Nicole Precel

Many parents will be dreading the tears at kinder drop-off this week, but Will Banting’s been preparing for this moment and couldn’t be more excited.

Schoolboys are battling for a spot at Victoria’s high-fee schools, while other private schools fight to attract girls in a competitive market.

As 43,373 of the state’s students sat down for Tuesday’s three-hour-long exam, one was calm and collected despite the enormity of the event and her young age.

One of Victoria’s most expensive private schools wants permission to enrol more girls, arguing it is at risk of becoming a boys’ school by default.

Melbourne is home to Australia’s largest Jewish population, centred on a collection of south-eastern suburbs. People there say they are afraid and shaken.

A family with three children at Leibler Yavneh College faces legal action over almost $300,000 in unpaid school fees, as cost-of-living pressures raise concerns of more debt collections.

In standout cases, therapy dogs have helped school students with selective mutism speak, but with more dogs appearing in schools, experts say there should be more regulation.

The state must apologise and pay compensation to five former students of Jewish descent over failing to protect them from racial discrimination.

Toxic car fumes are a consequence of increased traffic congestion around schools – and cities like Copenhagen and New York have taken drastic moves to fix the problem.

Regional camps say they are struggling to survive because of wage rises for on-call teachers in Victoria.