Can therapy dogs decrease anxiety and stress in students, and improve school attendance? These are just some of the questions Monash University academics Dr Linda Henderson and Dr Christine Grove from the Faculty of Education are trying to answer as they push for more research in this area.

On this episode of School Improvement, Cobram Primary School Principal Matt Knight and teacher Cassie Ryan discuss an initiative that has dramatically reduced the number of unexplained and chronic student absences at the school.

The Cancer Council has launched a newly revised edition of its Cancer in the School Community resource aimed at teachers, principals and school counsellors. In today’s article we speak to a school-based psychologist about how she’s been using the resource to navigate cancer diagnoses in her school and provide support.

Participants in a school-based mentoring program, along with the program coordinator, join Teacher for this podcast to explain why partnering students with an adult mentor can encourage a higher level of engagement in school.

Headteacher of Brimsdown Primary School in the UK, Dani Lang joins Teacher for this School Improvement podcast to talk about her school’s focus on staff wellbeing. Establishing the staff wellbeing team has been one of the factors in helping the school achieve a vast improvement in its Ofsted grade, and it has created a new harmony in the staffroom.

Andria Zafirakou was recently named the Global Teacher Prize winner. In this episode of Global Education, she speaks to Teacher about how her school partners with others in the community, why student voice is so important and how she supports the wellbeing of her students.

In an earlier Teacher article, Leanne Lester and Donna Cross discuss the need for schools to carry out regular reviews of pastoral care policies, program and practices. Here, they look in greater depth at Stage 2 – reviewing staff wellbeing.

This school in Western Australia is focused on creating a culture of continuous learning for both staff and students. To ensure everyone is on board, they’ve captured student voice through an online survey. Here, we learn how they’re using the information they’ve captured to improve school culture, and structure their approach to teaching and learning.

A review into the effects of starting school later in the day has found some promising results for teenagers struggling to get to school on time. Here we look at the research findings and we speak to a school in Australia that commences lessons at 10 am.

School leadership is an increasingly complex role and research suggests the demands certainly take their toll on the health and wellbeing of principals. Associate Professor Philip Riley joins The Research Files to discuss the latest findings of the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety & Wellbeing Survey.