Professional Practice Update

Professional Practice Update

CPR and Emergency Care Training | Week 1

Our Week 1 Staff Development Day prioritised student safety through comprehensive CPR and Emergency Care Training. The purpose of this training was to:

  • Ensure all staff are equipped with up-to-date, practical skills to respond confidently in emergency situations
  • Strengthen our collective capacity to provide immediate and effective care in critical moments
  • Reinforce our shared responsibility for student wellbeing across all school contexts
  • Build confidence in applying life-saving protocols in real-time scenarios

This training reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe, responsive, and prepared learning environment.

Whole School Teaching and Learning Goal | Week 2

In Week 2, staff across the Junior and Senior School came together to reconnect with our whole school goal:
‘To challenge every girl at her point of need.’

Guided by James Anderson’s Learnership, this work focused on strengthening student agency and deepening understanding of how learners grow. The purpose of this text is to:

  • Explore the dispositions, habits, and mindsets that underpin successful learning
  • Shift focus from task completion to the development of adaptive, self-regulating learners
  • Provide a framework (the Learnership Matrix) to identify and respond to varying levels of student challenge and engagement

Within the workshop, staff:

  • Collaboratively analysed student profiles using the Learnership Matrix
  • Tracked patterns of growth, challenge, and learner disposition
  • Reflected on targeted strategies to extend, support, and appropriately challenge each student
  • Shared practical approaches to ensuring all learners are stretched at their point of need

Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) Launch | Week 3

Week 3 marked the launch of our 2026 Professional Learning Teams (PLTs).

Our vision for PLTs is a practical, empowering model of professional learning, combining:

  • Simon Breakspear’s Teaching Sprints (focused, evidence-informed cycles of improvement)
  • The Spiral of Inquiry (Timperley, Kaser & Halbert), emphasising curiosity, reflection, and impact

Across 5–6 one-hour workshops, teachers will:

  • Identify a meaningful classroom challenge
  • Trial 1–2 targeted, evidence-informed strategies
  • Collect and analyse evidence of student impact
  • Share insights and refine practice collaboratively

Key features of our 2026 PLTs include:

  • Cross-faculty collaboration to broaden perspectives
  • Practical classroom application with manageable scope
  • A strong focus on teacher expertise and shared professional dialogue
  • Opportunities to see and discuss high-impact teaching in action

Professional Learning Canvas Course | Week 3

Week 3 also saw the launch of our Professional Learning Canvas Course, designed as more than a resource repository. This platform will: • Curate key professional learning materials, research, and workshop content • Provide access to exemplars and practical classroom strategies • Serve as a shared space for collaboration, reflection, and ongoing learning • Capture the collective expertise and insights of our staff It is intended to grow into a living archive of professional practice, supporting both individual and whole-school development.

Chapter Collective – Learnership Focus | Week 4

Week 4 saw out first Chapter Collective for Term 2. Chapter Colelctive offers a flexible, low-pressure approach to professional learning.

Centred on James Anderson’s Learnership, this initiative invites staff to engage in:

  • Weekly 30-minute sessions focused on key ideas, chapters, or related podcast insights
  • Facilitated discussions connecting research to classroom and leadership practice
  • Bite-sized, meaningful learning that is easily transferable to teaching contexts

The focus this term is on:

  • Deepening understanding of learner agency
  • Exploring the research underpinning challenge, growth, and adaptive expertise
  • Sharing ideas across teams in an accessible and collaborative format

 

Hub Schools Teaching Conference | Week 4

In Week 4, three teachers (Amy Murphy, John Purcal and Melissa Bye) and two f our MLC School Hub Interns (Jade Brogan and Ela Huber) attended the Hub Schools Teaching Conference in Port Macquarie.

The conference provided targeted learning across three streams:

  • Pre-service teachers – building confidence and classroom readiness
  • Mentors – strengthening coaching and support approaches
  • Leadership – exploring strategic workforce and professional growth initiatives

Highlights included:

  • Opportunities to engage with contemporary research and practice in education
  • Networking with colleagues across the independent sector
  • Rich professional dialogue around mentoring, sustainability, and teacher development

MLC School was proudly represented on conference panels:

  • Amy Murphy – Workforce Challenges and Sustainability in the Independent Sector
  • John Purcal – The Power of Mentoring & Bringing the Conference Threads Together

The experience was both productive and energising, reinforcing our commitment to developing future educators and leaders.

(See photos attached)

Accreditation Canvas Course and Workshops

The Accreditation Canvas Course has been developed to support teachers working towards Proficient Teacher accreditation and HALT (Highly Accomplished Teacher).

The course provides:

  • Clear guidance on accreditation processes and requirements
  • Access to annotated exemplars and evidence sets
  • Consolidated workshop materials and notes
  • Structured support for building and refining submissions

Current engagement:

  • 8 teachers working towards Proficient Accreditation in 2026
  • Approximately 10 teachers beginning their HALT journey, supported by an ISNSW consultant

This work reflects a strong and growing culture of professional growth, reflection, and excellence in practice.

– Amy Murphy
Director of Professional Practice