School culture

In today’s Q&A, Teacher speaks with the National Excellence in Teaching Awards 2024 winner of the Founders’ Principal for Leadership Award, Angela Phillips from Westminster School in South Australia. She chats about her work to establish engaging professional learning opportunities, increase the number of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers, and her latest initiative – a Micro Rewards scheme for staff.

For the last 6 months, Series 3 of our School Assembly podcast has been following Dan McShea, Foundation Principal of Notre Dame P-12 College on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The big day finally arrived, and in this episode Teacher Editor Jo Earp checks in with Dan on how that first day of the new school went.

‘Educational provision includes what students learn … how they will be taught … and the culture in which they will be taught ... Gifted students benefit from the opportunity to interact with differentiated versions of each of these.’ Professor John Munro explains 3 areas of differentiation, and shares examples of what this could look like in the classroom.

Some of our 2024 Teacher Awards winners join us in this special podcast episode, where they share their top tips for starting the new year. From reading recommendations to leadership tips for welcoming and supporting staff for the new year, there’s something in this episode for everyone. 

In Teacher’s first reader submission of 2025, Brisbane-based senior educator Jessica J Griffin reflects on her own leadership practice and philosophy, and how this has changed over the course of her career – moving beyond authority to collaboration, empathy and resilience.

If your students don’t ask questions or seek clarification in class, does it mean they understand, or that they’re not comfortable speaking up when they’re unsure about something being taught? The latest PISA 2022 international insights report explores student use of learning strategies, motivation for learning and self-confidence.

Aspect runs autism-specific education programs in New South Wales and South Australia. In this Leadership Q&A, we speak to Joanne Tisdell – Principal of Aspect South East Sydney School – about supporting students on the autism spectrum, including curriculum content, collaborative partnerships and the design of teaching and learning spaces.

School Assembly is the podcast where we find out what it takes to build a school from the ground up. In Series 3 we’re following Dan McShea, Principal of Notre Dame College, Queensland. In this episode we’re talking leadership – including the differences between taking on the role at an existing school, as opposed to being a foundation principal.

Improving students’ academic achievement goes hand-in-hand with supporting their health and wellbeing. In Episode 56 of our School Improvement podcast series, we’re focusing on grief and loss education. We’ll be hearing about an evidence-based program that’s helping a high school in regional New South Wales support its students with these issues.

School Assembly is the podcast series that explores what it takes to build a school from the ground up. In this episode we catch up with Notre Dame College Principal Dan McShea to talk about crafting the school vision, mission and motto.