Australian lessons in optimism

Reflections on innovation, character and collaboration from leading schools in Brisbane and Sydney. Two weeks of school visits offered a vivid reminder that educational excellence is sustained not by resting on reputation, but by combining confidence, curiosity and a willingness to learn from others.

There can be few greater professional privileges than being welcomed into outstanding schools, meeting the people who shape them and seeing at first hand how they are responding to the opportunities and challenges of education. My recent visit to Brisbane and Sydney offered exactly that privilege. Across a packed programme, I encountered schools of considerable academic distinction, but what stayed with me most was not prestige alone. It was the positivity, generosity and intellectual energy of the leaders, staff and pupils I met.

A confident openness to new ideas

Somerset College, roughly an hour south of Brisbane on the Gold Coast provided an ideal opening to the visit. Reverend Chris Ivey, a former Chair of AHISA, was extremely generous with his time, and our wide-ranging conversation covered many aspects of the educational agenda. I also met members of his senior leadership team, including the recently appointed Head of Partnership and Strategy, who is developing plans for a research institute. That led naturally to a discussion about the HMC Academic Research Hub and the potential value of connecting teachers engaged in disciplined professional enquiry across countries and school systems.

That same openness characterised the week. At St Peter’s Lutheran College, Head and CEO Tim Kotzur spent a substantial part of the morning showing me around a vast campus serving more than 2,300 pupils. The scale was impressive, but so too was the deliberate use of space. Collaborative areas, creative studios and flexible learning environments gave parts of the campus the feel of a university – an intentional design choice intended to encourage independence, creativity and purposeful collaboration.

St Peter’s also has its own outdoor education experience, Iron Bark. We have come across a few similar examples of external campuses in Australia, reflecting a serious commitment to educating young people beyond classrooms and examination halls. With pupil experiences varying in length from a week to two academic terms, some focus on the importance to Australians of working with and supporting indigenous communities, others offer an opportunity for developing outdoor skills and opportunities. All have the aim of building resilience and teamwork amongst the cohorts.

Innovation with educational purpose

Innovation was a recurring theme, but crucially it was never innovation for its own sake. The most compelling examples were rooted in clear educational purpose.

At the Anglican Church Grammar School, known as ‘Churchie’, where I was hosted in the Headmaster’s absence by Deputy Head David Nolan, Head of Senior School Rod Olsen and Head of Teaching and Learning Dr Terry Byers, I encountered a school deeply engaged with research-informed practice. Terry shared the work he has undertaken through the Research Intensive Schools network and introduced his Learner’s Toolkit, designed to help pupils participate actively in their own learning. The underlying questions – how pupils understand themselves as learners, how teachers make research usable, and how schools build professional cultures of enquiry – align closely with the ambitions of the HMC Academic Research Hub, launched earlier this year.

In Sydney, St Aloysius’ College offered another striking example. Its Year 10 Roselle programme takes pupils away from the standard timetable to a purpose-built laboratory campus across the harbour, where they engage with areas including politics, creative design and interdisciplinary learning. The arrangement is imaginative in educational terms and practical in operational ones, enabling the school to extend its capacity while offering pupils a distinctive academic experience. It was a reminder that curriculum innovation often begins not by adding more content, but by rethinking the organisation of time, place and learning.

Newington College has a beautiful campus. July is winter in New South Wales, though it is pretty mild, and we were there in time to catch the magnolia trees in bloom. Michael Parker, the Headmaster, and his Senior Leadership team are a dynamic force. Amongst a range of impressive developments, Newington has established a Centre for Critical Thinking, led by Dr Britta Jensen. Since our visit, they have hosted an inter-state colloquium, and I am delighted to say that Dr Jensen has accepted an invitation to combine a visit to World Philosophy Day in Paris with our HMC Academic Deputies Conference in November. I know that she has much to share that colleagues will find inspiring.

At The King’s School Parramatta in Sydney, Jackie Camilleri, Deputy Head Academics (we first met two years ago, and it was wonderful to be able to re-connect) talked us through their approach to providing pathways that recognise the different strengths, interests and aspirations of their pupils. Jackie described how in their final two years, pupils can pursue the Higher School Certificate, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, now in its second year, or an industry-focused pathway incorporating Vocational Education and Training. Jackie explained that the broader expansion of VET was identified as a strategic priority during the school’s 2017 and 2018 planning process. From 2019, this work was strengthened through the appointment of a dedicated VET Coordinator and the expansion of on-site delivery. VET is now positioned as a strong academic pathway in its own right, rather than simply an alternative to more traditional senior programmes. Pupils can access on-site courses in Construction, Primary Industries, Business Services and Fitness, as well as external courses in areas such as Automotive, Electrotechnology, Plumbing, Real Estate and Financial Services. Jackie’s comment that ‘the continued development of VET reflects the school’s belief that academic excellence should not be defined by a single pathway or measure. Rather it is about enabling each pupil to undertake a rigorous and purposeful programme aligned with their strengths and aspirations’ resonates deeply, particularly in the light of our new Prime Minister’s expressed views on the importance of Vocational Pathways in education.

Character and service as lived values

Academic ambition was strongly evident in the schools Dr Simon Hyde and I have visited, but so too was a determination to form young people of character. Brisbane Boys’ College, led by André Casson, is undertaking thoughtful work in wellbeing through its Tartan Plus programme, alongside a wider commitment to character education. The school’s Scottish connections, including its pipe band, also prompted enjoyable conversation about the potential for stronger links with HMC schools in Scotland and beyond.

At the Jesuit schools of St Aloysius’ and St Ignatius’ College, Riverview, the language of service was woven deeply into school life. The St Aloysius’ ideal of forming ‘men for others’ was visible not simply in formal statements but in the confidence, courtesy and maturity of the pupils. Four Year 12 boys whom we met studying together were relaxed, engaging and impeccably mannered. At Riverview, pupils described immersion opportunities centred on virtue and service, ranging from work in soup kitchens to construction projects in Cambodia and the Philippines.

Two boys, Louis and Liam, accompanied us around Riverview’s extensive campus. They spoke with genuine enthusiasm about their school, but without any hint of entitlement. Encounters such as these offered perhaps the most persuasive evidence of a school’s values: not in what is written in strategy documents, but in how young people conduct themselves when no performance has been rehearsed for visitors.

Tradition without complacency

Several of the schools combine deep traditions with a striking willingness to evolve. Shore School, led by Peter Miller, is proud of its historic links with the UK, including former pupils who volunteered during the First World War. The Union flag displayed alongside the Australian flag in the chapel is a visible expression of that connection. Yet the school is not defined by nostalgia; its leadership is outward-looking and alive to the possibilities of renewed international partnership.

The same balance was apparent elsewhere. Churchie’s remarkable library and archive celebrate institutional memory while sitting alongside research-led approaches to teaching and learning. St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School occupies a spectacular site overlooking the Brisbane River and skyline, but its most memorable feature was the warmth and candour of outgoing Head Ros Curtis, whose professional generosity quickly transformed a relatively short appointment into a rich conversation and tour.

The value of international professional friendship

Across all 17 visits, there was genuine interest in the work of HMC: our professional networks, conferences, leadership development and educational initiatives. Conversations about possible membership were important, but the greater value lay in the quality of the professional exchange itself. These were not one-way conversations. I returned with many ideas, possible speakers and new connections, as well as a sharper sense of how much schools in different systems can gain from sustained dialogue.

Educational systems vary, but the central questions are familiar. How do we preserve academic rigour while creating space for creativity? How do we support pupils to become independent learners? How do we ensure that character, service and wellbeing sit alongside achievement rather than beneath it? And how do we give teachers the confidence, time and professional community to investigate and improve their practice?

The schools I visited are approaching these questions with ambition and optimism. Their confidence is not complacency; it is a belief that schools can shape the future rather than merely respond to it.

A lasting impression

I left Australia with pages of notes, a collection of new professional friendships and a renewed optimism about the possibilities of international collaboration.

At a time when educational debate can too easily become dominated by pressure, constraint and immediate difficulty, it was refreshing to spend time in schools that combine excellence with generosity, innovation with purpose, and tradition with a restless desire to improve. There is much that HMC schools can offer colleagues in Australia, and much that we can learn in return.

The greatest value of the visit was therefore not any single programme, building or initiative. It was the reminder that education is strengthened whenever thoughtful people come together, share their practice openly and remain curious about what might be possible next.