Bridie Smith

Melbourne

Education Reporter at The Age

Education reporter @theage | Formerly desk editor, science editor, consumer affairs reporter @theage | Creator of @ZoosVictoria podcast, Fauna.

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Articles

Parents warned against ‘myth’ of eye exercises for treating dyslexia

1 week ago | smh.com.au | Bridie Smith

, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Parents are being cautioned against falling for the “myth” that eye exercises can treat children struggling with reading, as experts warn the unproven treatments are a waste of money that could harm students’ academic progress.
Bandt clings to Melbourne seat as members internally clash on party direction

1 week ago | smh.com.au | Olivia Ireland |Clay Lucas |Bridie Smith

By Olivia Ireland, Clay Lucas and Bridie Smith May 4, 2025 — 5.44pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. The Greens are blaming the loss of at least two lower house seats on inconsistent and confusing messaging during the campaign, and members are debating whether the party should double down on its emphasis on the war in Gaza.
‘Unproven’ teaching methods have failed primary students and teachers

1 month ago | watoday.com.au | Bridie Smith

Exponential Interactive, Inc d/b/a VDX.tvCookie duration: 90 (days). Data collected and processed: IP addresses, Device identifiers, Probabilistic identifiers, Browsing and interaction data, Non-precise location data, Users’ profiles, Privacy choicesmoreCookie duration resets each session. View details | Privacy policyConsentCookie duration: 365 (days).
‘Unproven’ teaching methods have failed primary students and teachers

1 month ago | theage.com.au | Bridie Smith

, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Australian students’ maths abilities have been compromised over decades as a result of “faddish, unproven” teaching methods that have failed to deliver results, a national study has found.
out of school hours programs could see some students doing a 60-hour week

1 month ago | theage.com.au | Bridie Smith

, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Private schools are offering a 60-hour week to students as parents look for ways to make home life fit around work commitments, meaning some children could have longer work days than their parents.
out of school hours programs could see some students doing a 60-hour week

1 month ago | watoday.com.au | Bridie Smith

Exponential Interactive, Inc d/b/a VDX.tvCookie duration: 90 (days). Data collected and processed: IP addresses, Device identifiers, Probabilistic identifiers, Browsing and interaction data, Non-precise location data, Users’ profiles, Privacy choicesmoreCookie duration resets each session. View details | Privacy policyConsentCookie duration: 365 (days).
Yo-yos, fidget spinners, pizza: Boosting school attendance one slice at a time

1 month ago | theage.com.au | Bridie Smith

, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. For students at Wyndham Park Primary School, turning up at school comes with benefits beyond classroom results. It means the chance to accumulate points which, each week, can be redeemed for toys such as yo-yos, whistles, fidget toys or board games. But while these tangible rewards get results, students have their eyes on a bigger, tastier prize: pizza.
Ordered on an app, packed in a brown paper bag: A school’s secret to a $6 canteen lunch

1 month ago | theage.com.au | Bridie Smith

Ordered on an app, packed in a brown paper bag: A school’s secret to a $6 canteen lunchBy Bridie Smith March 23, 2025 — 12.00pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. The coin-clinking brown paper bag with a handwritten lunch order on the front was replaced by an app long ago. But the old-school, parent-run canteen still exists.
Ordered on an app, packed in a brown paper bag: A school’s secret to a $6 canteen lunch

1 month ago | watoday.com.au | Bridie Smith

Exponential Interactive, Inc d/b/a VDX.tvCookie duration: 90 (days). Data collected and processed: IP addresses, Device identifiers, Probabilistic identifiers, Browsing and interaction data, Non-precise location data, Users’ profiles, Privacy choicesmoreCookie duration resets each session. View details | Privacy policyConsentCookie duration: 365 (days).
Private schools launch campaign to protect billions in federal funding by targeting key seats

2 months ago | smh.com.au | Bridie Smith

By Bridie Smith February 27, 2025 — 12.01am, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. The nation’s private school lobby group has named a hit list of almost 20 federal seats it will target in a campaign to corral the billions of dollars in federal funding the sector receives and secure a $50 million innovation fund.