homework in australian schools

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Opinion: What’s the point of homework?

The following opinion piece authored by Dr Katina Zammit, Deputy Dean, School of Education was first published with full links on  The Conversation (opens in a new window).

Homework hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. Most children are still sent home with about an hour’s worth of homework each day, mostly practising what they were taught in class.

If we look internationally, homework is assigned in every country that participated in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012.

Across the participating countries, 15-year-old students reported spending almost five hours per week doing homework in 2012. Australian students spent six hours per week on average on homework. Students in Singapore spent seven hours on homework, and in Shanghai, China they did homework for about 14 hours per week on average.

Shanghai and Singapore routinely score higher than Australia in the PISA maths, science and reading tests. But homework could just be one of the factors leading to higher results. In Finland, which also scores higher than Australia, students spent less than three hours on homework per week.

So, what’s the purpose of homework and what does the evidence say about whether it fulfils its purpose?

Why do teachers set homework?

Each school in Australia has its own homework policy developed in consultation with teachers and parents or caregivers, under the guiding principles of state or regional education departments.

For instance, according to the New South Wales homework policy “… tasks should be assigned by teachers with a specific, explicit learning purpose”.

Homework in NSW should also be “purposeful and designed to meet specific learning goals”, and “built on knowledge, skills and understanding developed in class”. But there is limited, if any, guidance on how often homework should be set.

Research based on teacher interviews shows they set homework for a range of reasons. These include to:

• establish and improve communication between parents and children about learning
• help children be more responsible, confident and disciplined
• practise or review material from class
• determine children’s understanding of the lesson and/or skills
• introduce new material to be presented in class
• provide students with opportunities to apply and integrate skills to new situations or interest areas
• get students to use their own skills to create work.

So, does homework achieve what teachers intend it to?

Do we know if it ‘works’?

Studies on homework are frequently quite general, and don’t consider specific types of homework tasks. So it isn’t easy to measure how effective homework could be, or to compare studies.

But there are several things we can say.

First, it’s better if every student gets the kind of homework task that benefits them personally, such as one that helps them answer questions they had, or understand a problem they couldn’t quite grasp in class. This promotes students’ confidence and control of their own learning.

Giving students repetitive tasks may not have much value. For instance, calculating the answer to 120 similar algorithms, such as adding two different numbers 120 times may make the student think maths is irrelevant and boring. In this case, children are not being encouraged to find solutions but simply applying a formula they learnt in school.

In primary schools, homework that aims to improve children’s confidence and learning discipline can be beneficial. For example, children can be asked to practise giving a presentation on a topic of their interest. This could help build their competence in speaking in front of a class.

Homework can also highlight equity issues. It can be particularly burdensome for socioeconomically disadvantaged students who may not have a space, the resources or as much time due to family and work commitments. Their parents may also not feel capable of supporting them or have their own work commitments.

According to the PISA studies mentioned earlier, socioeconomically disadvantaged 15 year olds spend nearly three hours less on homework each week than their advantaged peers.

What kind of homework is best?

Homework can be engaging and contribute to learning if it is more than just a sheet of maths or list of spelling words not linked to class learning. From summarising various studies’ findings, “good” homework should be:

• personalised to each child rather than the same for all students in the class. This is more likely to make a difference to a child’s learning and performance
• achievable, so the child can complete it independently, building skills in managing their time and behaviour
• aligned to the learning in the classroom.

If you aren’t happy with the homework your child is given then approach the school. If your child is having difficulty with doing the homework, the teacher needs to know. It shouldn’t be burdensome for you or your children.

1 September 2021

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Should Australian schools ban homework?

Associate Professor, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney

Director, Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre, CQUniversity Australia

Disclosure statement

Richard Walker is the co-author of Reforming Homework: Practices, Learning and Policy.

Mike Horsley is the co-author of Reforming Homework: Practices, Learning and Policy.

CQUniversity Australia and University of Sydney provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.

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The recent decision by French President Francois Hollande to abolish homework from French schools has reignited the long running debate about homework.

This debate has been around for more than a century and remains a contentious issue for parents, students and education researchers alike.

A lengthy debate

Last month’s promised ban came as part of Hollande’s wider reforms to education , and followed widespread teacher and parent agitation for a short-term ban on homework in France earlier in the year.

At that time, the president of a French teachers’ organisation stated that homework reinforces socioeconomic and educational inequalities, saying: “Not all families have the time or necessary knowledge to help their offspring.”

On the other side of the debate, the president of another French parents’ association spoke in support of homework and stated: “Of course, it has to be reasonable, but going back over a lesson is the best way of learning things.”

Homework, broadly defined as tasks given to students during non-school hours, has long been the subject of both pro- and anti-homework campaigns, some of which have resulted in court action and the abolition of homework for students in some school grades.

Abolishing homework

The recent French announcement has led to calls for the abolition of homework in some German and American schools. So should homework be abolished in Australia?

The answer to this question requires a closer look at what homework is supposed to do, and whether it achieves these goals for students of all backgrounds.

The most comprehensive list of reasons for setting homework has been compiled by American researcher Joyce Epstein . These include the practice of already learnt skills, preparation for the next lesson, parent-child communication about school activities, the requirements of school or education department policies, and the enhancement of the reputation of the school or teacher.

But most empirical research into homework focuses on three main issues: does homework enhance student learning and achievement outcomes? Does homework help students to develop the skills of independent, self-directed learning? Does homework involve parents in the educational activities of their children in ways that are beneficial?

The conclusions

In our new book Reforming Homework: Practices, Learning and Policy , we have reviewed and evaluated the research evidence on each of the three issues.

While this research is complex and there are many caveats, the following broad conclusions can be drawn. In terms of academic achievement, homework has no benefit for children in the early years of primary school, negligible benefits for children in the later years of primary school, weak benefits for junior high school students and reasonable benefits for senior high school students.

Sound research has demonstrated that spending more time on homework is associated with lower student achievement; this finding is complemented by research showing that in countries with high homework demands, student performance on international tests of achievement is poor.

Self-directed learning skills are associated with doing homework but the research indicates that the development of these skills occurs when parents are able to assist upper primary and junior secondary school students with their homework.

Parental involvement in their children’s homework activities can be both beneficial and detrimental. It can be detrimental when parents are over-controlling or interfering, but can be beneficial to student motivation when parents provide autonomy and a supporting learning environments for their children.

An Australian ban?

In our book we have argued that rather than abolition, homework needs to be reformed. Generally speaking, homework needs to be better planned by teachers and needs to be of a higher quality.

But it won’t be easy – homework needs to be challenging for students but not too challenging, it needs to be interesting and motivating, and students also need adequate feedback.

So the way forward is to start a conversation between teachers, parents and students about the sort of homework students need. The routine of completing homework (if done well) can help with self-management, planning and organising skills, but these skills take a long time to learn.

Homework setting and practice will have to change so that students are learning about self-management and self-regulation. The sort of homework tasks that promote learning these skills will not focus on drill and practice but require homework tasks where students make some decisions and choices and also exercise some autonomy.

At the same time, guidance for students who do not have family support will require planning (and provision) to complete these sorts of more complex homework tasks. The books explores the equity implications of homework and how providing guidance and support for students should be explicitly planned as part of a homework curriculum.

Less homework, better homework

Overall, there should be less homework, especially homework that emphasises drill and practice. Homework should also be there as a a bridge between the community and the school. In particular, homework needs to be planned around the community’s and family’s fund of knowledge – which may be different from what the curriculum is based on.

In essence, homework can help children but perhaps not in the ways we think. And much of it depends on what you want homework to achieve and how parents and teachers see it.

One of the authors of this article has a six year-old daughter in her first year of school. When he asks his daughter to collect a reader from her school bag, bring it to the place she has chosen for the shared reading and decides who reads first and when, this may not seem like homework.

But in fact focusing on her choice and autonomy will help develop independent learning skills, skills that will hopefully last her lifetime. Understanding homework as a path to independent learning needs to be the first step.

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The pros and cons of homework.

John Hattie is Professor of Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the author of Visible Learning , a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement in education.

When deciding on how much, and what, homework to hand out, Hattie says there are quite a few things teachers should consider.

“Homework in primary school has a measurable effect of around zero,” Hattie told BBC Radio 4 Journalist Sarah Montague.

“In high school it does have a larger measurable effect, which is why we need to get it right, not why we need to get rid of it. It’s one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking at in our primary schools to say ‘Is it really making a difference?”’

Hattie looked at research studies from all over the world that have tried to measure the impact of various factors on education, including the optimal time students should be spending on homework.

He found homework appears to be more effective for higher-ability rather than lower-ability students, and for older rather than younger students.

CensusAtSchool is a collaborative project involving teachers, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Education, which examines the lives of children in year four to 12.

A comparison of the findings from 2008 to 2013, reveals that Australian children are spending more time doing homework than they were five years ago.

In 2008, Australian children spent an average of 5.3 hours a week doing their homework. Today that has jumped to seven hours a week. Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said he was concerned by the trend that kids were spending an increasing amount of time on homework, and believes the trend is linked to higher levels of anxiety.

“I actually think less is more with homework, because there seems to be so much stress around school,” he said.

A number of primary schools in Australia are effectively handing the decision-making power over to parents, allowing parents to permanently excuse children from homework.

Some primary schools have even sent letters home to parents outlining their reasoning for setting homework, but ultimately recognising that parents are best placed to make decisions about whether or not their children have the capacity or time to complete it.

Hattie is more positive about giving secondary school aged children homework.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that high-school aged Australian students are also spending more hours doing homework each week.

The report found that 15-year-old Australian students spend an average of six hours a week doing homework. That marks an increase of 0.3 hours per week from the 2003 study.

Australia and Austria were the only countries to report a statistically significant increase in the amount of time students spend doing homework.

“The overall effect of homework on achievement in older students is positive, but there are quite a few qualifications to that,” Hattie writes in Visible Learning . Qualifications included things like the age of the learner, the amount of homework, and whether the homework was task-oriented or complex and unstructured.

Neurologist and former classroom teacher Judy Willis says if a teacher knows a bit about the brain, he or she can plan homework to suit the needs of students as they develop.

“During early school years, for example, the brain is focused on getting to grips with the world around us. Memories and understanding grow when new information can be linked to things we already know. Homework that helps with this recognition can build literacy and numeracy skills,” says Willis.

“When students reach adolescence, they become more independent and self-directed. There is shift away from rote memorisation and single, correct responses. Learning goals are more likely to focus on reading for content and comprehension, revising, report writing, solving problems, investigating and independent or group work.”

Willis says that while the amount of time spent on homework will always vary depending on the age of students, there are a few physiological guidelines to remember.

“After about 15 minutes of learning and practising something – such as the Pythagorean theorem in maths – the regions of the brain activated in spatial-numerical learning get fatigued and need to rebuild the neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, that get depleted,” says Willis. “The restoration only takes a few minutes if the break is timely, but if they are pushed to stay with that same process for too long, stress builds, neurotransmitters drop way down and it will take twice as long to restore full efficiency to that area of the brain.”

Willis recommends online games for learning basic knowledge as they usually have set timings.

“You can assign a specific amount of time to be spent on the skill-building program for homework and confirm students’ compliance by checking the teachers’ pages,” she says.

“When students know that the effort they put into homework will enhance their participation and enjoyment of classroom learning, they become more motivated. Pupils also put more effort into schoolwork or homework when they are engaged in something that is relevant to their studies.”

One of the studies Hattie examined warned against homework that undermined a student’s motivation, as it could lead to the student internalising incorrect routines.

“For too many students, homework reinforces that they cannot learn by themselves and that they cannot do the schoolwork,” says Hattie. “Ensuring that students are assessment-capable learners is the most important thing we can do to raise student achievement.”

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Evidence for Learning: Homework

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What’s the point of homework?

Homework hasn’t changed much in the past few decades..

Most children are still sent home with about an hour’s worth of homework each day, mostly practising what they were taught in class.

If we look internationally, homework is assigned in every country that participated in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012.

Across the participating countries, 15-year-old students reported spending almost five hours per week doing homework in 2012. Australian students spent six hours per week on average on homework. Students in Singapore spent seven hours on homework, and in Shanghai, China they did homework for about 14 hours per week on average.

Shanghai and Singapore routinely score higher than Australia in the PISA maths, science and reading tests. But homework could just be one of the factors leading to higher results. In Finland, which also scores higher than Australia, students spent less than three hours on homework per week.

So, what’s the purpose of homework and what does the evidence say about whether it fulfils its purpose?

Why do teachers set homework?

Each school in Australia has its own homework policy developed in consultation with teachers and parents or caregivers, under the guiding principles of state or regional education departments.

For instance, according to the New South Wales homework policy “… tasks should be assigned by teachers with a specific, explicit learning purpose”.

Homework in NSW should also be “purposeful and designed to meet specific learning goals”, and “built on knowledge, skills and understanding developed in class”. But there is limited, if any, guidance on how often homework should be set.

Research based on teacher interviews shows they set homework for a range of reasons. These include to:

establish and improve communication between parents and children about learning

help children be more responsible, confident and disciplined

practise or review material from class

determine children’s understanding of the lesson and/or skills

introduce new material to be presented in class

provide students with opportunities to apply and integrate skills to new situations or interest areas

get students to use their own skills to create work.

So, does homework achieve what teachers intend it to?

Do we know if it ‘works’?

Studies on homework are frequently quite general, and don’t consider specific types of homework tasks. So it isn’t easy to measure how effective homework could be, or to compare studies.

But there are several things we can say.

First, it’s better if every student gets the kind of homework task that benefits them personally, such as one that helps them answer questions they had, or understand a problem they couldn’t quite grasp in class. This promotes students’ confidence and control of their own learning.

Giving students repetitive tasks may not have much value . For instance, calculating the answer to 120 similar algorithms, such as adding two different numbers 120 times may make the student think maths is irrelevant and boring. In this case, children are not being encouraged to find solutions but simply applying a formula they learnt in school.

In primary schools, homework that aims to improve children’s confidence and learning discipline can be beneficial. For example, children can be asked to practise giving a presentation on a topic of their interest. This could help build their competence in speaking in front of a class.

Homework can also highlight equity issues. It can be particularly burdensome for socioeconomically disadvantaged students who may not have a space, the resources or as much time due to family and work commitments. Their parents may also not feel capable of supporting them or have their own work commitments.

According to the PISA studies mentioned earlier, socioeconomically disadvantaged 15 year olds spend nearly three hours less on homework each week than their advantaged peers.

What kind of homework is best?

Homework can be engaging and contribute to learning if it is more than just a sheet of maths or list of spelling words not linked to class learning. From summarising various studies’ findings, “good” homework should be:

personalised to each child rather than the same for all students in the class. This is more likely to make a difference to a child’s learning and performance

achievable, so the child can complete it independently, building skills in managing their time and behaviour

aligned to the learning in the classroom.

Katina Zammit , Deputy Dean, School of Education, Western Sydney University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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The purpose of this policy is to ensure all schools work with their school communities to develop and communicate a considered homework policy.

• Victorian government schools are required to have a homework policy and communicate it to staff, parents/carers and students.
• The content of this policy is not prescribed, but should be evidence-informed and comprehensive, and must be developed in consultation with the school community.
• School council approval of a school’s homework policy is not required.
• A homework policy template is available on the School Policy Templates Portal External Link (staff login required); schools are encouraged to adapt this template to suit their needs.

Victorian government schools are required to have a homework policy.

The content of this policy is not prescribed by the Department, but should be evidence-informed and comprehensive, outlining:

• a rationale for the elements of the school’s policy
• the responsibilities and expectations of teachers, students and parents/carers in setting, completing, monitoring and responding to homework

The school’s homework policy must be developed in consultation with the school council, as representatives of the school community, and school staff and students. School council approval of a school’s homework policy is not required.

Victorian government schools must periodically communicate their homework policy to staff, parents, carers and students through available communication channels (such as the school newsletter, or by placing the policy on the school’s website).

The setting of homework can be seen as one way of:

• complementing and reinforcing classroom learning
• fostering good lifelong learning and study habits
• developing self-regulation processes such as goal-setting, self-efficacy, self-reflection and time management
• supporting partnerships with parents/carers by connecting families with the learning of their children

The effectiveness of homework can be enhanced when:

• it is set at an appropriate level for each student, supporting those who are experiencing difficulty and extending those of high-ability
• it is related to essential learning at school
• choice in tasks is provided
• it is assessed by teachers, either formally or informally, with feedback provided
• it supports students to have a balance of school-related and non-school related activity in their lives (i.e. where the amount of homework set provides sufficient additional time for students to engage with family, sport and recreation, cultural pursuits and employment, where appropriate)

Definitions

Homework Tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are meant to be carried out during non-school hours.

Reviewed 11 January 2024

• Print whole topic

Policy last updated

15 June 2020

Teacher Professional Practice Unit

Is Homework Good for Kids?

Research suggests that homework may be most beneficial when it is minimal..

Updated October 3, 2023 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• Why Education Is Important
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• Research finds that homework can academically benefit middle and high schoolers, but not elementary students.
• There are non-academic benefits to homework, but too much work may interfere with other areas of development.
• Research suggests students should be given about 10 minutes of homework per grade level.
• Parents can help with homework by encouraging a growth mindset and supporting their child's autonomy.

In recent years, homework has become a very hot topic. Many parents and educators have raised concerns about homework and questioned how effective it is in enhancing students’ learning. There are also concerns that students may simply be getting too much homework, which ultimately interferes with quality family time and opportunities for physical activity and play.

Research suggests that these concerns may be valid. For example, one study reported that elementary school students, on average, are assigned three times the recommended amount of homework.

What does the research say? What are the potential risks and benefits of homework, and how much is “too much”?

Academic vs. Non-Academic Benefits

First, research finds that homework is associated with higher scores on academic standardized tests for middle and high school students, but not elementary school students . A recent experimental study in Romania found some benefits for a small amount of writing homework in elementary students but not math homework. Yet, interestingly, this positive impact only occurred when students were given a moderate amount of homework (about 20 minutes on average).

Yet the goal of homework is not simply to improve academic skills. Research finds that homework may have some non-academic benefits, such as building responsibility , time management skills, and task persistence . Homework may also increase parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling.

Yet too much homework may also have some negative impacts on non-academic skills by reducing opportunities for free play , which is essential for the development of language, cognitive, self-regulation , and social-emotional skills. Homework may also interfere with physical activity ; indeed, too much homework is associated with an increased risk of being overweight . As with the research on academic benefits, this research also suggests that homework may be beneficial when it is minimal.

What is the “Right” Amount of Homework?

Research suggests that homework should not exceed 1.5 to 2.5 hours per night for high school students and no more than 1 hour per night for middle school students. Homework for elementary school students should be minimal and assigned with the aim of building self-regulation and independent work skills. Any more than this and homework may no longer have a positive impact.

The National Education Association recommends 10 minutes of homework per grade and there is also some experimental evidence that backs this up.

What Can Parents Do?

Research finds that parental help with homework is beneficial but that it matters more how the parent is helping rather than how often the parent is helping.

So how should parents help with homework (according to the research)?

• Focus on providing general monitoring, guidance, and encouragement, but allow children to complete their homework as independently as possible. Research shows that allowing children more autonomy in completing homework may benefit their academic skills.
• Only provide help when your child asks for it and step away whenever possible. Research finds that too much parental involvement or intrusive and controlling involvement with homework is associated with worse academic performance .
• Help your children to create structure and develop some routines that help your child to independently complete their homework. Research finds that providing this type of structure and responsiveness is related to improved academic skills.
• Set specific rules around homework. Research finds an association between parents setting rules around homework and academic performance.
• Help your child to view homework as an opportunity to learn and improve skills. Parents who view homework as a learning opportunity (that is, a “mastery orientation”) rather than something that they must get “right” or complete successfully to obtain a higher grade (that is, a “performance orientation”) are more likely to have children with the same attitudes.
• Encourage your child to persist in challenging assignments and emphasize difficult assignments as opportunities to grow. Research finds that this attitude is associated with student success. Research also indicates that more challenging homework is associated with enhanced academic performance.
• Stay calm and positive during homework. Research shows that mothers’ showing positive emotions while helping with homework may improve children’s motivation in homework.
• Praise your child’s hard work and effort during homework. This type of praise is likely to increase motivation. In addition, research finds that putting more effort into homework may be associated with enhanced development of conscientiousness in children.
• Communicate with your child and the teacher about any problems your child has with homework and the teacher’s learning goals. Research finds that open communication about homework is associated with increased academic performance.

Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in translating scientific research into information that is useful, accurate, and relevant for parents.

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Homework is often revision of what is covered in class. As well as regular weekly homework, your child may have assessments such as assignments or projects with due dates.

Homework tips

A key to success is being organised. To avoid Thursday night meltdowns about incomplete homework, read our Homework tips.

Tips for all ages

These tips are relevant for all students Kindergarten to Year 12.

• Ask your child about their homework, know what they are learning about and when assignments are due.
• Use our term assessment planner (DOCX 53.57KB) to record when assessments and exams are scheduled so you can help your child prepare in advance. Make 'to-do' lists to spread out the workload.
• Get into a routine of doing homework at a set time, ideally a little each day.
• pens and pencils
• highlighters
• scrap paper
• printing paper
• computer and internet access
• Turn mobiles to 'aeroplane mode' or off so there are no disruptions.
• If there's no set homework, encourage your child to do some reading. For younger kids, it's great for them to read aloud to you. For older kids, ask them to tell you about what they have been reading.
• Don't jump in and give answers, homework is about helping kids become independent learners.
• Encourage your child to start assignments as soon as they receive them -this will reduce any night-before stress.
• Your child needs to do their own projects and assignments. There's no point submitting work done by anyone other than the student. Teachers need to know what students can do independently.
• If your child is having difficulty with their homework, contact their class teacher for help.

Studying at high school

Once in high school, regular study also becomes important. Study time is completely different to doing set homework.

Students in high school should regularly review work covered in class, summarise key ideas and do additional reading and research on topics, as well as practise tasks such as essays and maths problems.

Suggestions for effective studies

There is no one 'best' way to study. Students often find different methods and times to study to suit themselves. The key is regular study, not cramming before a test or exam.

Some suggestions for effective study time include:

• no mobile device use - no social media, messaging or calls during study time
• finish any homework for the day before starting study - remember they are separate
• focus on one topic at a time
• highlight class notes or handouts
• prepare summaries in your own words to revise concepts and skills learnt in class
• draw diagrams, mind maps or brainstorms to show the main ideas and links between them
• explain a topic or key concept to someone else
• prepare glossaries of technical language for the topic or course, include examples of appropriate use
• memorise short quotes
• read summaries aloud - you can record yourself and play them back while travelling
• write key concepts on flash cards with an explanation on the back to use for quick recall testing
• read widely about topics being studied - add any new information or quotes to your summary (remember, when you use words or passages from a source such as a book, article or website you must reference them and use quotation marks).

The best study is active study - not just reading pages and pages of notes but creating summaries and lists, drawing mind maps, practising answering questions, teaching someone else about a topic and so on. Active study helps move content from short-term to long-term memory. When reading over notes, try to read them aloud.

Study timetable

A study timetable can be useful to help high school students plan time each week revising work covered in class.

This is an example of a completed study timetable (DOCX 56.59KB) for a Year 11 student.

Make your own study timetable

• Download or print our Study timetable (DOCX 52.96KB) .
• Fill in regular activities such as school, sport, part-time jobs and so on. Don't forget to include meal times and time to travel to activities.
• Students should discuss how much time to spend studying with their teachers. Older students will be spending 1 to 2 hours on each subject each week. This will increase as they get closer to the HSC.
• Think about the best time to study. Some kids prefer to get straight into it after the after-school snack, to get it out of the way. Others like to chill before dinner and get into their school work in the evening. Identify the most effective time.
• Block out chunks of time on the Study timetable to study at the identified most effective times. Some subjects will require more time than others - use the advice of the class teacher. Don't forget to consider the school timetable when you are creating a study timetable - it might be a bit much to do 2 hours of physics on the same day as a double period. Don't forget any subjects - even the 'easiest' will require revision in Years 11 and 12.
• Colour code the chunks of time for different subjects.
• Allow a break of at least 5 to 10 minutes each hour.
• Trial the study timetable for a fortnight and see if it is realistic. There's no point having a study timetable that isn't followed.
• Be realistic, some days there will be a pile of homework or family events which means a day off study. If your child can stick to their study timetable 70 to 80% of the time, they are on their way to success.

An alternative to a study timetable is a study bank. This may be better for senior students who have changing work rosters.

A study bank requires more independence and commitment to studying and therefore a fair bit of supervision to help students keep up with the hours at the start.

Preparing your study bank

• Students should discuss how much time to spend on each subject with their class teachers.
• Add up the hours suggested for each subject and that's the bank. For example, if there are 2 hours of study for English, maths and legal studies; 3 hours for modern history and Japanese but only 1 hour for senior science, the bank will be 13 hours study each week.
• Start the week on Monday. By the time the student goes to bed on Sunday night, there needs to be a record of the 13 hours of study, across the subjects as identified. Keep track of how the studying is going through the week so there isn't a mad rush to do it all on Sunday.

If your child can't plan their own studying to fulfil the suggested hours, using a study timetable may work better.

Barriers to study

Hopefully, the suggestions above will help your child settle into a good study routine. However, there are three common problems to watch out for.

Common barriers to study

• Distractions - mobile devices and internet access are the biggest distractions to study. Make the study area a mobile, TV, gaming and internet free zone (unless during that session they are doing research which requires internet access). Consider downloading a social media lockout app or switching on aeroplane mode during study time to prevent interruptions. Also, make sure friends and other family members know not to disturb study time.
• ensure they have a set study area with all equipment needed but no mobile devices
• break the task down into smaller chunks such as identifying the headings for a summary first through a brainstorm; listing the headings then summarising information for one heading at a time
• make a to-do list of tasks they can check off as they finish
• monitor their progress and reward each step.
• Disorganisation - have a set place for study with all the equipment they'll need and encourage using calendars, to-do lists and a study timetable.

Useful summaries are essential for effective study. When summarising, you pick out the most important information and write it in the shortest way possible, using your own words.

Summaries are not sentences and paragraphs or just re-writing class notes or chapters from textbooks. The goal is to briefly outline the key facts or important ideas from notes, an article, website, chapter or other learning material.

Writing useful summaries

Summaries are often best handwritten and short. They may include:

• headings and sub-headings
• abbreviations and symbols
• diagrams, mind maps or brainstorms
• highlighting and annotations
• colour coding - colour can stimulate memory
• using a student's own version of shorthand.

Because summaries only include the most relevant and important information, they are helpful when studying for assessment tasks and tests.

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55 Coast Guard Academy cadets disciplined over homework cheating accusations

FILE - The United States Coast Guard Academy is seen, Sept. 14, 2020, in New London, Conn. Fifty-five U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets have been disciplined for sharing homework answers in violation of academy policy, Coast Guard officials announced. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

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NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — Fifty-five U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets have been disciplined for sharing homework answers in violation of academy policy, Coast Guard officials announced.

After a series of disciplinary hearings, six of the cadets failed the course and 48 got lowered grades, officials said Wednesday.

The cadets were accused of cheating by sharing answers for two separate homework assignments electronically.

“The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, honor, and accountability,” said Capt. Edward Hernaez, commandant of the academy. “Misconduct like this undermines trust and those found to have violated our principles were held accountable for their actions.”

The cadets will be provided the opportunity to appeal the disciplinary actions, officials said.

Poland’s children rejoice as homework is banned. The rest of the world watches on for results

O la Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after Poland ’s government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework in the lower grades.

“I am happy,” said the fifth grader, who lives in a Warsaw suburb with her parents and younger siblings. The lilac-colored walls in her bedroom are covered in her art, and on her desk she keeps a framed picture she drew of Kurt Cobain.

“Most people in my class in the morning would copy the work off someone who had done the homework or would copy it from the internet. So it didn’t make sense,” she said.

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernise Poland's education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not enough on critical thinking and creativity.

Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn't count towards a grade.

Not everyone likes the change – and even Ola’s parents are divided.

“If there is something that will make students enjoy school more, then it will probably be good both for the students and for the school,” said her father, Pawel Kozak.

His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I am not pleased, because (homework) is a way to consolidate what was learned,” she said. “It helps stay on top of what the child has really learned and what’s going on at school.”

(Ola's brother Julian, a third grader, says he sees both sides.)

Debates over the proper amount of homework are common around the globe. While some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, other experts say it can help them learn how to develop study habits and academic concepts.

The rest of the world will be watching Poland’s results closely.

Poland's educational system has undergone a number of controversial overhauls. Almost every new government has tried to make changes — something many teachers and parents say has left them confused and discouraged. For example, after communism was thrown off, middle schools were introduced. Then under the last government, the previous system was brought back. More controversy came in recent years when ultra-conservative views were pushed in new textbooks.

For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low wages and political pressure. The current government is trying to increase teacher salaries and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.

But Sławomir Broniarz, the head of the Polish Teachers' Union, said that while he recognized the need to ease burdens on students, the new homework rules are another case of change imposed from above without adequate consultation with educators.

“In general, the teachers think that this happened too quickly, too hastily,” he said.

He argued that removing homework could widen the educational gaps between kids who have strong support at home and those from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he urged wider changes to the entire curriculum.

The homework rules gained impetus in the runup to parliamentary elections last year, when a 14-year-old boy, Maciek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk before a national audience that children “had no time to rest.” The boy said their rights were being violated with so much homework on weekends and so many tests on Mondays.

Tusk has since featured Matuszewski in social media videos and made him the face of the sudden change.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said she was prompted by research on children’s mental health. Of the various stresses children face, she said, "the one that could be removed fastest was the burden of homework.”

Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it is linked to overall learning. The need for homework can be “very individual and contextual.”

“We need to trust our teachers to decide what is good for each child,” Sahlberg said.

In South Korea, homework limits were set for elementary schools in 2017 amid concerns that kids were under too much pressure. However, teenagers in the education-obsessed country often cram long into the night and get tutoring to meet the requirements of demanding school and university admission tests.

In the US, teachers and parents decide for themselves how much homework to assign. Some elementary schools have done away with homework entirely to give children more time to play, participate in activities and spend time with families.

A guideline circulated by teachers unions in the US recommends about 10 minutes of homework per grade. So, 10 minutes in first grade, 20 minutes in second grade and so on.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a crisis around youth mental health have complicated debates around homework. In the US, extended school closures in some places were accompanied by steep losses in learning, which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions paid for with federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, increased attention to student wellbeing led some teachers to consider alternate approaches including reduced or optional homework.

It's important for children to learn that mastering something "usually requires practice, a lot of practice,” said Sahlberg, in Finland. If reducing homework leads kids and parents to think school expectations for excellence will be lowered, “things will go wrong.”

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

Moscow Elementary School

• Grades: PK-5
• Student Enrollment: 86

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School Description

• Enrolls 86 preschool and elementary school students from grades PK-5
• Mailing Address: Box 130, Moscow, KS 67952
• Title I Eligible All students of this school are eligible for participation in authorized programs.
• Moscow Public Schools District
• Per-Pupil Spending: $13,429
• Graduation Rate: 88.2%
• Students Per Teacher: 10.0
• Enrolled Students: 211

Faculty Details and Student Enrollment

• Total Students Enrolled: 86
• Total Full Time "Equivalent" Teachers: 8.8
• Average Student-To-Teacher Ratio: 9.8
• Males: 47 (54.7%)
• Females: 39 (45.3%)
• Eligible for Reduced Lunch: 9 (10.5%)
• Eligible for Free Lunch: 48 (55.8%)
• Eligible for Either Reduced or Free Lunch: 57 (66.3%)
• Teachers with a Bachelor's Degree: 71%
• Teachers with a Master's Degree or Higher:-
• Average Teaching Experience: 20 Years
• Average Salary: $35,090

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Catch up locals' news in English

The Parents Committee appreciated the decision to close schools in Moscow

2020-03-16T15:31:21.912Z

In an interview with RT, the head of the National Parents Committee, Irina Volynets, commented on the information that all Moscow general education and sports schools will be closed in Moscow from March 21 to April 12 due to the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19.

“Students can also study remotely. Of course, parental control will be needed here. It’s one thing when parents do their homework with their children; it’s quite another to control distance learning. This is an additional burden on parents ... but this is a good test of the quality of distance education, ”said the head of the National Parents' Committee.

Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that all Moscow general education and sports schools, as well as institutions of additional education, will be closed in Moscow from March 21 to April 12 due to the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19.

Source: russiart

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Rural medical schools and regional placements helping address doctor shortages in country Australia

Maggie-Kate Minogue was seven when she realised she wanted to be a doctor.

Complications with her sister's birth were the catalyst for an early interest in health and helping people.

But growing up in a country town of 80 people meant after high school she had to move hundreds of kilometres to Sydney, to study medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

After two years in the city, she discovered UNSW's rural medical school in Wagga Wagga, near her hometown of Murrumburrah.

In 2014, students were not able to complete their full degree there, but Dr Minogue was able to transfer to the school to finish her studies as a general practitioner and rural generalist.

"There's just something quite magical about small towns that I don't think you could get in a city," she says.

Dr Minogue is one of dozens of doctors trained in regional Australia who are choosing to study and work remotely post-graduation.

She believes rural medical schools could play a critical role in overcoming doctor shortages in country areas.

"There is a lot of optimism about future training pathways and encouraging the upcoming high school and university students to embrace rural culture and to stay rural while training," she says.

It is part of a cultural shift being witnessed by UNSW Associate Dean of Rural Health Tara Mackenzie.

Professor Mackenzie fell in love with Wagga on a placement 20 years ago, but was told if she stayed, she would be throwing her career away.

"Now, nothing could be further from the truth, but when you're hearing that as a junior doctor, unfortunately that can also influence where you go," she says.

Aspiring doctors could not study a full medical degree rurally in NSW until 2017, but now there three locations that offer the course regionally.

"[In the past] many students went through all of their university degree and never got a chance to experience rural life," Professor Mackenzie says.

GP and doctor shortages

Pam Ellerman has lived in Deniliquin, about three hours west of Wagga Wagga, for 54 years.

The town of 7,000 seems to be well-resourced.

But Ms Ellerman, who has served on hospital auxiliaries for decades, says the town's GPs are not always available.

"There's probably three [GPs] in one [clinic], four in another, two in another but those doors are locked," Ms Ellerman says.

During a recent inquiry into regional health in New South Wales , many witnesses from rural areas spoke of waiting weeks and months to see GPs and specialists.

Ms Ellerman does not mind using telehealth and accepts having to drive several hours to Melbourne or Wagga Wagga to see a specialist.

However, she believes the concept of rurally based medical schools filled with country kids could improve healthcare in regional Australia.

"If we get homegrown … it's gold … I think it's going to be a win-win for all communities," she says.

Rural placements doing their part 

As well as rural medical schools, other universities are also encouraging student doctors to undertake placements in the bush.

Growing up on Adelaide's outskirts, Sebastian Baker had not considered a career in rural Australia.

"At the start of the year I was thinking of going into physician training — so like, doctors that work in the hospitals on the wards," Mr Baker says.

Now in his fifth year of study with the University of Adelaide, he has been based in Broken Hill with various health services, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

"I didn't really think of it as a serious option until I came up here and now … I'm thinking that might be my career," he says.

Research by the University of Queensland in 2023 showed those medical students who completed a 12-week placement with a two-year training program were "around seven times" more likely to end up working in a small rural or remote location.

Mr Baker's classmate, Amos Lee, grew up in Melbourne and wants to become a rural psychiatrist.

"I want to be there to help with that change and really help the mental sphere in rural and remote places," Mr Lee says.

For fellow student Marni McFarlane, a year in the outback has given her direction post-graduation.

"I'm already looking at applying remote, rural … I don't think I would even consider working in Adelaide," Ms McFarlene says.

"Doctors are more willing to give you a go at things, to be a bit more hands on, but so are the patients."

UNSW's students in Wagga Wagga also cited more hands-on work as a reason for their growth.

Challenging old narratives

Nola Whyman, director of operations for Broken Hill-based Aboriginal health service provider Maari Ma, has decades of experience.

"We've had a concerted effort to get GP's out here and diverted to a regular fly-in fly out [service, so] there's continuity for our patients," she says.

"What's really important is having students come out here."

GP Madison Kane started at Maari Ma as a student and returned to work there almost two years ago.

Dr Kane believes rural medical schools and increased clinical student placements outside the big cities are important ways to encourage the next rural generation to study medicine.

"The pathways for a rural person to become a doctor has become more streamlined in recent years through various access initiatives, as well as the establishment of rural clinical schools," Dr Kane says.

But Professor Mackenzie in Wagga, believes more change is needed to improve specialty training.

Only psychiatry, general practitioner and emergency medicine training can be completed rurally, which she says is a contributing factor to the doctor shortage in regional areas.

"If they could do eight of their 10 years in a rural or regional place and just go back to the metropolitan [hospitals] for the part they need, then that is when you're going to see people stay," she says.

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A teenage boy has died after a stabbing attack outside a western Sydney school

A teenager is dead and several others were stabbed near a school in Sydney’s west on the last day of classes before holidays.

Boy, 16, accused of fatal school stabbing

Cops’ horrifying find in shipping container

‘He’s home’: Woman’s chilling final texts

One teenage boy is dead and another is in a serious condition after they were stabbed near Doonside Technology High School in Sydney’s west.

Emergency services were called to an incident near the school on Power St in Doonside about 3.30pm on Friday.

Officers from the Blacktown Police Area Command were on their way to the scene when two teenage boys showed up at Blacktown Police Station with stab wounds.

The two boys were driven to the police station from the school 15 minutes away, 9News reported.

Police sources said the boys were dropped off bleeding with serious injuries at the station by one of their mothers asking for help.

Four to six boys are reportedly on the run.

One of the boys died at the police station and another teenage boy was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

Bystanders who were in the area said on social media children were on the way home from school waiting for their bus when the incident happened.

Police told The Daily Telegraph officers were investigating whether the fatal stabbing was linked to “postcode wars” but it was too early to comment further.

Witnesses told them “they saw teenagers fighting on a bus before the stabbing, with police now investigating the claims”.

A resident who lives in the area said: “They saw a youth jumping her fence and several others running through neighbouring back yards.”

Police have arrested one person nearby and established crime scenes in both locations.

Sydney buses operating in the area have been diverted while police examine the crime scene.

Route 753 and 756 buses have been diverted away from a section of Power St and are using Crawford Rd, Coveny St and Hill End Rd instead.

Four stops still be missed while the buses are being diverted.

The incident happened not long after classes ended for the April school holidays.

Inquiries are ongoing.

A boy alleged to have fatally stabbed a teenager near a western Sydney school has fronted court for the first time charged with his murder.

Police have made a horrifying discovery in a shipping container in central west NSW, with a major probe underway.

The last messages a teenager wrote before being brutally murdered by her controlling partner have been revealed.

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Museum loses anti-discrimination case – as it happened

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Brittany Higgins questions whether she was drugged on night of alleged rape in new court submission

• Mona ordered to allow people ‘who do not identify as ladies’ into Ladies Lounge exhibit
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What we learned – Tuesday 9 April

A flurry of late-breaking news to end your Tuesday, folks. We’re going to wrap up the blog now and we’ll be back, as always, tomorrow.

Here’s what happened today:

A decision will be handed down in the defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson brought by Bruce Lehrmann on Monday.

In a submission to the federal court in that defamation case, Brittany Higgins has questioned whether she was drugged on night of alleged rape. Higgins has told the federal court the suggestion by an AFP officer that she might have been drugged should have been raised in the defamation trial.

The Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart has been ordered “to cease refusing entry to the exhibit known as Ladies Lounge … by persons who do not identify as ladies” after a legal battle. The decision was handed down after Jason Lau , brought an action against the museum, claiming he was denied entry into Ladies Lounge because of his gender.

The Northern Territory government has extended the Alice Springs youth curfew until the territory’s school holidays end next Tuesday. The move was praised by NT Labor MP Marion Scrymgour , who said “the status quo cannot continue”.

A landmark case has kicked off today , with Roxanne Tickle , a transgender woman, suing the women-only social media platform Giggle for Girls for discrimination after being blocked from using the app. It is the first time a case alleging gender discrimination has been heard by the federal court and may have global implications.

The environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, has announced she will reject Walker Corporation’s Toondah harbour project – an apartment and retail development on an internationally important wetland – at Queensland’s Moreton Bay , due to the potential environmental impact.

Australia and its Aukus partners, the US and the UK, confirmed they are considering working with Japan on Aukus pillar 2, which refers to advanced capability development. Anthony Albanese said Japan was a “natural candidate for that to occur”.

Vice Admiral David Johnston has been recommended to serve as new chief of the defence force from July, when General Angus Campbell steps down.

Brittany Higgins has told the federal court the suggestion by an AFP officer that she might have been drugged on the night she was allegedly raped should have been raised in the defamation trial.

Higgins filed a seven-page submission to the court on Tuesday after being invited by Justice Michael Lee last week to make final submissions concerning her credit before the judgment in Bruce Lehrmann ’s defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson is handed down on Monday.

Higgins said any question about her evidence should take into account the possibility she may have been drugged on top of her trauma, the submission said.

The suggestion she was drugged was raised by the AFP in a document tendered by former Seven producer Taylor Auerbach last week. Auerbach said he got the document from Lehrmann.

An AFP note in the document - which was a master chronology prepared by Lehrmann’s lawyers - said: “I also have concerns from info I heard that this may have happened before or could happen again. (I was referring to info that alleged victim may have been drugged). Paul [Sherring] – we need to speak to a range of people. Security staff cleaners may have info.”

Read the full story:

Mona ordered to stop refusing men entry to Ladies Lounge

The Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart has been ordered “to cease refusing entry to the exhibit known as Ladies Lounge … by persons who do not identify as ladies” after a legal battle.

The decision was handed down in the Tasmanian civil and administrative tribunal after Jason Lau , who visited Mona last April, brought an action against the museum, claiming he was denied entry into Ladies Lounge because of his gender in a contravention of Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act.

Kirsha Kaechele ’s installation Ladies Lounge opened at Mona in 2020. Women who enter the space are pampered by male butlers and served champagne while being surrounded by some of the museum’s finest pieces of art. Those who do not identify as women are not permitted entry.

Lau had argued that denying men access to some of the museum’s most important works (there is a Sidney Nolan, a Pablo Picasso and a trove of antiquities from Mesopotamia, Central America and Africa in the women-only space) is discriminatory. Kaechele said that was the point.

If you need a quick round up on the news of the day, the Afternoon Update is live .

You can subscribe to the Afternoon Update newsletter to get the news straight to your inbox every day, and start your day with our Morning Mail newsletter by subscribing here .

Egyptian refugee Sayed Abdellatif freed after 12 years in Australian detention

A bit of joy for your afternoon. Egyptian refugee Sayed Abdellatif , whose case Guardian Australia has been following and reporting on for more than a decade, has been freed after almost 12 years in Australia’s immigration detention facilities.

He was granted a temporary protection visa and released on Tuesday afternoon from Villawood detention centre.

Abdellatif was emotional as he was reunited with his wife and children, whose faces he had seen only during supervised approved visits to the high security facility during the past decade.

“My family and I are so happy and grateful. Our family is finally back together after so many years of being separated unnecessarily,” he said. “We’ve waited for this for a very very long time.”

The full story is here:

Marion Scrymgour welcomes Alice Springs youth curfew extension, saying ‘the status quo cannot continue’

The Labor MP Marion Scrymgour has applauded the decision by Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler to extend the Alice Springs youth curfew until the NT school holidays end next Tuesday.

Scrymgour told the ABC the curfew has been a “circuit breaker” that has given the community “respite and breathing room”.

I think that people have wanted the government to lead and take some responsibility for this. All credit to Eva Lawler, she has been very strong about these decisions and I know that they have not been popular decisions. She has done this in the interest of the community, of the town, for businesses but also, more importantly, for the young ones that are on the street.

Scrymgour says action needs to be taken to reduce the number of liquor licenses in the community, as well as introducing more temporary housing for young people, where they can be connected to services.

The Labor MP said that the curfew and the incidents that prompted it have made people realise that “the status quo cannot continue”.

“People want to do something about this and I think it has taken last week’s riots, the tragic death of the young person, to finally resonate with people that we cannot continue,” she said.

Mayfair 101’s James Mawhinney charged after Asic investigation

The high-profile fund manager behind failed plans to redevelop Queensland’s Dunk Island has been arrested and charged with four counts of engaging in dishonest conduct, the corporate regulator says. James Mawhinney faced the Melbourne magistrates court on Tuesday and was granted conditional bail including that he remain in Australia. He did not enter a plea. It is understood the businessman behind the collapsed private investment fund Mayfair 101 had recently returned to Melbourne for a retrial of civil proceedings brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) in the federal court. The federal court initially hit Mawhinney with a $30m fine and a 20-year ban on offering financial products for misleading and deceptive conduct. The court has heard that investors – including retirees who were sold the products as alternatives to term deposits, a former Nationals MP and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation political party – stood to lose a combined $211m raised by companies run by Mawhinney since 2016. Mawhinney successfully appealed his sanctions in 2022 on the grounds he was not granted procedural fairness, and a retrial was ordered. Those proceedings began on Monday. The Australian reported the fresh charges relate to an unregistered investment scheme, IPO Wealth. According to ASIC:

It is alleged that on four occasions between 9 August 2019 and 21 April 2020, Mr Mawhinney dishonestly misrepresented to the trustee of the IPO Wealth Fund, that the IPO Wealth Group owned two Italian companies, Poveglia S.R.L. and Retta S.R.L, when it did not.

Mawhinney is due to return to court on 28 June.

In case you need a refresher on the Lehrmann defamation case ahead of the judgment being handed down next week, Amanda Meade , our media correspondent, spoke with deputy editor Gabrielle Jackson for an episode of Full Story. It’s well worth a listen.

Judge to hand down verdict in Bruce Lehrmann defamation case on Monday

Justice Lee will deliver his judgment in the defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson brought by Bruce Lehrmann at 10.15am next Monday 15 April.

The judgment was initially due to be handed down last week, but was reopened after Channel Ten argued that fresh evidence should be considered, after bombshell allegations from a former Channel Seven producer about the network’s dealings with Lehrmann in order to secure an exclusive interview with him in 2023.

Ten was successful and former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach spent two days in the witness box last week giving dramatic evidence, in which he alleged that Seven paid thousands of dollars for massages, drugs, sex workers, accommodation and meals for Lehrmann while they tried to get him over the line for an exclusive interview. Channel Seven has denied the allegations.

Tickle v Giggle: transgender woman sues female-only app for alleged discrimination in landmark case

We have an update from the landmark Tickle v Giggle case, which is being heard this week at the federal court, from Daisy Dumas , who was in court for the proceedings. She writes:

Roxanne Tickle, a transgender woman from regional New South Wales , is suing the women-only social media platform Giggle for Girls after being blocked from using the app.

In a lawsuit filed in December 2022, Tickle claimed she was unlawfully barred from using Giggle in September 2021 after the firm and its CEO, Sall Grover, said she was a man. Tickle is seeking damages.

The former Liberal party candidate Katherine Deves, representing Giggle, failed to have the case thrown out of court.

The case is the first time alleged gender identity discrimination has been heard by the federal court and goes to the heart of how gender identity is interpreted.

In her opening remarks, Tickle’s barrister Georgina Costello KC said that “Ms Tickle is a woman” but that “the respondents flatly deny that fact.”

Giggle and Grover’s barrister, Bridie Nolan, said the focus must be on biological sex.

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