12 June 2025

Teachers and students in Australia’s largest non-government school system, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), are set to benefit from a range of measures to tackle classroom behaviour, school attendance, and the increasingly negative impact of devices and social media on young Victorian’s mental health.

MACS Executive Director, Dr Edward Simons, today launched MACS Vision for Engagement which will see teaching respectful student behaviour elevated to a core developmental focus across MACS’ almost 300 primary and secondary schools. 
This follows MACS’ system-wide switch to explicit teaching of mathematics, reading and writing last year – outlined in our companion statement Vision for Instruction - which is already having a significant impact on teaching and learning in Catholic school classrooms across Melbourne.

“We are seeing the green shoots of evidence-backed pedagogy on academic results, particularly for schools further down this path. Now, we are intentionally sharpening our focus on student engagement as a key pillar of how we support student growth - through explicit teaching of respectful behaviour, shared expectations, and consistent reinforcement.”
Dr Simons said that the complex and unprecedented challenges facing students, and their teachers, required decisive action by education systems. 

“By integrating key engagement practices into a whole-school approach, schools can again become the calm, respectful and inclusive environments in which children can learn and thrive, and teachers can focus on the art of teaching.”
Dr Simons said that the weight of evidence shows that when students no longer show up distracted, but instead feel a sense of safety and belonging, learning outcomes lift.  

“Over the past year, we have heard, loudly and clearly, from teachers, support staff and parents, that the harm social media causes in and outside classrooms is having a detrimental impact not only on learning but on student behaviour and overall wellbeing.

“We must take a much clearer stance against the profit-driven motives of technology companies so that schools do not unintentionally contribute to the harm being caused – harm which is also now becoming evident in emerging global research.
“Mobile phones and social media have no role in learning at school, and we are moving beyond words to clear action. Our shift to explicit instruction has already reduced the reliance on screens in our schools, but we are taking that further to minimise the use of technology where it’s not essential as part of learning.

“This is especially important in primary school settings where young minds are still forming. We will work in partnership with schools and parents so more screens go down and more eyes go up.”
Dr Simons is clear that making these changes is not optional.

“According to OECD PISA results, Australian classrooms are amongst the most disorderly compared to other participating nations (ranking 69 out of 76 countries).
“Closer to home, the latest Auditor General report shows Victorian schools are seeing increasing incidents of verbal and physical abuse against teachers. We have to ensure workplaces are safe for teachers and this requires urgent adjustment to improve student behaviour.

“Engaging young people in their learning is not an insignificant challenge. We want to create an environment that will allow teachers to focus on what they do best, and ensure our students are making the most of their time in the classroom.

“Our hope is that high standards, learnt in our classrooms, transcend into everyday life and reflect community expectations of our next generation, whether that’s on school grounds, the footy field or out with friends.”