Strengthening Community and Inclusive Learning Focus for 2026
Term 1, Week 8, 2026
19 Mar 2026
At our St Johns Campus, community is everything, and its importance is something we will never take for granted, particularly as we continue growing as a campus.
Intentionally strengthening the relationships and sense of belonging and connection that every child, staff member and family experiences in our community is a high priority for us in 2026. This is especially important as we know it leads to strong learning and wellbeing outcomes for our young people. Our Term 1 focus in this space has involved:
- The continued transition of over 85 new students across ELC to Year 6, where parent/caregiver sentiment indicates their child has quickly developed a sense of belonging and connection
- The introduction and support of 15 new staff across ELC–6, who were all specifically recruited to align with our College values and strengthen the outcomes for our children.
- An increase in parent engagement and connection opportunities, through changes to our Parent Information Evening structure and the introduction of a new Family Picnic event. We will soon be releasing information regarding a series of Parent Education workshops, focused on child development and neurodiversity.
Since joining as campus Principal in 2024, my major focus has been strengthening the learning outcomes for every child. We have worked hard over this period to re-design our Inclusive Learning model to provide every child with the right level of learning, at the right time.
This model is based on a tiered approach.
- Tier 1: Adjusting Learning for Every Child
Teachers and other staff use learning data alongside their professional observations to plan and adjust learning for every child. As part of this approach, students are grouped flexibly based on their learning needs and progress, allowing teachers to provide targeted support, including extension. These groups change regularly to ensure each student is appropriately supported and challenged. - Tier 2: Targeted Support for Some
Tier 2 provides targeted small-group interventions in areas such as literacy, numeracy or wellbeing. These are short-term and designed to help students build skills and knowledge get back on track. - Tier 3: Intensive Individual Support
Tier 3 involves individual plans being developed with families and specialists, to provide personalised support for their specific needs, goals and strengths.
Across all three tiers, teachers, Inclusive Learning teachers, co-educators and key leaders work together to enable every child to progress academically, socially and emotionally.
After implementing Tiers 2 and 3 in 2025, this year we have commenced a strong focus on Tier 1.
Feedback from students and teachers indicates this approach is having a positive impact on their engagement and achievement. We look forward to sharing further developments and achievements as the year progresses!
Paul Bannister
Principal – St John's Campus