June 2025 | Compass Review
AERO student wellbeing report
Last month, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) released a new report to guide Australian schools through implementing evidence-based strategies and interventions that support student wellbeing within diverse school environments and improve aspects of wellbeing linked to learning.
This report builds on two earlier pieces of research: High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (2022)1, which outlined seven practical classroom approaches to support student wellbeing, and Student Health and Wellbeing (2020)2, which reviewed five types of school-wide programs proven to support wellbeing and learning.
The new report titled ‘Evidence-based Practices in School Settings for Student Wellbeing’ brings in the latest research, including First Nations perspectives on wellbeing, highlighting the role of culture, land, and kinship in students’ sense of belonging and success, and emphasising the need for context-specific implementation to effectively support student attendance and wellbeing in response to declining school attendance and the increasing mental health needs of students3.
The importance of student wellbeing has been increasingly highlighted in recent years, especially in light of the mental health challenges faced by children and young people, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid digital transformation.
The report highlights seven high-impact classroom strategies, including:
- Building positive relationships: Foster supportive teacher-student connections
- Facilitating peer relationships: Encourage positive interactions among students
- Establishing clear expectations: Set and maintain consistent classroom rules
- Supporting inclusion and belonging: Create an environment where every student feels valued
- Fostering self-efficacy: Empower students to believe in their capabilities
- Actively engaging students: Promote active participation in learning activities
- Promoting coping strategies: Teach resilience and provide access to support services
It aims to equip educators with effective tools to create supportive, equitable learning environments and address students’ diverse needs. Additionally, it identifies five effective school-based interventions, including:
- Belonging and engagement programs: Initiatives that enhance students’ connection to school
- Mentoring programs: Structured support from peers or adults
- Social-emotional skills training: Programs that develop emotional intelligence
- Cognitive skills development: Activities that enhance thinking and learning skills
- Behavioural skills programs: Interventions that promote positive behaviour
Each strategy and intervention is evaluated using AERO’s Standards of Evidence, guiding educators and policymakers to select evidence-based, contextually relevant approaches.
The report outlines each strategy and intervention in three sections, analysing what the evidence says, rating their confidence in the evidence used to support it, and outlining what the strategy or intervention could look like.
ACARA launches new resources to support media literacy
Late in May, The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released a new online resource designed to support teachers in improving students’ media literacy skills across all year levels, in line with the v9 Australian Curriculum4.
Developed in collaboration with renowned academic, industry, and teaching experts, including the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA), ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image), and Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM), this online resource is designed to support educators in fostering media literacy.
Created in response to the increasing influence of digital media and the importance of critical thinking, this resource aims to equip students with the tools to navigate and analyse media messages effectively across four key aspects, including:
- Understanding and analysing contemporary media
- Creating media content
- Communicating and sharing media content
- Being critical and ethical
Practical strategies, classroom activities, and teaching guides are provided that align with the new resource which aims to encourage students to critically evaluate media content, understand how media shapes perceptions, and develop responsible media consumption habits.
View the resource here5 (by selecting ‘media consumers and creators’ then year group.)
Productivity Commission report
The Productivity Commission released the 2025 Report on Government Services (RoGS) on 10th June. The annual report provides data directly from all Australian governments on the equity, efficiency and effectiveness of the services provided, including public schools.
The report showed that enrolment in government schools has reached its lowest point in a decade, with only 63.3 percent of students attending these institutions in 2024. This trend aligns with the significant increase in the number of children enrolling in independent schools, a shift that has been widely reported in the media6 in recent months after the Australian Bureau of Statistics released its 2024 report7 earlier this year which showed enrolments in independent schools had increased by 18.5%.
Other findings across public schools showed that the student-to-teacher ratio is improving with the national average dropping to 12.9 students per teacher in 2024, down from 13.1 in 2023. This can mean more individual attention and potentially better learning outcomes. The report also showed student retention is declining in senior years. Retention rates in years 10 to Year 12 fell to 79.9 percent, down from a high of 83.3 percent in 2017. The rate was the lowest in government schools (74.3 percent compared to 88.1 percent in non-government schools).
Janet Stone is the former editor of Education Matters and WhichSchool? Magazines. She has written education content for national publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, and The Guardian, as well as several Australian universities and organisations.
Resources
- High Impact Wellbeing Strategies
- Student Health and Wellbeing
- Evidence-based practices in school settings for student wellbeing
- New Resource for Teachers to Support Australian Students in Understanding Media Literacy
- Curriculum connections
- Private school enrolments keep rising as parents flee public system despite cost-of-living crisis
- Data on government and non-government students, staff and schools
- Report on Government Services
