This study investigated the state of music education in New South Wales (NSW) government primary schools and provided essential baseline data to inform policy and program development. It focused on teachers’ experiences, training, and perceptions regarding music education. 706 teachers from 95 schools participated in the survey, representative of the sample for school location and Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA). The survey collected information in eight key areas: respondent characteristics, school facilities, initial teacher education, music teaching confidence and professional learning, music education in your school, nature of your music teaching, perceived benefits of music and student responsiveness. Understanding the state of music education in NSW government primary schools allows for the provision of informed policy and advocacy efforts to support music education. By detailing the current state of music education and its benefits, stakeholders can make informed decisions around policy and program development and ensure a high-quality and sequential music education for all students.

This article discusses a survey of Australian teachers ( n = 297) that elicited their views of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 emergency remote schooling periods. The research identifies differences in teachers’ views of their students’ learning experiences and finds that the groups with the greatest contrast in such views reported using distinctly different digital pedagogies. Participants with extremely negative views of their students’ learning experiences ( n = 78) highlighted more presentational, content-delivery pedagogical approaches. These teachers tended to be less confident with digital technologies and emphasised their own technical skills development. Participants with relatively positive views of their students’ remote learning experiences ( n = 68) adopted more interactive and collaborative approaches that supported student autonomy. These teachers were more familiar and confident with digital technologies. This study is one of few investigating possible links between pedagogical practices and teachers’ perceptions of their students’ remote learning experiences. Implications for practice and future research directions are provided.

Despite historic efforts to improve rates of higher education participation for educationally disadvantaged students, equity students remain under-represented in Australian universities. University-run equity or ‘outreach’ programs which target secondary students are one way to encourage higher education access and participation of equity students. However, there have been few national assessments of these equity initiatives. Using a representative sample of Australian schools from the GENERATION survey of Australian youth, this research examined the characteristics and targeting of university-run equity initiatives in schools during 2022. Analysis showed that approximately one-quarter of secondary schools in Australia reported receiving an equity initiative. Programs mostly focused on increasing aspirations for higher education among low socioeconomic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and rural and regional students. However, our findings indicated that these programs did not effectively target disadvantaged or regional schools. Moreover, programs may be implemented too late to impact students’ career and educational aspirations.

Teachers’ conceptualisations of play significantly influence its integration in school contexts, yet these perceptions remain understudied. This study employs Parker et al.’s (2022) Framework for Quality Learning through Play as a theoretical lens to examine how Australian primary school teachers conceptualise play within educational contexts. Data collected from 238 practicing teachers across Australia was analysed through descriptive statistics, supported by participant written responses. Results revealed clear acknowledgement of the developmental benefits of play, aligning with the learning outcomes dimensions of the framework, while beliefs about implementing play into classroom practice and teacher’s facilitation roles varied substantially, reflecting tensions identified in the framework’s facilitation dimension. These findings highlight the complexity of implementing play as a pedagogical tool in primary education illustrating complexities of school contexts and curriculum requirements, tensions between child-led activities and teacher involvement in children’s play.

Growing with Gratitude (GWG) is a universal prevention program based on positive psychology that aims to prevent anxiety and depression in primary-school-aged children. The mental health of children is a key concern for schools as it has an extensive impact in all areas of life. A cluster randomised controlled trial was implemented in nine primary schools (including 27 classes, n = 537 students) in South Australia to evaluate the program. Classrooms were randomly allocated to either a waitlist control or to the GWG program. Students’ anxiety and depression and wellbeing were measured as outcomes at five time points (baseline, mid-program, post-intervention, and 6-month and 12-month follow-up). There were no significant differences for primary or secondary outcomes between the conditions at any time point. Implementation fidelity was poor across the trial. The GWG program did appear to have some impact on children with clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression at baseline. These findings highlight challenges with implementing prevention programs in primary schools and provide suggestions for future research.

Remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity for parents of early years students to gain insights into instructional methods used to teach reading and spelling. We used this opportunity to seek parents’ perspectives about the instructional content and materials provided during periods of remote teaching in Australia. Nineteen parents were interviewed individually, and data were examined using deductive and inductive thematic analyses. Parents acknowledged teachers’ extraordinary efforts; however, some reported unexpected and concerning insights that their child appeared to be behind their peers in reading. While some parents described satisfaction with the reading instruction provided, many independently sought contemporary information about evidence-based reading instruction methods. Some reported an uncomfortable dissonance, noting that practices that they understood to align with scientific evidence were not routinely part of the pedagogical approach at their child’s school. Although our study focused on an unusual time period, our findings are illustrative of the variability present in early years classrooms with respect to reading instruction.

The Martin and Pratt Nonword Reading Test (‘Martin & Pratt’) is an Australian-normed assessment of nonword reading accuracy. The current study was conducted to examine whether this test still validly and accurately estimates the decoding skills of primary school-aged children, despite its norms having been collected in 1996. To address these questions, reading assessment data were collected from 176 Australian students (3 independent schools) from Years 1 through 6. Strong correlations between the Martin & Pratt and similar measures were observed, although the standard scores generated were consistently higher than other tests. This pattern of results indicated that the test is valid but overestimates nonword reading ability.