Unpredictable, archaic English spelling has set kids up to fail: advocate

Geordie Little

By Geordie Little
Published April 20, 2021

With three languages already under her belt, 14-year-old Masha Bell didn’t expect to run into too much trouble with English.

Bell says that of the 7000 most commonly used English words, just 2781 are spelled predictably.

Like most Lithuanian children, she learnt to read her native language in her first few months of school.

Russian and ...

Behaviour and Learning Support

Teaching Aides & Special Needs / Dec 15, 2025

Administrative Officer - Kuranda District State College

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Cairns

Join Kuranda District State College as an Administrative Officer, where you'll play a key role in supporting the school's operations and ensuring a seamless experience...

Teaching - Secondary / Dec 15, 2025

Rehearsal Assistant - Community Engagement & Events

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Brisbane

An exciting opportunity exists for two rehearsal assistants to join the Creative Generation, State Schools Onstage program team in 2026. Join our team and play a ke...

Teaching - Secondary / Dec 15, 2025

School news / Timely turnaround: encouraging improvements in ear health for First Nations children

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) children who reported a long-term ear or hearing problem has more than halved over the past couple of decades.

School news / Not up to scratch: calls for SA Govt to address its ‘outdated’ education standards approach

There are calls today for the South Australian Government to commit to a basic minimum standard for all public education facilities.

School news / Independent schools community rallies in response to unthinkable Bondi tragedy

Leaders from the Jewish and broader community have broken down after 15 people, including a child, were shot dead by father-and-son terrorists at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

School news / Just days in and social media ban slugged with second legal challenge

Reddit should not be considered social media, the app’s management argues, as it fights Australia’s world-leading ban for under 16s.

School news / ‘Infringement of fundamental rights’: Austria passes headscarf ban for under-14s in schools

Austria’s lower house of parliament has passed a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools for girls under 14 ⁠despite uncertainty over whether the legislation will be ruled unconstitutional as a previous ban was five years ago.

School news / ‘Grave and serious breach of that trust’: principal avoids jail for assaulting Indigenous pupils

A former NRL referee has been spared jail after abusing his position of trust as a school principal by putting Indigenous students into choke holds and painfully twisting their ears.

School news / ‘Backed into a corner’: striking Tassie teachers take a stand for school support staff

Most of Tasmania’s government schools have closed for half of today’s school day as hundreds of staff walked off the job in protest at the Liberal Government’s failure to provide fair pay for school support staff.

School news / Inclusive innovation: one school leaders’ incredible Nature, Nurture, Network curriculum

The Hills Christian Community School’s 600 students are on a pretty good wicket. A unique F-12 nature school situated on nine pristine acres of play space, it’s a model school for technological excellence and innovation that is the envy of others,...

School news / Govt’s social media ban a clear win for schools: legal expert

Schools that ignore or dismiss signs of online bullying between students could face serious legal consequences, a former teacher-turned-lawyer has warned.

Opinion / What an emu on a ute taught me about equity in education

Why a simple sentence can reveal hidden gaps in classrooms, and how a grassroots teacher movement is using the science of learning to give every child a fair chance.

Comments