Crossword Genius

Dog, inexperienced, working with grammar school birds (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

currawongs

'birds' is the definition.
(currawong is a kind of bird)

'dog inexperienced working with grammar school' is the wordplay.
'dog' becomes 'cur' (a cur is an aggressive or scruffy dog).
'inexperienced' becomes 'raw' (similar in meaning).
'working' becomes 'on' (on can mean working or activated).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'grammar school' becomes 'GS' (abbreviation for grammar school).
'cur'+'raw'+'on'+'gs'='CURRAWONGS'

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app