The School Magazine turns 110
A literacy legacy
The world’s longest-running literary magazine for children is proudly celebrating its 110th anniversary this year.
'The School Magazine is a much-loved mainstay of the Australian education landscape,' says Isaac Graham, The School Magazine Advisor. 'I fondly remember reading it as a primary school student and I absolutely loved using it as a classroom teacher.'
The department launched The School Magazine in 1916, in the middle of World War I. Since then, it has been published uninterrupted through some of the most significant events in history—including world wars, the Great Depression, the Moon landings, countless Olympic Games and a global pandemic. Today, The School Magazine continues to thrive, distributing over one million copies each year to students in more than 750 schools across Australia.
Each of its 40 annual issues features a rich variety of stories, plays, poems, articles and puzzles, carefully curated to foster a love of reading among upper primary students. Together with its curriculum-aligned learning resources, The School Magazine remains an invaluable tool for teachers and supports the department’s priority to improve student literacy outcomes through curriculum.
'Improving literacy is fundamental to providing every student with the foundation for lifelong learning and academic success,' notes Graham. 'The School Magazine contributes to this goal by offering high-quality, curriculum-aligned content that supports educators in enhancing literacy outcomes across diverse student communities.'
New digital platform
In 2025, The School Magazine launched a new digital platform to enhance the user experience for both teachers and students. This platform allows teachers to access an extensive back catalogue of issues, assign tasks, group students, and track engagement, while students can complete interactive comprehension activities and listen to audio recordings of texts.
'I was already using the printed magazine and was blown away,' said Elderslie Public School Stage 3 teacher Rebecca Craig. 'To now be able to access the digital side of it as well—it just makes the learning so much richer for the students.'
Take part in the celebration
To celebrate this incredible milestone, The School Magazine is relaunching its popular student writing competition in Issue 2 (March 2026) and releasing a special student booklet filled with anniversary-themed activities.
Download the Stage 2 and Stage 3 Activity Books below. Please print double-sided and flipped on the short edge to fold the sheets into a booklet.
The School Magazine team looks forward to continuing its commitment to quality literature and literacy education for many years to come.