Colin Campbell
Explicit teaching works. It absolutely works. By introducing the model and getting that consistency across the school, it's made it easier for both staff and students. That hinge question can make a really big difference and it may well at that particular time means that the staff member goes back a step. So we've been really determined to sort of stick with that explicit teaching model and it's working well for us.

Murat Dizdar
Hello colleagues. Welcome to the What Works Best 2025 vodcast series, where we get our top leaders from across NSW public schools to share their practical insights about how they're implementing the What Works Best practices to support our students across NSW with learning, engagement and wellbeing growth. Today we're talking exclusively about explicit teaching and I'm delighted to be joined by our fantastic Principal of Doonside Technology High School, in Colin Campbell. We're coming to you from the lands of the Dharug people in Western Sydney. We want to acknowledge their custodianship and their Elders past and present. Colin, great for you to be able to join us.

Colin Campbell
Thank you.

Murat Dizdar
Tell our viewers and listeners a little bit about Doonside Tech High.

Colin Campbell
So we're a comprehensive high school in Western Sydney. We've got about 730 enrolments. We've got about 22% Pacific Islander background at our school. We've got about 16% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. And to be honest, Murat, the approach that we take at our school is very much an individualised approach. The links and the relationships with our community is really, really important. And with the background of our students, it's very much... the approach is really around every student being known, valued and cared for. And some of the things I'll go into today sort of goes into that individualised approach.

Murat Dizdar
Okay. When I was out at the school, I could see explicit teaching in every classroom I walked into. That's no mean feat, not easy to achieve. Talk to us about how you've been able to achieve that, because that's a big challenge in education – to get the consistency of teaching and learning practice across classrooms.

Colin Campbell
Yeah, I think the real feel from our staff and within the school community is that staff wanted there to be a real predictable learning environment for our students. They wanted there to be that consistency across the school. So what we what we did was basically create a DTHS (Doonside Technology High School) explicit teaching model, which was really created on the foundation that when students walk into a classroom, there is going to be that predictability for them. And in terms of that model, it really started with the Connect phase. And when you, and I'm hoping you experienced this, I'm sure you did. When you walk into any classroom at our school, you'll be able to see visually, learning intentions up on the board for our students, a clear success criteria. It's really evident for the students what they're trying to achieve straight away into the class. The second part of that model really goes into the Enhance phase and that's very much around the teacher essentially introducing the concept or teaching the concepts that will be happening during that particular period. That then moves into the Consolidate phase, which is really around scaffolding for our students. It's an 'I do, you do, we do' type arrangement, and there's lots of activities that are sort of worked into that period. And the last phase of the model, which really works for us, that Evaluation phase, and what we really work into that is the formative assessment. And the formative assessment will happen at different stages during the lesson. But for example, it could be in the middle part of the lesson, whereby the staff member introduces a hinge question and it could be just a simple question to sort of gauge knowledge in the class. There's no point in continuing through a lesson with a group of students if everyone's confused. So that hinge question can make a really big difference, and it may well at that particular time mean that the staff member goes back a step, back to that Enhance phase. But by introducing the model and getting that consistency across the school, it's made it easier for both staff and students, but particularly the students, of course, walking into the room and knowing what the structure of the lesson's going to look like.

Murat Dizdar
That's no mean feat. I love the way you describe the predictability, particularly in the high school context. I'm going as a student from having primacy of my teacher at primary school to 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 teachers. How did you get buy-in from the staff to deliver on this predictability?

Colin Campbell
Yeah, look, I think it's really important that initially... look, there was that, I guess, automatic buy-in in the sense that the staff members really wanted that consistency across the school. They could see the benefit. They understand that when, you know, when we look at What Works Best and everything sort of ties in, you can't have one without the other. But they wanted that explicit teaching to be happening. They wanted a model that would work. But the way in which we've really done that is through, obviously professional learning that we've worked into our TPL (Teacher Professional Learning) calendar. We've placed a real emphasis on that. We've had professional learning communities, which we've created across the school and staff could actually... not only have that real voice in what they saw as being really important, but they could actually attend during built-in professional learning time, an opportunity to enhance their practise across – it may well be learning intention, success criteria, formative assessment. They joined a learning community. There's that great collaborative stuff that obviously happens, because very often in a high school environment, you know, staff can get caught just within their own faculty environment... The communities we've created is staff across different faculties working together. So that's been really, really powerful for us and that's really made it sustainable for us to continue with it.

Murat Dizdar
And the profession reminds me that teachers have always been experts at modelling practice. Modelling concepts, getting students to work through examples and then guiding them towards independent learning. But there is a thirst for a better knowledge on how to achieve those things effectively. Talk to how you're driving that at your school. Teachers are hungry to know what exemplary practice looks like in those spaces.

Colin Campbell
I think for us, the way in which we've embedded it, and because I think we have given it time as well, you know, we started this journey approximately 5 years ago. And what staff have ultimately seen by having that really structured approach in the classrooms: One, they've really, we've got banks of resources, we've got that sort of scaffolded opportunities for staff to work through. It's made things easier for them in the classroom in many ways. But engagement has significantly enhanced and what we've ultimately seen is that, you know, classrooms more settled. We've seen student outcomes really being enhanced. We've seen that the outcomes for us through value added in that NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy), through Check-in (assessments), our HSC (Higher School Certificate) data, we've seen significant improvements in that space. But the school environment, and when you walk around any classroom, it's settled, it's calm. Staff are happier. We've seen that through the Public School Survey (NSW Public Schools Surveys) data. We've seen that through our People Matters data (People Matter Employee Survey), that across the school, it's working for us. And I think in terms of sort of getting that buy-in and really sort of sticking to it, not just jumping from one thing to another. It's that real narrow and deep focus. And we've been really determined to sort of stick with that explicit teaching model and it's working well for us.

Murat Dizdar
And so a 5-year road … I'm going to jump out of order here and you're not going to mind …You know, I arrive as a new principal in my context and I find that they're looking for what you said: predictability of learning environment. What advice have you got for me, because I've got a school that is not 5 years down the track here. What have you learnt that I should take on board in leading my new school?

Colin Campbell
Like I said, I think you need to be able to be really deliberate in what you're trying to achieve. Explicit teaching works. It absolutely works. And I think it's important to get that staff buy-in, in terms of, you know, what you're trying to achieve in that space. But I think giving things time and that's something that we've been willing to do... The other thing that I just wanted to touch on there, which I think is really important, is we've got a great relationship with our partner primary schools. And I think that's a key focus – I would say to anyone that goes into a new school environment – create that great relationship, strong relationship with the partner primary schools and know your students that are coming into Year 7 before they get there. So for us, a huge thing has been our class profiles. And that's – I believe not only is it … it's what we should be doing in a sense, we should know our students well – but when our students arrive to us at Doonside Technology High school, we already know them. We know what their needs are. We know that where they're sitting in that space of whether it be NAPLAN, NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) information, what their social backgrounds are, what they've experienced. And we come up with plans at the beginning of Year 7. Staff work together on that. Our learning and support team do an incredible job in that space. And we actually have those plans that go all the way through. Obviously it's a dynamic document, so we're continually updating them. And then that leads into the senior years whereby we create an individualised education plan for Year 11. And then we introduce the 'T' in year 12 where it's a transition plan. And for me, I think in terms of anyone going into a school environment, we want an individualised approach to the way we work with our students.

Murat Dizdar
What about this next area Colin? You know, when I was in the classroom teaching, I held on tightly to the syllabus, hard copy with my highlighter, and I'd tick off... You know, "I've taught them the 'J curve' in economics... I've done my part", but I've learned subsequently that checking for understanding is such an important part of the explicit teaching cycle and then revisiting down the track, something I wish I was across stronger when I was in the classroom. How are you doing that key element of explicit teaching at Doonside?

Colin Campbell
We have a bank of resources that we put together for staff when they go through the DTHS (Doonside Technology High School) explicit teaching model. Within that there are various formative assessment strategies that can be implemented during the class. And it can be a really, really simple thing just to see knowledge. But like I said, when we get to the end of each lesson and we have exit tickets when students leave the class around what they've achieved, what they feel like they've learnt. But during that particular lesson. And we... we've made that curriculum planning time where it's worked into every lesson, every program. It could be hinge questioning, it could be those questioning techniques. It could be a simple, you know, A, B, C, D multiple choice question at some point during the class, just to check for students’ knowledge … could be a thumbs up and thumbs down. There are so many different things that you can do, but the bank of resources that staff have got just means that when they are getting to the end of the period, students are not being left behind. We're getting that earlier and if they are being left behind and there's not that understanding and there's not been that response of people being with the teacher, so to speak. Then we go back a step in the model.

Murat Dizdar
Colin, if I've been with you for 5 years as a staff member, I've benefited from this professional development exposure, but what if I land this year with you? It's my first teaching appointment, I'm keen, energetic, but this is not my forte. How do you bring me up to speed?

Colin Campbell
Yeah, look, I think one of the things that we really speak about in our school is very much, I guess, that open classroom, collaborative nature. So we, within faculties, we always make sure that we have that, I guess, buddy system whereby we can obviously check in on colleagues. We arrange opportunities for our early career teachers, or new teachers, to be able to do classroom observations. We make sure they've got that time. But I think really if I'm a new staff member coming in, Murat, I think one of the things that we do really, really well is our induction process. So we make sure that when staff come into our school, we have fortnightly meetings. We've got a really, really clear structure we go through, but we make sure that our early career teachers or new teachers to the school learn the DTHS explicit teaching model. They know what the supports are that are available to them. We actually have videos of best practice that they can actually see. They get the opportunity to observe that. So we make sure that we put all those things in place.

Murat Dizdar
Awesome, powerful Colin, can I thank you. We're really proud to have you at the helm at Doonside Tech High, there. You and the team are kicking great goals and we want to thank you for that. For all of us, if you're looking For more information about Doonside Technology High School's approach to explicit teaching and to find the full suite of our What Works Best 2025 CESE (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation) resources – and a huge shout-out to the CESE team – you need to jump on the Department of Education website right now.

[End transcript]

Jenny Zagas
Of course, when we're talking about data, it's that why question, why are we going to collect data? It's not because “Jenny said” or it's a tick-a-box. It's a purposefully collecting that data to tell us something and to inform us. When we're talking about data, we're talking about wellbeing data, but also academic. In order to get that academic data, we need that wellbeing. And so the teachers have those conversations, short, sharp, it's not long hours, they look at the data, they analyse, they ask for support.

Murat Dizdar
Hello colleagues, it's Murat Dizdar here. Welcome to the What Works Best vodcast series, where we grab some of our fantastic leaders across NSW public schools and get them to share their practical insights about how they are implementing the What Works Best practices to support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. We do want to acknowledge the Baramadagal people, we're on their beautiful homelands and we do want to pay our respects to their custodianship and their Elders, past and present. I'm delighted to let you know that today we're going to focus on using data effectively to inform practice and I'm joined by my good colleague Jenny Zagas, who's the Principal of Lucas Gardens School. It's a fantastic school that I've visited a number of times in my career on Wangal Country in Inner West Sydney. Thanks for joining us, Jenny.

Jenny Zagas
Pleasure.

Murat Dizdar
Jenny, can you just tell us a little bit about the school for those that may not know Lucas Gardens School?

Jenny Zagas
So Lucas Gardens is a specialised setting and it supports students from Kindergarten to Year 12 who have a moderate to severe intellectual disability, many of whom have additional needs such as autism, physical disabilities, sensory impairment or complex health. There's 77 students in the school. K to 6 follow the K to 6 syllabus and the teachers make the curriculum, instructional and environmental adjustments to support the learning needs of the students, and 7 to 12 follow the Life Skills pattern of studies. We've got a very strong connection with community, both local and the wider community. And one of our big highlights for this year has been our cross-school partnerships with our local primary and high schools, where they come into our school and we go to them to support our HPGE (High Potential and Gifted Education) program.

Murat Dizdar
Let me zoom into the very purposeful approach your school has around collecting and using data. Tell us a little bit about the role that data plays in teaching and learning at Lucas Gardens School.

Jenny Zagas
So of course, when we're talking about data, it's that why question, why are we going to collect data? It's not because “Jenny said” or it's a tick-a-box. It's purposefully collecting that data to tell us something and to inform us. When we're talking about data, we're talking about wellbeing data, but also academic. In order to get that academic data we need that wellbeing. So some of our students may be dysregulated or may have some behavioural challenges. So when we're taking data around behaviour, we're looking at the... what the behaviour is telling us. So we may do an ABC [Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequences (recording)], we may do a scatter plot – that will tell us what tools and strategies we're going to use to reshape the behaviour. For example, you may have the same child running out of the classroom, but it may be two different strategies you're going to use. The child running out of the classroom may require... is having a sensory meltdown and requires noise-cancelling headphones or the child that wants to go out on the play equipment. So the behaviour mapping and the analysis of that, we're going to use different strategies. So it's very important. Then, because we've already fixed up that that behaviour – readiness to learn. We're now going into the teaching and learning. We're not going to get to the teaching and learning if we don't have students regulated, ready, in a state of alertness to learn. So going into the teaching and learning – especially in the area of literacy and numeracy – the students have their goals, they're in line with the Precursors and the Progressions. And so that's all tracked in the classroom. And there's lots of, you know, that informative assessment happening constantly in the classroom, how they're going, evaluating the progress, setting those goals, evaluating the impact of the teaching, next steps. So that ongoing, you know, reading of that data that we're collecting – and collecting it for a purpose, not just for the sake of collecting data.

Murat Dizdar
I love where you started and finished there. That this is not because "Jenny said", there's got to be the why around the data. I've got to see the benefit as a teacher. And this is to help me support the children in front of me with whatever they may be displaying and so that then I can get to the effective practice of the modifications to the curriculum and teaching and learning. You describe that really well. Let me take you to another area, because one of the things that you have really driven at Lucas Gardens School and achieved great success with, is this shared language and understanding amongst all staff when it comes to data, that is really important across the school. What does that mean? The shared language and understanding? And can you tell us how you built this whole-school consistency around using data to inform practice.

Jenny Zagas
Most important thing is it doesn't happen overnight. So it's a process. It started off with our evaluation of our SEF … SEF S-aS (School Excellence Framework Self-assessment Survey), and so the whole school, including our SLSOs (School Learning Support Officers) looking at the SEF S-aS and seeing where – and EV (external validation), really important – and seeing where we're at and where do we want to go. Looking at those excelling statements and saying, “that's where we want to go”. So that's that whole school approach of systems and processes. So that's really important and that's where we started. Our strategic direction 1 is around student growth and attainment, and all the students have a communication goal and that's part of their ILP (individual learning plan), which is designed by the speech therapist and it's in the classroom. So you can walk into a classroom, K to 12 and you can see those data walls up there. What the goal is... it's tracked, so that consistency of language, the colour coding. Those goals then are up in the meeting room upstairs where we all meet, our teaching staff and SAS (School Administrative and Support) staff. Their goals are up there and we can see that tracking of that goal. They have data talks with the deputy principal, with the assistant principals. The families love coming into the classroom to see those goals and they understand the goals on the table. Every child's communication system is on the table. So if you walk in, you will know this child is using Proloquo2Go or this child is using simple language [or other Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools]. So that's that consistency across the school. And the same with our literacy and numeracy, using the Precursors and Progressions K to 12, the goals are up in the classroom. There's that data... consistency of data in all the classrooms. So a child can move from Class A to Class B and it's the same system. And that's that shared understanding, and teachers really appreciate that because in the past, everybody was doing their own little thing in the classroom and it wasn't that consistency. Now teachers really appreciate it, and even my expert, experienced teachers who – we go back 20 years ago, we didn’t have that, whereas now there’s that consistency, and I think it has to be driven … that buy-in of the staff, and that why question that we said – having that consistency.

Murat Dizdar
You should be so really proud of what you've been able to achieve here because I was just imagining... it really helps teachers, that consistency of practice from classroom to classroom as students transition. You know, they start some of them with us in Kindergarten, finish with us in Year 12. So I'm not necessarily going to have them from Kindergarten onwards. And so the systems you've got set up that you described so well are common in every classroom and that really does help our SLSOs and our teachers with our students. Let me take you to another topic... I'm a newly appointed teacher to your school, so I haven't had the benefit of all this work that you have done. How am I supported to build my capability and confidence around data collection and usage? Do you have a lot of people like me who are newly appointed?

Jenny Zagas
So we have a lot of beginning teachers, early career teachers, but also new to special education who have never done special ed. And so they walk in, they're willing, but of course you've got to set up systems to support them. So my big advantage is I have a very strong educational leadership and that includes me as a lead learner, and being in the classroom, you know, presenting PL (professional learning) around curriculum reform, and all those priorities with the department, that I am an active participant in that. And I think that's really important. That shows the staff, 'it matters because Jenny's here or the principal is here’. So it matters. But also having, as I said, the strong leadership team, shoulder-to-shoulder with AP, C&I (Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction), we've got a very strong AP, C&I who works in the classroom, shoulder-to-shoulder with the teachers, helping them with curriculum, helping them with collecting data, analysing data. My 2 APs (Assistant Principals), they … one looks after primary, one looks after secondary, again, but also being available. And we know that there's no expectation, but if they want some additional support, they can ask for that and they're willing to do that, especially when you're collecting data and assessing. We have data talks and so every Week 8, everybody goes upstairs to the meeting room and in that meeting room are all the department's frameworks and it just links everything to what our job, why we're doing what we're doing, so all the department's priorities, What Works Best. And the SLSOs have time to go and understand all that because we need to understand that the SLSOs are not there just to babysit, they're there to support the teaching and learning. Yes, they're going to look after personal care and socialise in the playground for those social skills, but the majority of the time is... they're supporting with the implementation of teaching. And how do you upskill that? And so the teachers have those conversations, short, sharp, it's not long hours. They look at the data, they analyse, they ask for support. It can be 3 minutes once a week, where they have that information. We have our data entry. So Week 8, our learning is just for that. All the staff bring their laptops and they enter their data into Precursors and Progressions. They all bring their data sheets and that conversation starts and the expert teachers are supporting the early career teachers. So that Week 8 is really important for our beginning teachers because they feel supported, and then also with the support of the AP,C&I and having those learning walks. So, we've got scheduled learning walks and we have focus areas. So it could be, a focus might be around explicit teaching. And so the teachers will go in and share what they're doing with each other. So, it's that openness and transparency. It's not, "I don't want you coming into my classroom" or it... “we don't...” That's not the culture of Lucas Gardens. It's very much open and learning. And that comes from the principal too, being that learner, but also being able to go, yeah, into those classrooms. Learning walks has been a great initiative because like I said, you know, having those expert, experienced teachers and the beginning teachers going in there and doing that sharing.

Murat Dizdar
Jenny, how how fortunate are we to have you at the helm at Lucas Gardens? How long have you been leading the school?

Jenny Zagas
14 years.

Murat Dizdar
And I just want to reiterate, we're delighted that you're leading in that context, making such a profound difference. What advice do you have for me? I am a newly appointed special school principal. If you look back on your 14 years, what you've described today: consistency of practice across the school, the way that you're adjusting the curriculum, the support structures in place, how data is being used in a very productive and helpful way. I walk in on day one, and I'm impatient. What advice do you have for me, because the school has come a long way under your leadership. It wasn't like you're describing 14 years ago. Advice for me?

Jenny Zagas
Well to take it slow to… the buy-in of your staff. So you all… you being that visible leader, being approachable and having the staff to understand that we may not get things right, but this is the journey we're going on, about our students and the focus is about the students. So, about their learning. It's an educational facility. So, we need to be in line with the teaching and learning, but the support that we're going to put in place. So, having those personalised learning plans, inviting the parents and co-designing those, then how are we going to document those goals? So, it's a journey, but as long as they have that passion and commitment about ‘every child deserves…’, it's around that equity and excellence that every child deserves to be in a school. And you've got to change that mindset that it's not a hospital, it's not a rehab centre, it's an educational facility. And every child has the right to learn. And as your principal, I'm here on this journey with you and we're going to move and you can give them that, you know, where we want to be in, you know, a year's time. But using the SEF and looking at those excelling statements and saying ‘this is where we need to be because we are a school’.

Murat Dizdar
Jenny, can I thank you for making time for us today to engage with us about Lucas Garden's fantastic approach to using data to inform practice. It's very practical and insightful and it underscores the tremendous work happening at the school. Colleagues, for more information about Lucas Gardens School’s approach to using data to inform practice and to find the full suite of What Works Best resources, you need to jump on our NSW Department of Education website immediately.

[End transcript]

Erin Pike
We take a wrap-around approach to our wellbeing, so we look at students, staff, families and community. You could have the most amazing lesson, it could be the most engaging, bright, colourful lesson. If they're not ready to learn then you're not going to get the results. We've got a really strong transition program. When they come to school then they know our faces, they feel comfortable. Relationships to me... is absolutely why we're here. So if we've got strong relationships then our students would want to come to school as well.

Murat Dizdar
Welcome to the What Works Best vodcast series. This is where we grab fantastic leaders from across NSW public schools and we get them to share their practical insights about how they are implementing the What Work Best practices that support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. Today, we're going to zoom in on the topic of wellbeing, and I'm joined by our fantastic Principal of Temora Public School, in Erin Pike. Erin leads to great effect in the Riverina region on Wiradjuri Country. And I'm joining you from the Baramadagal people and I want to pay my respects to their custodianship and their Elders, past and present. I want to extend that respect to Aboriginal colleagues who join us in this series, and the homelands that you are joining us from. Erin, welcome on board. Thanks for making time for us. Give our audience, a little bit of a rundown on Temora Public School.

Erin Pike
Perfect. Thank you so much for having me today. I'm really excited to be able to share our wellbeing journey. Our school is located an hour north of Wagga, so we're in the Riverina region. As you said, we have 190 students with 9 classes. Our core values are community connections. We've got a strong sense of belonging and collaboration. A little fun fact about our school, we were built in 1880, so we're part of the gold rush era in Temora. Our town is rich in culture, we've got a great aviation and rural museum and we're a sporty and active community.

Murat Dizdar
Excellent. We're lucky to have you at the helm. Let's go to student wellbeing. That's the focus today. And as you know, Erin, it's a big focus of Our Plan for NSW Public Education right across this state. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for, and it's part of our DNA in public education, and we know that supporting student wellbeing requires a collaborative, whole-school, whole-community approach. You can't do it on your own. Tell us about some of the collaborative practices that you and the team are driving at Temora Public School so that you can support student wellbeing.

Erin Pike
So we take a wrap-around approach to our wellbeing. So we look at students, staff, families and community. So we're not a silo. We work outside the school gates. So our student voice is something that we pride ourself on. We have got a really active SRC (Student Representative Council). We value their ideas and it's not just valuing them, but it's acting upon what they're asking us to do and what they want to improve. It's taking on their feedback, listening to ideas of fundraising and then looking at other ideas that we can continue to improve. Whether it's, you know, playground upgrades, we've recently got a lovely grass area in our school, we've got new equipment and things like that, just because that's what the students wanted and something that we believe that we enacted in as well. With our staff, it's looking at how we can best support them. We ran a role with a wellbeing boost similar to an AP, C&I (Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction), however it was AP, Wellbeing. So we looked at upskilling staff, upskilling our SLS OS (School Learning Support Officers), looking at classroom practices and making them consistent across the board. So not just in our own teaching, but K to 6, so every classroom looks the same. Students that needed additional support had extra toolkits, things like zones of regulation that are used in our classrooms, calm down corners and those sorts of things, just to upskill our staff in being able to manage students’ academic and wellbeing needs. Our families, we invite them into the school, so we've got parents as coaches. So we look at, you know, sporting opportunities, things that they're talented at, whether it's, you know, art, drawing, music, anything like that, that we can sort of harness their skills as well. Our Education Week, if you ever get a chance to come down for that, we make a big week of Education Week. And then with our community, it's the Community Centre. So we've got 2 lovely ladies, Anne and Heather from the Community Centre who come and work with our school. We have the targeted early intervention program, so they were doing one-on-one mentoring, small groups like Drumbeat programs and then whole-class activities as well. So it's a real wrap-around approach to wellbeing at our school.

Murat Dizdar
Really well described, lots of connection for students, staff capacity and investment there. Erin, I've been told that part of Temora's approach there to support student wellbeing, which is so important here, is that students are provided with opportunities to build relationships with their peers and teachers. So talk to us about how you empower and grow student capacity around relationships, which then helps on the wellbeing front.

Erin Pike
Yep, so we have a really strong student-centred leadership approach in our school. I think if we're doing what's right for our students, what they're, you know, voicing, then we're on the right track for success. An instance like that is our HPGE (High Potential and Gifted Education) opportunities for our students. A lot of that is student voice. So we've got things like debating, dance, chess, sport... we've got public speaking, lots of opportunities for our kids to shine. So it's not just shining within the classroom, it's shining outside as well. We've got a really strong transition program. So it started with the early learning centres. Myself and some Year 5 students visit there. We've started already, so we're trying to make those strong connections already with our students. So just when they come to school then they know our faces, they feel comfortable, they've got that really nice peer relationships already with their Year 5 buddies. We also have transitions between class group, so every year at the end of the year, they already know their class teachers, they go into their rooms, they know who's in their room, they know the teacher aides that are working in there. So it's that really predictable learning environment that kids are ready before they go on holidays. And I think that's really important. We work really closely with the other public schools. I'm very excited about the work that we do. So with Temora West and Temora High School, we've got a community of schools, so our executive team meet each term. We look at what we're doing, consistent practice, what we're doing that can strengthen public education in our town and what we can do in our school. And we have teachers in the community. We've got a really strong bond with, you know, sporting opportunities outside the school. So our teachers are coaches, we're on committees, you know, faces are out there. And I think we're really good role models for the students coming through. So yeah, we've got really strong opportunities for our students. And something that, you know, relationships to me is ... is absolutely why we're here. So if we've got strong relationships then our students would want to come to school as well.

Murat Dizdar
Awesome. Whole school approaches, even the importance of transition from early learning to Kindergarten. I love what you had to say about predictable learning environments and having the comfort even before you arrive. Can we go from whole school level, Erin, to strategies that teachers use in the classroom every single day to support student wellbeing?

Erin Pike
This is something that we've worked really hard on. It was started in our (Strategic Improvement Plan) (back then, now it’s SEP (School Excellence Plan) and we looked at consistent practices and processes. So anyone who knows me knows that I love a good flow chart, and a good, you know, consistent practice. And I think that's something that you need to have whole school as well as in your class. So in our processes, in our classroom, we looked at removing the grey. So we looked at our behaviour flow charts, our wellbeing systems. How can we make it so that children know exactly what is happening and when? So our behaviour processes in terms of, you know, … positives and our consequences are all the same across the school. So going into every classroom, it's exactly the same. We talked to our students about what they wanted to see in a wellbeing process. So what did they want to see? What behaviours did they think constituted either a minor or a major? We talked to families, we talked to staff, and we got input from everyone before we implemented that process. So that started in 2021. We looked at our zones of regulations. So things in our classroom that we can help teach children how to regulate. We understand they're going to have big feelings, they're going to have moments where they're feeling frustrated or sad or angry, and we need to teach them that those behaviours are okay. It's just what we do with them. So what can we do to support you in that area? Our classroom management systems, as I said, are all consistent, so going from one room to another is predictable for our students. We have wellbeing rewards days, so we celebrate expected behaviour and behaviour that is setting the scene of our school. We have high expectations for both our academics and our behaviour as well. So things like colour run, movie days, things like that, That's all paid for by the school so the kids can all access that. So we're looking at that equity as well. We also have programs, The Resilience Project we run with the Temora Shire Council. We've got a really strong bond with our council, which I think is a fantastic thing for our school and our town. So that's K to 6 that program's run. So gratitude, empathy and mindfulness we practice in our school and I think that's really changed the culture of our school. And as I said before, the Community Centre is something that, you know, we value their input and ... their support within our classroom as well. So we do have a staff handbook. So all of our processes and practices are consistent. So every classroom should be running the same in terms of wellbeing and academic needs of our students.

Murat Dizdar
Great strategies in the classroom, great celebration of really positive outcomes. Erin, I wonder if you'd talk to why invest in student wellbeing? You know, you'd have some say you've got to drive just the academics, you and I know as educators that would be very short sighted. You've got to invest in student wellbeing. What return do you see on the student engagement attendance, connection front when you do that?

Erin Pike
I think it's all about setting the conditions for learning. So you know, we're looking at equity for excellence now. And it's not just in academic, it's in our wellbeing supports as well. So if students aren't ready to learn, you could have the most amazing lesson, it could be the most engaging, you know, bright, colourful lesson. If they're not ready to learn, then you're not going to get the results anyway. So it's about setting those conditions for our learning to make sure our students are ready, to make sure that their wellbeing needs are catered for, you know, anything that we can do to make their transition into the classroom smooth. I think that's really important, you know, a sense of belonging. You know, when COVID struck, we dropped to 75%. And I think, you know, while that's not, you know, unexpected, I think it was something that we were still concerned about. We're above State, but to me, if a drop in sense of belonging ... it means that students are finding it really difficult to be here. So all of the work that we've put in now, we are at 96%.So we're well above State for sense of belonging, 95% of our students. So if we're looking at the NSW Public School Surveys, 95% of our students believe that their teachers have high expectations for their learning. So it's not just, you know, it's, it's how they feel about being here and how they feel about, you know, accessing the learning. And 97% said they set clear rules for their class. So it's how the kids are feeling in that classroom to be able to access the content. Our explicit teaching drive now is looking at the academics. So it's the same consistent ... it's the same routines. And that's what we're trying to achieve with our wellbeing needs as well. Our attendance rates are always high, so they're anywhere from 89 to about 93%. And our days lost to suspensions are limited. So you know, the kids are behaving, the kids want to be here. And I think that's our role in education and especially in public education. I think that's where we shine.

Murat Dizdar
They are amazing results that you were just rattling off to go from, I think you said a, a student sense of belonging 75 to 96 and not using COVID as an excuse. Because I know as a father in the system and as I travel through schools, you're not going to get kids there unless they feel connected, unless they feel adults are in their corner, unless they feel there's disciplined learning environment, unless they feel supported. And Temora Public School is absolutely smashing it out of the park with that data that you just read out. I wonder if you can take us to a final area to explore ... Erin, imagine I'm a newly appointed principal and I come into a new public school context and I really want to drive a school culture of supporting student wellbeing. But I'm impatient and I'm imagining you didn't achieve it on day one. It's been a sustained journey that you're still investing in. What advice do you have for me?

Erin Pike
Sure. I think it's really important that everyone needs to know that their context is totally different. Every school is different. You're walking in, you know, different staffing, different students, a different town, like cities, you know, rural, it's, it's extremely different. So I think that it's important that everybody recognises where they're at now on their journey. Where we were at, it was a 4-year journey. So, and like you said, we're still in there, it's still in our SEP, it's our Strategic Direction 3 where it's a really strategic approach to wellbeing. So you can't achieve it overnight. And I think it's really important that you realise that, our first year was engaging. So just looking at what do we do now, what do we do well, and then even better? If so, how can we be better? Don't throw it all out, just tweak what you have and look at what you can do to improve. It was like I said, a 4-year journey. So it's not something that will change overnight. And we didn't make massive changes every year, we just tweaked based on student, staff and family feedback. So consult, listen to what the student, staff and family are saying and then make those little adjustments along the way. And then, yeah, so we went through the Engage, Enact and Embed process and we're still embedding. I would still say that we are still looking at how can we make it even better.

Murat Dizdar
It's great advice. Erin, can I thank you for carving out some time for us today. It's so lovely to celebrate and hear of the wonderful work you and the team are doing there at Temora Public School, and it's certainly reflected in how students are responding in the student survey. Can we thank you for the work that you're leading around the culture on student wellbeing. The data and evidence is so critical and that's why we want to feature it in our What Works Best series. You cannot get top student outcomes without also investing in student wellbeing. Colleagues, for more information about Temora Public School's approach to supporting student wellbeing and to find the full suite of What Works Best resources, you need to jump on the NSW Department of Education website immediately.

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Tim Lloyd
Well, the first and most important thing is that teaching and learning's about high quality relationships – teacher-student, teacher-to-teacher, student-to-student. We run four 75-minute lessons, very few transitions. We as part of our mentor space, we have expert teachers opening their classrooms for beginning teachers to observe. So that, kids being aware of what the expectations are, there's nothing hidden, everything's out there in the open.

Murat Dizdar
Welcome to the What Works Best vodcast series. We're joining you from the lands of the Baramadagal people and we want to pay our respects to their custodianship and their Elders, past and present, Aboriginal colleagues who are watching us in this series, and the homelands that you are joining us from. This What Works Best vodcast series unearths our fantastic leaders from NSW public schools, who share their practical insights about how they are implementing the evidence base in their schools around the What Works Best practices that support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. Today I'm delighted to let you know that the focus will be on classroom management and we're joined by our good colleague Tim Lloyd, who has been the Principal of Plumpton High School for 12 years and counting, and has led the school to great effect. Welcome Tim and thanks for making time for us.

Tim Lloyd
Thanks a lot for having me, Murat. Lovely to be able to be involved in the discussion.

Murat Dizdar
I've visited Plumpton High School a number of times in my career. But for our audience, can you just give us a little bit of a rundown on the school, those that may not know the school?

Tim Lloyd
Sure, Murat. Look, Plumpton High School has approximately 1190 students. We come from 66 different cultural backgrounds – very diverse population, very aspirational now. We've spent a decade changing the culture of the school and as a result of that cultural shift in teaching and learning, student wellbeing, our students are thriving and flourishing and succeeding. Leaving school, approximately 97% of our kids are employed by March, following the HSC (Higher School Certificate).

Murat Dizdar
They're phenomenal outcomes, because pathways is a really important measure. Let me go to classroom management. It's a very large school, close to 1200 students. You've got a very big, diverse staff career trajectory – early career, experienced teachers. How are you getting consistent classroom expectations across the school?

Tim Lloyd
Well, the first and most important thing is that teaching and learning's about high quality relationships – teacher-student, teacher-to-teacher, student-to-student. And one of our expectations in terms of personal responsibility is looking out for your own wellbeing and supporting your peers with their wellbeing. And that's a responsibility that all of our kids fulfil and our teachers fulfil. And as a result, then linking that back to high quality teaching and learning. So we cater to the needs of the students in every classroom. We know that when kids walk into the room, the learning's going to be pitched at the right level. Straight away, that builds an opportunity. That notion of consistency you mentioned, critical. We have our evidence and research-based frameworks. They're taught explicitly to our teachers by experts. We then build our staff capacity so that our teachers can teach our newer teachers how those frameworks work. It's personal responsibility that your classroom runs in accordance with those frameworks. You support the colleague across the corridor and across the school. That is a personal responsibility of our staff. And we have … as a result of that, we have our own professional learning TV channel. We have our frameworks listed and available online. We have professional learning undertaken by our teacher mentors repeatedly. So things go in a cycle and people can access the professional learning they need either from a person face-to-face or through the frameworks, which are delivered online, that we have there constantly. So self-paced learning available when required.

Murat Dizdar
Is it a 5-period day? 6-period day?

Tim Lloyd
We run four, 75-minute lessons.

Murat Dizdar
Four, 75-minute lessons.

Murat Dizdar
So I'm a Year 9 student at your school, 4 periods, and I move from maths to science to geography to PE (physical education). What do I experience as this Year 9 child that I feel is consistent across those classrooms?

Tim Lloyd
First of all, you experience stability, because we don't move very often during the school day. We have 2 periods and then we have Lunch 1 which is 30 minutes. We have another single period, Lunch 2, period 4, and that's our day. So there's little ... very few transitions. So students are set. The lessons because they're 75 minutes, we have a multitude of different learning activities that take place over a 75-minute lesson. So that in itself enables kids to be settled, to be focused and to concentrate on the task at hand. That's delivered through our consistent teaching and learning frameworks. Every classroom has a learning map in it, which has learning intentions and success criteria for every lesson. That runs across consistently in every single lesson. 4 lessons a day, 5 days a week, Year 7 through to 12, supported by our wellbeing framework, which is also embedded in the curriculum.

Murat Dizdar
Okay, I spoke about this earlier. I want to zoom in on early career teachers. I know, like you do, that often early career teachers – and when I think about my first few years, this certainly rang true for me as well – they often identify classroom management as an area where they need more support. And from 2027, Tim, every education faculty in the country has mandated contentthey've got to deliver, and one of them is around classroom management. They've got to do that stronger. It is an area of need for beginning teachers. How are you supporting – because you've got a large number of early career teachers ...

Tim Lloyd
We do, we do.

Murat Dizdar
Is this true? Do they nominate classroom management as an area of need and then how you're supporting them with it?

Tim Lloyd
First of all, yes, they do nominate classroom management as an area of need. We run 2 teacher mentors – point 5 each – from different curriculum areas. We run a beginning teacher meeting so that we're not going beyond the one hour per week. That breaks up ... So those beginning teachers, the first one-to-2 years, they don't necessarily belong to one of our other teams, whether it be our school planning team ...

Murat Dizdar
So they go to their beginning teacher meetings for that particular session ... As a group?

Tim Lloyd
As a group, yes. And the classroom management is one of those focuses and we go through explicitly ... the teacher mentor delivers those frameworks consistently. They're then able to continually access that through our TV professional learning and our online learning. But they're explicitly delivered.

Murat Dizdar
So are they seeing footage of good classroom management?

Tim Lloyd
They can, yes, absolutely. We as part of our mentor space, we have teachers – expert teachers – opening their classrooms for beginning teachers to observe. Our teacher mentors open their classrooms for our beginning teachers to observe. We have our teacher mentors in our beginning teacher classrooms providing feedback around classroom management. They've then just got to master the art and the science of consistent application of it, along with learning ... their high quality-teaching and learning delivery.

Murat Dizdar
Okay, so you have invested using some of your SBAR (School Budget Allocation Report) funding in the teacher mentor space.

Tim Lloyd
Yes.

Murat Dizdar
You have these teacher mentors on class, but also release, so they can support these teachers. And you've chosen some exemplary teachers for this role.

Tim Lloyd
Yeah, absolutely. And, and those teachers are experienced and they're experienced right through to HSC-level teaching. And over the 12 years, those roles have been fulfilled by different people in that teacher mentor role. And it's one of the, the key components of that consistency across the school. We have our KLA (Key Learning Area) head teachers who also support our teachers in the classroom management space. But that consistency across the school comes out of that teacher mentor space, and the fact that these are the frameworks we use, we don't vary from that. That means that students, when they turn up to class – if you're in maths or science or English, the expectations are the same, and that's critical. We want our kids to arrive being set up for success because they know in their own mind, I go in here, I know what I've got to do and it's going to be the same all 4 periods of the day.

Murat Dizdar
Tim, tell us about some of the practical classroom management strategies. I want to hear about the practical things your staff implement on a day-to-day basis.

Tim Lloyd
Sure. Well, I mentioned earlier the learning map – every classroom …

Murat Dizdar
What's that?

Tim Lloyd
The learning map is basically projected onto every teacher's screen at the beginning of the lesson. That's the teachers plan for the lesson.

Murat Dizdar
Right.

Tim Lloyd
... Has learning intentions, success criteria ...

Murat Dizdar
Which is around the evidence-base of teaching?

Tim Lloyd
Correct. Absolutely. In every room, every lesson. So kids know from the beginning of the lesson what's going to take place, what's expected, what they need to do to gain their ticket to leave at the end of the lesson.

Murat Dizdar
Right.

Tim Lloyd
So that way...

Murat Dizdar
What do you mean ticket to leave?

Tim Lloyd
So that means that because ...

Murat Dizdar
The bell's rung.

Tim Lloyd
The bell's rung. It has. And sometimes the bell rings and you've got 30 minutes of first lunch. And you've might have spent 5 minutes having a yarn with your mate and you might need to stick around for that first 5 minutes of first lunch to complete the maths challenge or the science or the English paragraph you had to complete. So that ... kids being aware of what the expectations are, there's nothing hidden. Everything's out there in the open.

Murat Dizdar
Okay, so learning maps is one practical strategy. Any others?

Tim Lloyd
Yeah, absolutely. Look, if we've got students who really struggle, we have plans for individual students developed by our learning and support team. I have a faculty of primary-trained expert teachers in my school, called our Learning and Support Faculty.

Murat Dizdar
Why did you get primary teachers?

Tim Lloyd
Because a lot of our students come to high school still in stage 1, 2, and 3, in terms of their academic outcomes. I'm a high school teacher. I'm a high school method-trained teacher.

Murat Dizdar
Yeah.

Tim Lloyd
The beginning of the reading and writing process is not my strength. It's not meaning I can't teach it. But if I've got experts in that space, it enables me to work with those kids in a small group class situation ...

Murat Dizdar
In the classroom?

Tim Lloyd
In the classroom, absolutely. We've got a discrete class in Year 7, 8 and 9 where we've got kids who have well-below stage capacity. Our idea there is we work with those kids intensely in a smaller group of around 20 to 23 students.

Murat Dizdar
Yes.

Tim Lloyd
They matriculate from there into mainstream when we catch them up on different things.

Murat Dizdar
Do you use some of the tutoring money that we provide?

Tim Lloyd
We do. Yes, we do use some of our tutoring money for that, but we also fund some of that out of our RAM (Resource Allocation Model) or our SBAR to afford an additional teacher in our learning and support faculty to support those kids with their learning needs.

Murat Dizdar
Okay, I'm imagining that what you've been describing around the consistency of practice, the support of all staff, the language of expectation, that hasn't happened overnight. This has been a sustained road that you have taken. I'm a newly appointed principal out there. What is the one piece of advice you're going to give me to get to how you've built this school culture?

Tim Lloyd
Sure, Murat. I think the most important thing is to value what you find when you land, and that means getting to know the people. We're in education. It rises and falls on relationships and high-quality relationships. Watching and asking lots of questions and understanding how the school operates, from day one, that is so important and that takes, you know, that takes 6 months. And then looking at and working with people. One of the things that we do, everything we've created, we've done with groups of people. And when I say groups of people – teachers, students, other staff, parents.

Murat Dizdar
So you get good buy-in?

Tim Lloyd
We get buy-in.

Murat Dizdar
Okay. Still, I'm newly appointed.

Tim Lloyd
Sure.

Murat Dizdar
It was good advice. See what's good, work with people, take your time, form views. But I see things that are needing to be done better. I'm impatient.

Tim Lloyd
Yes, yes.

Murat Dizdar
I want to go into fix mode.

Tim Lloyd
Yep.

Murat Dizdar
How do I temper myself?

Tim Lloyd
Well, look, most ... tempering is important because you need to move people with you. You need to bring people on the journey. When we started, the first thing that we really looked at was student behaviour and management in that sort of first 12 months to understand why. If you don't understand why, you don't know how, or what you need to look at. The second thing we looked at – full curriculum review. We looked at curriculum – chapter and verse, interviewed most teachers, hundreds of students, parents. We had a review document produced. We then were able to work on that in the teaching and learning space, assessment, reporting for 4 years, on that. At the same time, our wellbeing framework we delivered and developed again built with the team, it's embedded in the curriculum. We've developed a scope and sequence, explicit program, lessons which if you don't have wellbeing and a high quality level of wellbeing, it's very difficult to focus on your learning. So with the teaching and learning and the wellbeing working in concert been a big benefit to bringing our kids forward.

Murat Dizdar
Tim, can I thank you for taking time out today to join us and unpack Plumpton High School's approach to classroom management. It's part of our What Works Best series, but broader than classroom management, your work that you've unpacked, with your staff that you're rightfully proud of around continuous school improvement. It's a phenomenal school in Western Sydney, kicking great goals. For more information about Plumpton High School's approach to classroom management and to find the full suite of What Works Best resources, you need to jump on our NSW Department of Education website.

[End transcript]