PV submission to Vic. Parliament
Parents Victoria has made a submission to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee of the Victorian Parliament, about the Government's response to the COVID-19 crisis. PV's Gail McHardy also made a verbal submission to the Committee (transcript available below).
The submission focuses on clear communication and strong relationships between schools and families as critical elements in dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 in schools. The submission includes responses from our ongoing parent survey.
We're listening... tell your story
The COVID-19 situation is changing day by day, so we're keeping our parent survey form open... if you have something to say about the way COVID-19 is impacting your children's education, and how that impact flows on to you and your family... we're still listening!
We often have opportunities to advise government departments and other agencies on how the management of COVID-19 is affecting children and parents in the school system, so give us your views and we'll pass them on.
Recent submissions
- In June 2020 we made a submission to Engage Victoria on "Lessons learnt from Remote and Flexible Learning" , in part informed by our online survey.
- In August 2020 we made a submission to the Victorian Parliament's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee on the State Government's response to COVID-19, in part informed by our online survey.
Have your say
What is going well? What are the big problems for you? What could be done better?
We're keeping the format wide open - no questions, just tell your story.
Support services from Beyondblue
If you're feeling worried or struggling to cope during isolation, Beyondblue is there to help.
They are offering:
- Phone support
- Web chat support
- Online community forum
Help for parents of children with disabilities
The latest issue of NoticeBoard, the newsletter of the Association for Children with a Disability is out, and as usual it's full of great supportive information for parents of children with disabilities, including:
- Preparing for your Student Support Group meeting: details of a free online workshop for parents and carers. Student Support Group (SSG) meetings with your child's school are one of the best ways to find new, creative approaches to support your child learning from home. This workshop will show you how to prepare and get the best from these meetings. Choice of dates.
- "It's a marathon, not a sprint" - a parent's story of overcoming difficulties and working with her son's school to achieve a positive outcome for him.
- ...and lots more.
VCE assessment: PV media comment
PV Executive Officer Gail McHardy was interviewed by SBS News for a story on VCE assessment; specifically last week's announcement of special consideration for all VCE students.
Gail said:
"For the 2020 VCE cohort, everything's a bit of an unknown going forward. There's obviously a high level of anxiety among students.
"The impact has predominantly been about the pivoting back and forth, going on-site then back to learning from home and, not being able to share in the end of their secondary schooling life.
"When the anxiety is high, how can they remain calm and how can they continue to focus?"
VCE students, mental health: announcements
Education MInister James Merlino announced changes to VCE assessment at a press conference this afternoon.
Mr Merlino announced that special consideration for the impacts of COVID-19 will be extended to all VCE students. Special consideration has previously been available on a case-by-case basis, in cases of illness or injury, and students needed to apply for it. This year, every student will be assessed individually and the impacts of COVID-19 (including absence from school, family responsibilities and mental health) will be taken into account. Mr Merlino said that no student will be disadvantaged because of the impacts of COVID-19.
Extra support for vulnerable students
Mr Merlino also announced extra funding for programs to support vulnerable students and mental health programs.
The extra funding will help to boost:
- Mental health training for school staff
- Mental health practitioners in schools (they will be available in all schools including special schools)
- Programs such as Navigator that support vulnerable students
Face masks: supporting children and teenagers
The Raising Children website has published new resources on helping children and teenagers coping with face masks.
Even though children under 12 are not required to wear masks, they might feel anxious or upset when they can’t see your face or the faces of other carers and familiar people. Teenagers might have mixed and varying feelings about face masks.
Here are links to the pages:
For senior students: VCAA hotline
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) has a COVID-19 advice page on its website, but if you still have questions you can all the VCAA on their hotline:
1800 134 197
Update 2 August: from the Education Minister
A message from Hon. James Merlino, Minister for Education, 2 August 2020:
Today we made the significant decision to go to Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne and Stage 3 in regional Victoria. It’s a tough call but one that had to be made.
Based on the advice of Victorian and national health experts, we need to go further in our efforts to drive the Coronavirus numbers down.
So what does this mean for schools and early childhood?
On Monday, students and staff will continue as they have been.
Tuesday will be a pupil free day for schools.
From Wednesday in metropolitan Melbourne all students in p-12 will learn remotely. On-site supervision will be available for students of permitted workers, vulnerable students, and in some cases, students with disabilities.
From Thursday early childhood services in Melbourne will also only be open to families of defined workplaces where the child needs care and to vulnerable children.
In regional Victoria all students will learn remotely although our specialist schools will remain open for students. On-site supervision will be available for all students of permitted workers, vulnerable students and any student with a disability.
Early childhood services will also remain open as normal in regional Victoria.
I know this is challenging for everyone but it something we simply have to do. We have no choice if we want to slow the spread of the virus.
This is all about stopping around 1 million students, their families and teachers from moving around the state.
For VCE students my message is clear. You will sit your exams and you will receive an ATAR by the end of the year. I know it is challenging but we will support you every step of the way.
2020 is turning out to be a year that none us could even imagine.
But if we all stick together we will get through this.
Thank you to our amazing principals, teachers, and school and early childhood staff who continue to do an outstanding job in circumstances that are extremely difficult. I could not be prouder of the work you do.
PV Media Release: COVID-19 and school closures
31 July, 2020
Parents Victoria is very concerned by the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the community and in our schools in particular. Although a small percentage of schools overall have had to be closed due to positive cases, the number compared with last lockdown have increased dramatically. Parents are understandably worried about the physical health of their children, where they are required to attend onsite. This is added to their concerns about their children’s mental wellbeing, impacted for some because they have to be at school, and others because they are required to Learn from Home (LFH) again. There is no one answer which will suit everyone.
At this time, Parents Victoria calls on the State Government to review its decision to keep senior students learning onsite. We believe more flexibility must be provided to school principals to put arrangements in place to suit their local communities. These should include lessons and resources being available online again for senior students, who could then LFH if that were their preference, or could participate in remote learning onsite at their school, or in a nominated school within a local cluster. The cluster model could operate for all students who cannot LFH (medically vulnerable families, essential worker parents, etc.). The majority of teachers and staff should also be authorised to work from home. These options should be available to all students attending specialist schools, too.
We would suggest a decision is made for at least the remainder of Term 3, and that any such decision remains in place for the indicated period. Constantly changing decisions lead to more anxiety for families. A decision relating to Term 4 should be made as early as is practical. Communication to families from the Government/DET and schools must be timely, factual, and not contradictory.
Most critical is the health and wellbeing of students, their families, and all staff in our schools.
All enquiries regarding this release should be directed to Gail McHardy, Executive Officer: 0413 589 627 or via email.
