Report Card 2016: Our year in review

Sarah Duggan

By Sarah Duggan
Published December 14, 2016

Ahh 2016, the year that shocked, surprised, delighted and got us tearing up (mostly) with laughter at every twist and turn. Looking back on the year that was, we recall anti-corruption investigations, Safe Schools wars, ongoing Gonski negotiations, jawdropping career achievements, Unsung Heroes thrust into the limelight, rousing classroom projects … shall we go on? So ladies and gentlemen, sit back, relax, and let us take you on a wild ride back through the Australian Teacher Magazine (ATM) archive.

In September we profiled Cecil Hills Public School deputy principal Sarah Hay, one of the world's top competitive jousters and the only woman to have won the international Grail of Chivalry prize.

FEBRUARY

Keen to seize 2016 by the scruff of the neck, so to speak, amongst our topical February News section ...

This story appeared in the December 2016 edition of Australian Teacher Magazine.

EOI - Deputy Principal (Primary) - Temporary Talent Pool - 2026 - Metropolitan North Region

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Brisbane

Are you interested in relieving as a Deputy Principal within Metropolitan North Region? Our region is creating a talent pool of experienced school leaders available f...

Teaching - Secondary / Jun 23, 2026

Head of Department (Mathematics) - Robina State High School

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Brisbane

Robina State High School is seeking Expressions of Interest for a Head of Department (Mathematics). This is a temporary full-time position for Term 3, 2026 unless othe...

Teaching - Secondary / Jun 23, 2026

EOI - Principal (Levels 3 - 10) - Temporary Relieving Pool 2026 - Metropolitan North Region

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Brisbane

Are you looking for short term relieving opportunities as a Principal within Metropolitan North Region? Our region is creating a talent pool of experienced school lea...

Teaching - Secondary / Jun 23, 2026

School news / ‘Absolute disgrace’: fatal park attack near school shocks parents

A school community has been left to pick up the pieces after a man died following a violent attack in broad daylight metres from its gates.

School news / New ‘Futures Academy’ to help get at-risk back on track and re-engaged in education

The Queensland Government has announced a new Crime Prevention School to provide specialised education, mentoring, and family support for at-risk youth in Grades 7-12 who are disengaged from mainstream schooling.

School news / New PD offerings helping teachers grow the next gen of ag professionals

Teachers are being given new tools to help students explore the wide range of careers available across Queensland’s agriculture industry.

School news / AEU members vote to reject Vic Govt’s public school pay and conditions offer

Victorian teachers have rejected their union’s advice and voted down a pay rise offer of up to 32 per cent.

School news / ‘False sense of mastery’: AI may erode the mental structures for learning, experts warn

Quality teaching and the way we learn isn't changing because of AI, but the context means we have to make it the centrepiece of what schools do and give teachers the support and the agency to do so, Professor Leslie Loble says.

School news / ‘Defeats the purpose’: maths expert takes aim at CAS calculators allowed in exams

Subject study designs that heavily involve senior students using advanced calculators capable of solving problems that veer well into university-level mathematics, risk diluting teacher instruction and derailing learning – and are causing clear eq...

School news / Catholic educators take next step in ongoing fight for fair bargaining rights

The IEU has begun its application for a Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) before the Fair Work Commission, marking a major step in its campaign for fair bargaining rights for Victorian Catholic education staff.

School news / ‘They can’t resist them’: teacher reveals extent of digital device distraction

The classroom often descends into a ‘battle scene’ when students have devices with them, as one teacher reports it is a constant struggle to ensure screens remain closed or actually used for learning.

School news / ‘Tough on truancy’ policies under scrutiny as attendance rates continue to drop

Extreme flooding is being blamed for Northern Territory’s reduced school attendance rates as its education minister defends her Government’s tough anti-truancy policy, which includes fines for parents.

School news / Teen terror accused had ‘autistic interest’ in bombs, court hears

A teenager accused of preparing a terrorist attack on then-opposition leader Peter Dutton was not guilty due to his autism-related fixations on dark humour and explosives, a jury has heard.

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