A Few Tips for Parents

• Always make sure that you ask the tutor feedback regarding the progress of your child at the end of each lesson.

• Don't hesitate to ask the tutor to write a letter to your child's teacher or even make a phone call to your child's teacher.  Irrespective of how skilled your tutor is, they only spend a very limited amount of time with your child and therefore their greatest resource will be the school teacher.  Teacher's spend hours assessing, testing, watching and analysing your child's progress so make the most of the information they have to provide.

• Don't forget to give a copy of the latest school report to your tutor.

• Provide a notebook for the tutor to work in as the teacher might not bring one for some reason.

• Show interest in what is happening.  If the tutor sets homework then it is partly your responsibility to make sure that the homework actually happens - otherwise you might be wasting some money. It also encourages your child if you show genuine interest.

• Get to know your tutor - set a great example to your child about inclusiveness

Funding for Aboriginal Students

In November 2010, Federal Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, has announced $24 million in funding for projects to improve literacy and numeracy among Aboriginal students.

My School - More Questions Raised

The accuracy of the Labor Government's My School Website is being seriously questioned after a Montessori School in Beechworth - one of the poorest private schools in the state, was ranked among the wealthiest schools in Australia.

With 25 per cent of its students on health care cards, the school, which has just 53 students and rents its premises, was given the third highest score within the section used to measure the socio-economic status of students' families.

Big Day for 50,000 Students

50,000 Victorians students are receiving their highly anticipated VCE results today.

Desmond - A Day in the Life of....

DESMOND WEBSTER, a 17-year-old, who is doing his HSC at Wilcannia Central School, in NSW's far west is the only boy in his class. It has been that way since he started year 7. Each of the girl's in his class are his cousins.

New Australian Curriculum

Ministers have stopped short of giving their final approval for an Australian national curriculum, ordering further development work and adjustments to be completed by October next year (2011).

Christopher Pyne, who is the opposition education shadow minister said the curriculum had become ''another Labor mess''.

My School Delays

Federal Schools Education Minister; Peter Garrett has announced that the MySchool website launch which was due this month, would be postponed until 2011 after the accounting firm Deloittes found errors in the way a particular school's income was calculated.