Professional Learning (PL) 2025 – Snapshot

From the Deputy Head of College, Mr Mark Case

Start of 2025 PL: Dr Andrew Frankland – Neurodivergence

What is it like to experience the world as a neurodivergent child? This was the driving question addressed by our keynote speaker psychologist Dr Andrew Frankland, when he presented to staff last week during our start of year professional learning programme.

Dr Frankland shared recent statistics around neurodiversity – around 25% of Australian children require some adjustment in their learning, with around 4% of Australian students being autistic, and around 6-10% having ADHD. Staff were educated in the importance of the language we use to, and about, neurodivergent children – that these are not ‘conditions’, ‘deficits’, or ‘symptoms’, but a difference in the way that society expects human minds to operate.

Dr Frankland went on to address three commonly held myths about neurodiversity:

Myth 1: “Giving a child a label will be bad for them”. Obtaining a diagnosis acts as a protective factor, given that children without a diagnosis may be given other, negative labels. Research indicates that early knowledge of neurodivergence reduces negative mental health outcomes later.
Myth 2: “Everyone’s a little bit autistic”. A person is either autistic, or not; the autistic spectrum applies to those who are.
Myth 3: “It’s so over-diagnosed now”. Under-diagnosis for many years means we are playing catch up. A striking statistic is that only 20% of autistic females are diagnosed by the age of 18.

Dr Frankland shared the developments in understanding ADHD, which traditionally was diagnosed only when a child demonstrates external behaviours. ADHD is now better understood as ‘too much’ attention, or a difficulty in regulating attention – for which ‘interesting and trivial’ stimuli will trump ‘boring and important’. An ADHD child will on average receive 20 000 more negative pieces of feedback by the age of 12 than a neurotypical child.

He also spoke about the sensory experience and challenges for autistic children, environmental responses (such as stimming) and described the challenges autistic children can experience due to different communication styles with neurotypical people; but how these difficulties disappear in communication between autistic children.

We will be inviting Dr Frankland back to Oxley later in the year to continue to work with our staff in further developing strategies to support our neurodivergent students.

Start of 2025 PL: Ms Genevieve Whiteley – Anti-Bullying Strategies

As part of our ongoing focus on effective strategies for identifying and addressing bullying, Ms Whiteley, Director of Students 7-12, presented to staff as part of our start of year PL. Ms Whiteley led an analysis of the MMG Survey data from 2024, including providing important guidance around addressing mean-on-purpose behaviour, the language used with students and parents/carers in dealing with these matters, the importance of reporting and documenting, and strategies staff can use. There will be further presentations to staff, parents/carers and students throughout the year on this important issue.

Professional Learning Plans

This week, teaching staff have begun the process of developing professional learning plans for 2025. Recent educational research make clear that effective professional development should move away from traditional one-off courses and instead focus on ongoing learning and collaboration.¹ There is also substantial evidence supporting the idea that the implementation of professional learning cycles for teachers, including goal setting, improves student learning outcomes.² Throughout this year, teaching staff will be supported in setting and working towards meeting strategically-aligned goals. By working collaboratively in teams, engaging in classroom observations, giving and receiving feedback, and participating in professional learning communities, staff can build the collective teacher efficacy that is such a strong predictor of positive student achievement.

¹ Boeskens, L., Nusche, D., & Yurita, M. (2020). Policies to support teachers’ continuing professional learning: A conceptual framework and mapping of OECD data. OECD Education Working Paper No. 235. OECD Publishing, Paris.

²Hill, H. C., Papay, J. P., & Schwartz, N. (2022). Building Better PL: How to Strengthen Teacher Learning. Annenberg Institute at Brown University.

Data Analytics at Oxley

In today’s data-driven world, the ability to analyse and interpret data is crucial. This year we have created the role of a P-12 Data Analyst, to help us make informed decisions based on comprehensive data analysis. Mr David Houghton will be taking up this portfolio in addition to his role of Head of Department – Mathematics.

The Data Analyst will play a crucial role in enhancing the educational experience by collating, synthesising, and presenting student data to inform decision-making for both staff and students. It will involve working with academic performance data, effort tracking, attendance records, and wellbeing metrics to provide comprehensive insights that support the College’s strategic goals.

Continuous improvement is vitally important for us at Oxley. This new role will help us to track progress over time, set measurable goals, and adjust our strategies as needed to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students.

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