May 2011     More schools will have access to a chaplain under a $222 million boost to the National School Chaplaincy Program.  The Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, has announced funding to extend the program for the approximately 2,700 schools that currently have a chaplain and allow up to 1,000 additional schools to access a chaplain.  ...read more »

May 2011     The Federal Government has announced new funding to start the delivery of Australia’s first national system of pay bonuses for around 25,000 teachers.  The first bonuses will be based on performance in the 2013 school year and paid in early 2014.  ...read more »

April 2011     NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has announced the rollout of 4,300 new Interactive Whiteboards to classrooms in 1,000 NSW schools. Mr O’Farrell said the $23 million project would ensure more students and teachers had access to the state of the art whiteboards, which have been shown to make a significant difference to education outcomes.  ...read more »

March 2011 Groundbreaking new Australian research reveals that arts programs can have a significant impact on improving school attendance, academic achievement and student wellbeing in Australian schools.  Minister for School Education Peter Garrett has released The Song Room’s Bridging the Gap in School Achievement through the Arts report, saying it reaffirmed the government’s work to include arts in the National Curriculum.  ...read more »

February 2011     More Australian children who are enrolled in outside of school hours care programs are set to benefit from the Australian Sports Commission’s successful Playing for Life Kit.  ...read more »

February 2011     School Education Minister Peter Garrett has invited Australians to have their say about the Government’s National School Chaplaincy Program, releasing a discussion paper about the program and options for its expansion.  ...read more »