In ‘The Relational School: From Behaviour Management to Cultural Transformation’ Sue Chandler shares how schools can go from not only valuing relationships but actively supporting them. This abridged extract for Teacher readers is taken from a chapter discussing change fatigue and building staff readiness.

Although often associated with a new school year, transitions occur throughout the school day and across each term. Anna Brady – principal at autism-specific school Aspect Vern Barnett School – shares how each term begins with a deliberate re‑establishment of routines, expectations and supports, and the positive impact on students.

‘Perhaps the most important realisation for any school community is that culture is never owned by leadership alone.’ In her first column for Teacher, Associate Principal Rachael Lehr explores how strong, positive school cultures are deliberately built through everyday actions and shared responsibility.

In our latest reader submission, Dr Aylie Davidson, Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Deakin University, explains that planning for learning necessitates intellectual and collaborative effort, and outlines what an effective planning meeting for maths looks like in practice.

In The Research Files Episode 105, Jo Earp is joined by Dr Alexandra Hennessey from the University of Manchester to talk about a research study exploring how different schools in the UK have adopted the Well Schools framework. Their conversation focused on 2 aspects – the role of teacher wellbeing and the importance of a whole school approach.

At Al-Taqwa College, a school of more than 2,700 students from prep to year 12, managing data and assessment is a significant undertaking. In today’s article, Assistant Head of Curriculum, Noorun Nisa Abdul Wahid shares how staff collect data, what they do to make sense of it, and how it informs curriculum design, assessment and teaching across the whole school.

Our first Teacher’s Bookshelf of 2026 features the open-access guide How to Use Research Evidence Well In Education: A Guide For Educators and Leaders. This excerpt shares a school case study of what identifying a clear purpose looks like in action.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Williamstown, Victoria, has a 10-year plan to improve its playground and outdoor spaces. In today’s article, principal Anthony Hockey shares what the school has done to improve the playgrounds so far, what is to come next, and the noticeable impact these changes have already had on student engagement and behaviour. 

Teacher editor Jo Earp finds out how the Aspect Learning Improvement Collaborative is using a mainstream learning framework developed by Dr Lyn Sharratt, adapted to suit an autism-specific education setting. We’ll hear from Lyn, Aspect Education's Deputy National Director Karilyn Gumley and principals Kaye Perry, Joanne Tisdell, and Michelle Zikmundovsky.

As a school leader, organising your school timetable might be a task you’re beginning to turn your mind to as we look ahead to the 2026 school year. In this article, we speak to 2 principals trialling major changes to their school calendar – one by moving to an 8-term model, and the other by introducing a 4-day learning week.