Professional Learning for Teachers, Mental Health First Aid and Allwell Testing

From the Deputy Head of College, Mark Case

NSW Department of Education changes to start of 2025 school year

In late October 2024, the NSW Department of Education announced a significant change to the school calendar, introducing additional student-free days at the beginning of Term 1, 2025. This decision was part of a broader agreement with the NSW Teachers’ Federation, which sees the number of professional development days increase from six to eight per year. With these student-free days being added to the beginning of the school year, it means that NSW Government schools will not be commencing Term 1 teaching until Thursday 6 February.

Like other independent schools, Oxley College will not be following suit. The introduction of extra student-free days at the beginning of Term 1, 2025 by the NSW Department of Education was part of a broader pay and conditions deal with teachers.  The benefit of being an independent school is that we have a significant degree of autonomy over term dates and have separate agreements to our public sector counterparts. Our community also values continuity and stability in the academic calendar; to make a significant change of this nature to the calendar, less than four months from the start of the school year, would cause disruption to working parents and their childcare arrangements. It is also not desirable for our professional learning schedule, which enables us to integrate tailored professional learning days throughout the school year, when they can be of greater value for our staff.  Click here for the Oxley College Term Dates for 2025.

Mental Health First Aid Training

During the last week, the College delivered the second two-day professional learning course for staff this year on Youth Mental Health First Aid. As a result, we now have 31 teachers and student-facing College Services staff with this valuable qualification. The training is delivered by Mrs Rani Ritchie, our College Psychologist, who is a qualified trainer in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

The primary goal of MHFA training is to help teachers recognise signs of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Early identification allows for timely intervention, preventing problems from escalating and improving students’ overall wellbeing. MHFA training also helps create a supportive classroom environment, where students feel safe and understood. It also reduces the stigma associated with mental health issues, giving confidence to teachers in identifying potentially at-risk students. We will continue to rollout this training to other teaching and College Services staff in 2025; it is an important addition to our care for every child at Oxley.

Allwell Testing – Year 7 2025                           

This week, Year 6 students undertook several assessments on Senior School Orientation Day. Allwell Testing is a series of standardised assessments designed to evaluate students’ abilities in key areas such as literacy, numeracy, and cognitive skills. These tests offer valuable insights into each student’s learning profile, helping to tailor educational strategies to meet their individual needs.

Why do we do this as they enter Senior School?

As students transition from primary to high school, understanding their academic strengths and areas for improvement becomes crucial.

At Oxley, we take an evidence-informed approach to teaching and learning. Allwell Testing provides valuable data to help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, inform decision around class placements, and ensures that each student receives the support they need to thrive academically. The detailed feedback from Allwell Testing allows for a deeper understanding of students abilities, enabling us to address issues before they become significant barriers to academic success. Significantly, the assessment can combine with school assessment data in Year 7, as well as NAPLAN, to ensure staff have a more complete and rigorous understanding of the progress of each child. Familiarity and experience with examination-style assessments has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety for students by the time they start their HSC years.

Yours sincerely

Mr Mark Case
Deputy Head of College