Greg Whitby

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta From this year, Year 9 students across NSW will be required to pre-qualify for the Higher School Certificate. What does all this mean? Simply, students will need to meet a minimum standard (above band 8) in reading, writing...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta These days, we know much more about how learners learn and what constitutes good teaching than we did in the past. That is why the industrial model of schooling has passed its use-by date. Yet for some reason...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta There is always debate about how much technologies are adding value to learning and teaching in schools. The question many parents and outsiders ask is whether having access to a computer or iPad actually helps students with their...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta For most parents, the practical side of schooling begins very early in January with the back- to-school sales. This is the time when conversations about schooling are dominated by the ‘traditional’ requirements we tend to associate with quality...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta Most people think that the end of the school as a ‘wind-down’ period. The reality is that for most schools, it is the busiest time of year. There are final reports to be written, Christmas concerts to be...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta There’s always debate and discussion about more testing in schools, changes to the curriculum or improvements to the HSC. However, attention is rarely given to changing the structures of schooling. I’m referring to the length of school days,...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta If you have teenagers, then it’s a given that the Christmas break will involve connecting with their friends on social media. Social media is how many young people communicate and while some of us may not be as...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta For most Year 12 students across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, schoolies week has become a rite of passage. Traditionally, school-leavers have flocked to the Gold Gold coast and a few other popular venues for a week of sun,...

Weekly Column from the Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Parramatta It seems that the days of renting a suit, borrowing the family car and heading off to the school hall or local club for the Year 12 school formal are well and truly over. In some instances, the...