exposé of insensitive behaviour
Priya’s Bill, Sussan Ley’s advisers and Tony Abbott’s (arguable) achievements – your letters this week.
‘I can have fun, guilt-free’: Relief, freedom for students as HSC exams come to an end
Over the past four weeks, close to 75,000 HSC students in 123 subjects have sat more than 400,000 exam sessions. All that came to an end on Friday.
- by Emily Kowal
Cheaper and shorter degrees: Welcome to the ‘tradies university’
One university says TAFE qualifications should be treated with “esteem”, after government reviews called for better pathways between vocational education and university.
- by Christopher Harris
Stars in her eyes: Pauline Hanson wants her movie on Netflix
The One Nation leader, who has skipped parliament to hang out in Mar-a-Lago this week, wants to turn her YouTube animated series into a film.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Exclusive
The north shore private school that has joined the $50,000 fees club
Principals say private schools are likely to lift fees 4 to 7 per cent next year, and at the current rate of increase, prices could top $70,000 within the next seven years.
- by Lucy Carroll
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/education-5wl