In this episode
Winners of the 2024 WA Education Awards.
In this episode, we revisit the aftermath of the 2024 Western Australian Education Awards, where leaders from the winning schools shared their emotions of being honoured. They share their thoughts and feelings on being recognised for the dedication and achievements of their staff. They each explain the journey that their school community has taken and how the award reaffirms their commitment and work in supporting and educating students. Two new categories have been added to the 2025 awards, Excellence in early childhood education and Minister’s Teacher of the Year and we share information on what the judges are looking for in those nominations.
About the 2024 WA Education Award winners
Julie Bolingbroke and Joseph Klaric, principal and teacher at Gwynne Park Primary School
The school won the Excellence in teaching and learning (primary) award for its outstanding education initiatives and consistent collaborative quality teaching approaches. School staff work with the community and families to ensure all students feel welcomed, valued, and supported to achieve their best.
Angie Thomas, former vice principal of Applecross Senior High School
The school won the Excellence in teaching and learning (secondary) award for its dedication to consistently achieving high student results through its various programs, and its work in creating a supportive and motivating environment. The staff take part in ongoing professional development to ensure ongoing innovation and reflection.
Susan Archdall, principal of Bannister Creek Primary School
The school won the Excellence in cultural responsiveness award for its commitment to building culturally safe and engaging learning environments through initiatives such as outdoor classroom and Aboriginal six seasons trail. Parents and Aboriginal leaders guide important cultural learning opportunities, projects, celebrations, and activities for the school.
Helen Barnes, former principal of Beachlands Primary School
The school won the Excellence in disability and inclusion award for its outstanding work in creating safe learning environments where students with diverse learning needs can thrive. The school also focusses on improving staff capability to ensure they can better understand and support the different needs of students.
Mike Mount-Bryson, former principal of Lockridge Primary School
The school won the inaugural Excellence in wellbeing and learning award for its work in creating supportive networks that enhances educational outcomes and personal growth. Staff create a space where students can thrive in a safe and rich learning environment, ensuring all students have access to the wellbeing resources they need to succeed.
Tonia Carslake, principal of Morawa District High School
The school won the Excellence in school leadership award for its united approach to leadership which creates a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. The school also has a successful student leadership program which gives young learners the chance to grow their leadership skills and build a positive school culture.
Transcript
MAK
A warm welcome. I'm Marie-Anne Keefe, but please call me MAK.
The WA Education Awards are a fantastic time for the education community as it highlights the extraordinary dedication, achievements and innovation happening at WA public schools and celebrates the important role they play in shaping the lives of young people.
With several categories to nominate for, schools from all metro and regional areas have the chance to come out on top and shine on stage.
In 2024, we saw 6 schools awarded across the categories of Excellence in teaching and learning for both primary and secondary, Excellence in cultural responsiveness, Excellence in disability and inclusion, Excellence in wellbeing and learning, and Excellence in school leadership.
During all the excitement at last year's awards, Brad Elborough from our communications team sat down with staff from Gwynne Park Primary School, Applecross Senior High School, Bannister Creek Primary School, Beachlands Primary School, Lockridge Primary School and Morawa District High School to find out what the award meant for them.
Brad Elborough
So in the category of Excellence in teaching and learning for primary the winners Gwynne Park Primary School we've already saw Gwynne Park Primary School on stage for the welcomed country and all the kids were back up on stage again and with them we have Julie and Jo.
Welcome and congratulations what were you thinking when Gwynne Park was called out?
Julie Bolingbroke
So for Gwynne Park, it's been such a huge journey to our improvement and just a lot of hard work and resilience and making sure that everyone was collectively, collaboratively invested in our students. And today to have our students with us, the pride and the heartfelt community feel for everyone was absolutely fantastic.
Brad Elborough
Did you see any of the faces in the kids? How did it change from when they were on there for Welcome to Country to when the school's name was called out?
Joseph Klaric
Yeah, I turned around to have a look and like I could see that they were cheering louder than we were.
So that, you know, makes it more special knowing that like that's what we were doing this for in the first place. So to see that directly right next to us made it very impressive, you know.
Brad Elborough
You touched on the journey. Now, it sounds as though it'd be a whole podcast episode on its own. So in the briefest way, you can talk us through that journey.
Julie Bolingbroke
So the journey has been a long journey of looking at research, evident-based programs to making sure that we put the time into those programs to suit Gwynne Park Primary School, and then we did it in a really well-thought-out, planned-out way of rolling out of the programs.
Our hero is definitely Taught for Writing.
Joseph Klaric
And Taught for Reading and then all of our phonics programs.
But like I think more than anything, it was like getting everyone to buy into the fact that like our kids could achieve a lot more and that trusting that if we all, you know, we're on the same page, that that would happen a lot easier.
And then now the expectations of our kids starts off at a much higher level than what it was when I first started at the school of 15, 16 years ago. But the real noticeable change probably in the last 7, 8 years or so and then particularly the last 3 or 4 where everything started to come together.
Julie Bolingbroke
And it's a non-negotiable. Our literacy is the key and then all the other programs work as well as that literacy program because we've set the bar.
And our big motto at Gwynne Park and a very good friend of ours and a colleague, Sam Predonovich, he always said ‘our kids can’ and they definitely did today and they proved that our kids can achieve personal academic excellence and they really have that feeling of belonging because they achieve when they're at Gwynne Park Primary School.
Brad Elborough
Having something in place is one thing. Having everyone on board from teachers to students to parents and the community is another thing. So how have you managed to do that and what will they think about today's win?
Joseph Klaric
I think it's just after a while, the buy-in was there from all our staff, having people around different areas of the school that were championing certain things and setting a high bar for everybody and then it becomes the expectation that everyone does the same.
And then it becomes a case of everyone sharing their ideas rather than having some pockets where things are taught really well and others not so much, everyone just striving to be at that same very high level of instruction. And the proof there is in the results and how much better our students are achieving now.
Julie Bolingbroke
We find that the parents, we get lovely messages from them like, we're so glad we sent our children to Gwynne Park. They love coming to school. They're so invested in their learning and that's why they're achieving such high marks because they want to come to school every day.
And that's what it's about and that's what our shaping future for Education Department is every classroom, every day.
So, and we make it about the students every day.
Brad Elborough
That's a win right there, right?
So you started on a journey. The journey's been long, like you already said. Today you're here as award winners, as validation from what you're doing.
This now is going to be a motivation for other schools who want to start on that journey, isn't it?
Julie Bolingbroke
Absolutely. We love sharing our journey. We actually very good friends with Lockridge Primary School who won the wellbeing award as well, social, emotional wellbeing.
Joseph Klaric
I’ll just add, that was my old primary school as a kid. I was super proud of that.
Julie Bolingbroke
Yeah and we're just, we just, every child can get the opportunity to achieve and that's what it's about in the education system.
So we're really about sharing our improvement journey and we've had a lot of schools come to see our school for not only our academic achievements in literacy, but also our mindful meditation, our Lego League, our innovation in STEM. We've got our students competing at Curtin University in the States for the first Lego League competition as well.
Brad Elborough
In the category for Excellence in teaching and learning secondary, the winner was Applecross Senior High School and I have vice principal Angie with me.
Angie, congratulations. What a thrill. How were you feeling when your name was called out?
Angie Thomas
Fantastic. Thank you very much. It's an absolute honour to accept the award on behalf of the school today.
It's a very long journey in teaching and learning excellence at the school, and we're very proud to accept that.
Brad Elborough
Some of the results coming out of Applecross are terrific. You must be very proud of those, but it's been a journey and a lot goes into getting those results.
Can you talk us through what that journey looks like?
Angie Thomas
Yeah, it's probably been a 10-year journey in terms of the results and where they're at. And we're not just talking ATAR results, obviously. We're talking about VET and our VET program is very strong.
It's about pathways for every student in our school and a real care in our community for staff, each other, students and the wider community and partnerships as well.
So, look, it's fantastic today to be acknowledged because it was not just a one or 2-year journey. It's probably been a 10-year journey to get to where we are today.
Brad Elborough
And what's been the dedication and what's inspired the staff to get up each year across that 10-year and to get where you are now?
Angie Thomas
I think there's been a lot of resourcing put into teaching and learning. So whilst the department's quality teaching strategy is relatively new, a couple of years down the track with that one, the actual school has been investing a lot in lead teachers, teachers leading others in the workforce, early career teachers and career development, as well as our aspirant programs for Level 3 aspirants or for heads of learning area, for example, and working with the Future Leaders Framework.
But in particular around teaching and learning, working with teaching for impact at the moment, building teaching and learning communities within our school and really using our lead teachers to do that and school development days always have an aspect of teaching and learning attached to them.
Brad Elborough
And teaching and learning is the terms I've heard a lot of you talk about on stage and just now. The terms that I read about in your nomination and on the website, respect, support and motivate, they seem to be 3 big words that the school has adopted.
Angie Thomas
Yes. I mean, one of our mottos at the school is mutual respect and personal excellence and that's not just about our students. It's also about our staff and our staff striving for future improvement in their teaching and learning programs too.
So through self-reflection, we do use things like walkthroughs and classroom observations with peers going into each other's classes and giving feedback, but it's also the opportunities that we provide through that teaching for impact and the quality teaching framework and just being really focused.
So one of the focuses at the moment is student feedback and we have formed a group of students and those students are actually giving feedback to teaching and learning programs as well to give student voice to what we're doing in the teaching and learning space.
Brad Elborough
That's very courageous, opening yourself up to student feedback.
So the journey isn't end today though with this award but how do you think the school and the community will use this award to I guess to verify and justify the journey that you've been on?
Angie Thomas
Yeah, look, the prize money is great and obviously, you know, we didn't know winning until today so we'll have to go back and have a think about what's the best way to spend that $20,000.
We did obviously receive $5,000 last year as a finalist and we're very grateful for that and spent that on some school development day external presenter that we had come along for all staff in our school.
So when we get back, I'm sure everyone will be celebrating today, hopefully at the school when we get there and then we'll have a big chat with our leadership and decide where we spend the prize money this year to have more impact for teaching quality excellence in teaching and learning.
Brad Elborough
Today, in the category for the Excellence in cultural responsiveness, the winner was Bannister Creek Primary School and I've got with me principal Susan Archdall.
Susan, congratulations. How does that feel?
Susan Archdall
Oh, thank you so much. It's absolutely amazing and a credit to all of the students and staff and community at Bannister Creek Primary School.
Brad Elborough
Now, cultural responsiveness looks very different from school to school.
So what does it look like for Bannister Creek?
Susan Archdall
Yeah, it's an interesting question because obviously it has to be very contextually appropriate for each school, which is why it differs.
At Bannister Creek, we started with a lot of the infrastructure, so building things into our schools so that our Aboriginal Moort and Koolanga can see themselves reflected across our school every day.
We have a parent liaison group called Baldja Waangkiny, which means talking strong, and they really tell us what it looks like.
We ask the question of our parents and of our students, ‘what does cultural safety in our school look like?’ And they've been able to guide us through that.
One of the really important projects that the kids have been involved in has been the Yarkin project. So our Koolangabridia last year, her and her family chose the Baronga for our school, which is the snake neck turtle, which is the Yarkin. And our school is housed just a couple of streets away from the Bannister Creek.
So our Aboriginal students have been going down to the creek over the last year with lots of proud Aboriginal people and elders who have been teaching them how to care for the Yarkin and now our Aboriginal students standing up as the custodians of country are taking all the students down there and teaching them how to care for the Yarkin.
Brad Elborough
It doesn't seem that long ago that schools used to be about the teaching, the learning, which was reading, writing, learning how to count and add up.
So how important now in an education journey is cultural responsiveness?
Susan Archdall
It's absolutely imperative. We know that our kids cannot do the best they can academically unless they are centred, unless they have regulation in themselves and they are at their best. And the way to get them at their best is to make sure that their core needs are met.
For our Aboriginal students, cultural responsiveness is their core needs. We deal with all our kids, we have 51 different languages at our school, so we are a very diverse school and all of our kids have different core needs and we meet them.
This way, we are meeting the core needs of our Aboriginal students as well.
Brad Elborough
Now, when I went to school, I won't tell you how long ago that was. An outdoor classroom was, it was 35 degrees, let's go and sit out in the shade. That's not what it means for you. What's the outdoor classroom and how big initiatives are things like this to get kids doing something different?
Susan Archdall
I think it's really important that when people think about being on Country, they think about being out in the bush but the reality is that on Country is everywhere we walk. This is Aboriginal land everywhere we walk.
So it's really important that the kids embrace that being on country is in our school as well and surrounding our school.
We've built Moort Boodja, which is a beautiful family garden, 6 seasons garden, which is where The $20,000 we'll go to as well, because we've spent a lot of time building that garden with the community external to the school through Canning as well, lots of different agencies have been involved, but now with the money, we would like to build a beautiful yarning circle shaded in the middle where the kids can go and do lots of work out there as well.
Brad Elborough
That sounds wonderful.
So lastly, Aboriginal community is very big about community. As part of the school community, including the teachers, parents, and students, how will they embrace this honour today?
Susan Archdall
I'm not sure I can answer that for them. I feel so incredibly proud of them and so excited for them that they've been recognised for the incredible work they've been doing for many years, but it's kind of come to fruition in the last couple of years together.
I think that our Aboriginal kids say it best when they say that they are proud to be Aboriginal at Bannister Creek Primary School. And as I said, 51 different languages, the majority of those kids are proud for our Aboriginal kids to be proud of being Aboriginal.
Brad Elborough
So in the category for excellence in disability and inclusion, the winner, who seemed quite shocked at the time, was Beachlands Primary School. I've got the principal, Helen Barnes.
Helen, it was worth the trip today, or yesterday, I'm assuming, but very much worth the trip, 400K to get here.
What's the feeling?
Helen Barnes
Oh, yeah, shocked. Shocked is the right word but absolutely thrilled and a wonderful recognition for our staff who just work so hard to ensure every child in our school is well supported in their learning.
Brad Elborough
Some people take schooling for granted, right? We think you send your kids to school, but learning's not that simple for everyone, is it? There are some challenges that you have to face every day to help kids.
Helen Barnes
Yeah. There's an evolving cohort of complexity at the moment in public education and school staff are on the front line of this.
And 2 years ago, our staff decided to get really good at this and to really educate ourselves and upskill ourselves in terms of disability knowledge and the best practice strategies that we could apply in our school and then went on a journey to adapt our processes, our practices, engage our families, just really build staff efficacy to ensure that they were meeting children at their point of need.
It's a wonderful environment. As a principal, every morning when I walk around, you know, there's all pockets of staff working with children.
You know, some of it might look like a one-on-one check-in. Some of it might look like a sensory activity. Some of it might look like a gross motor movement break. But whatever that child needs, the staff are right there next to them.
Brad Elborough
Are there different challenges with being 400K from Perth?
Helen Barnes
Certainly.
Yeah, the support services, external support services, I should say, can be hard to access. And that's where, you know, as a school, we've worked really hard to build very positive relationships with all the allied services, the OTs, the speechies, the psychs in town, even NDIS providers.
You know, we've hosted many sessions for our families to make sure that they're really advocating for their children in terms of what they need externally of the school environment and then we make sure we've got really good working relationships because there is a space to learn from each other. And, you know, especially when we want to meet their learning needs, we first need to meet, you know, a sensory need or something like that.
So, yeah, those relationships are imperative.
Brad Elborough
I've heard the term Beachland's best. Today, we're seeing the best. You're on stage and you are the best. Tell me, there's more to it than that.
Tell me, what does Beachland's best mean to you and the school community?
Helen Barnes
Beachland's best has been a mantra for the school for a very long time and we use it often with the children and it's just about being the best you can be, you know, taking advantage of every opportunity.
The mantra we have at the moment for our current business plan is every child, every chance, which I think fits really well with the work that we do in meeting every child at their point of need.
Brad Elborough
You've talked about the relationships with families, not just as this isn't just about what the teachers and your staff are doing, you've talked about community and the families and their buy-in to what you're doing and their need to be involved.
So how will you share this win with them and what's it going to mean to them all?
Helen Barnes
It means an outstanding amount. Yeah, I think we've spent the money 3 times over already, but I'll certainly be asking the children what they would like, and I'm pretty sure they're going to tell me a playground.
But yeah, to the families, I think it's great confirmation. A lot of families are coming to us now as a school of choice because they may have felt that their child's needs weren't being met elsewhere.
So it's probably really good confirmation for them to trust us and to keep going with us, but yeah, I think it's just marvellous recognition for all the hard work that our team do.
Brad Elborough
So this year, 2024, we had a new category for the Education Awards, Excellence in wellbeing and learning and our inaugural winner was Lockridge Primary School.
I've got the principal, Mike Mount-Bryson with me now.
Mike, how does that feel? Inaugural winner.
Mike Mount-Bryson
Yeah. Pretty surreal. A special day in lots of ways, but yeah, we're all a bit tingly still, I think.
Brad Elborough
A little bit tingly. I heard you use the comment, ‘Locko on top’. You're on top today, aren't you? Talk us through that.
Mike Mount-Bryson
Yeah. A lot of what we do is in that really positive language space and so talking about Lockridge on top, as I said on the stage, in a uniform context, it translates for our kids.
So our kids can be on top despite whatever challenges they confront and so I've got lots of good students and peers around them, they've got some amazing staff and their families and lots of agencies there to help them. So our kids can achieve sometimes they just need a bit of language around that.
Brad Elborough
So we talked, today's about wellbeing and learning, that's the award you're for and it might be an inaugural award, but it's not something that you've been just started on today to win this award.
Has this been happening in the school for a long time?
Mike Mount-Bryson
It has and it's been happening in all schools for so long. It's the core of what we do.
So our kids can't attain any sort of academic success if they don't have some psychological safety and some wellbeing success.
So we talk a lot of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and kids have to have foundations of wellbeing before they can have anything and so we have an outstanding group of staff that just are stable and committed and roll up every day, largely excited to come to work and from that wellbeing platform and for each other as well, which is, I think is a core strength of our school.
We don't just adore the kids, we care for each other and that's the absolute foundation of our school.
Brad Elborough
Absolutely. And award days are all about cliches, right? It takes a village for something like this. It doesn't start and finish at school.
How big is the community involved in winning this award today?
Mike Mount-Bryson
Again, the Lockridge community, we often hear when the Lockridge name is put out there, people will turn their nose up or they'll purse their lips and go, ‘oh, Lockridge’.
But the community is an outstanding community, a strong, passionate community who love their school and that's one of the great things we have is the parents love our school. The parents love the staff. They know that we love their kids. And as a result, they back us in. And there's lots of goodwill to Lockridge.
And so it's just so fantastic that in a Lockridge Department of Education space, Lockridge is starting to be looked at as a positive and Lockridge, no, they're doing good things and they've got good people there.
So that's just a wonderful thing for our kids to then build upon for their own sort of journey through the early stages of life.
Brad Elborough
This journey has been small. You're nominated, you've been through the scrutiny of the judges, and today you're a winner.
What is this going to mean to the community and the school community in and out of the school?
Mike Mount-Bryson
As me, as a leader, it'll be at 9.15, we're back to work and we keep doing it.
So, and that's what we've spoken about. You know, we talk of you know, nothing's done, you're doing it. And had a great conversation to Joe Brumm earlier about his journey and he sort of shared some of the similarities to our journey.
We can't just stop now. So this isn't an end point. This is just an acknowledgement of a point in time. And we go back at 9.15 today and we keep doing for our kids so that, you know, whether we're a finalist or an award winner or whatnot, we have to do the same stuff day in, day out every day whether we're acknowledged or not, because our kids are then better for it.
Brad Elborough
The last category that was announced is the Excellence in school leadership, but certainly no least important than any of the others and the winner was Morawa District High School.
I've got Principal Tonia Carslake with me. Tonia, congratulations. How does that feel?
Tonia Carslake
Well, it feels amazing. I feel so proud of my team.
Absolutely.
Brad Elborough
Worth the journey? How about 3 and a half hours to get here?
Tonia Carslake
Yes, that's right. Absolutely worth it. Yes.
Brad Elborough
Leadership in any organisation is important. How important has leadership been to your school?
Tonia Carslake
Well, I think it's integral. Staff need strong, supportive leadership so they all feel valued and I feel like we are certainly one big team.
We all know what we need to achieve. We've all got the same vision in mind. We're on the same page. We have a strong master plan and business plan that guides everything we do. So we know exactly what to do. We're a really coherent team.
Yeah.
Brad Elborough
And leadership's not just about the principal or the vice principal.
Tonia Carslake
No, absolutely.
Brad Elborough
There's a lot of leaders, I would imagine, at Morawa.
Tonia Carslake
Yes, absolutely, for sure.
Of course, there's those with the title. Myself, I've got 2 amazing deputy principals, 2 amazing MCSs and amazing learning support coordinator, but I have middle leaders across the school leading our curriculum, literacy and numeracy, leading our health and wellbeing.
All of those areas are covered. It takes all of us to take on that little bit of leadership to make sure that we really adhere to our vision of growing good people.
Brad Elborough
And it ventures even further, I guess, from the community, but also the students.
I was reading in the nomination form that the leadership that you try to encourage in students is very much part of why you're sitting here talking to me today.
Tonia Carslake
Yes, absolutely. We have a strong leadership strategy, student leadership strategy and part of that we've really seen flourish in the last couple of years.
We have a student, Peter Humphries, who's actually sitting her final ATAR exam today but she was inaugural on the WA Student Council, inaugural member. She's in the youth parliament, head of the opposition and we really foster those leadership skills in our students right through school, but formally from Year 4, once they enter the student council and as the house captains for our factions.
Brad Elborough
And a district high school has other challenges that other schools don't have, and I haven't been to one, so I'm making assumptions here. But leadership becomes even extra more important when you're in a district school?
Tonia Carslake
Well, I have the community at heart. I'm local. I want to get it right for all our beautiful children and their families and to make sure our school's the best school it can be.
We've got a 42% Aboriginal population and students from various socioeconomic backgrounds and we just do it well for all of them.
That's what we strive to do each and every day, to love and care for them all and to make sure they reach their full potential.
Brad Elborough
It doesn't sound as though you need justification of what you're doing at the school, but this award is we're on the right track. We're doing things right.
Is that how this community is going to perceive this?
Tonia Carslake
I hope so. We certainly feel like that. We had a 5-year public school review last year and it really confirmed everything we've been doing and working towards.
And yeah, so the community was very proud of that and I'm sure they'll be equally as proud of this.
Brad Elborough
And the 2 words I read in your nomination that struck me were creating a safe and welcome environment and that's leaders from the way down, it's everyone at the school that needs to.
Tonia Carslake
Absolutely. We have positive behaviour support fully embedded across our school with our PBS leader, she's also our learning support coordinator and a big strong team.
All our students know our expectations of respect, responsibility and achievement. We talk at each and every day and that's what we need to do to all grow to be good people. So yes, well and truly embedded.
MAK
This year, 2 new categories have been added to the WA Education Awards, Excellence in Early Childhood Education and the Minister's Teacher of the Year Award.
The Excellence in Early Childhood Education Award acknowledges early childhood centres and early years programs that demonstrate excellence in early learning and development.
When applying for this award, nominees will need to demonstrate strong partnerships with families and communities, inclusive practices for learners of all backgrounds and abilities, and provide evidence of positive, measurable impact on children's learning outcomes and well-being.
The Minister's Teacher of the Year sees the return of us honouring individual teachers across all education settings who demonstrate outstanding professional knowledge, practice and engagement.
This award also recognises the winner's professional leadership in collaborating with colleagues, parents and the community, sharing expertise and initiating activities that improve educational opportunities for all students.
If you want to find out more about the two new awards and what the judges are looking for in all of the nominations, there is information on the department's website, education.wa.edu.au/wa-education-awards.
You've been listening to Ed Talks WA. Thanks to our guests and congratulations on their wins during last year's Education Awards.
If staff at a WA public school want to nominate for the 2025 Western Australian Education Awards, you can do so on the Department of Education's website at education.wa.edu.au/wa-education-awards.
This podcast has been recorded on Whadjuk Noongar land. We pay respect to the traditional owners and to their elders past, present and future.
Notes
Read about last year's WA Education Award winners.
Learn more about the 2025 Western Australian Education Awards here.