A Broadmeadows primary school’s commitment to coaching its teachers has led to a “striking improvement” in NAPLAN results.
The link was revealed in an international study that examined whether greater levels of autonomy in a school led to higher student performance.
The federal government-supported study investigated four schools in Australia, including Broadmeadows Primary School.
Report author and Melbourne University honorary professional fellow Brian Caldwell said the school’s ability to hire and fire staff, invest in coaching and send teachers on overseas study trips had directly affected the schools’ NAPLAN results.
“Despite high levels of social disadvantage, their autonomy has allowed them to select their own teachers and devote a large amount of the school’s budget to coaching those teachers. They give particular priority to this.”
Principal Keith McDougall allocates $300,000 annually for private consultants and to employ a full-time curriculum coach.
The principal of 28 years has travelled widely to monitor developments in education, including visiting schools in Denmark, England, New Zealand and the US.
Fifteen years ago be began sending teachers on study trips to schools in New Zealand with similar demographic profiles.
Those trips have led to the introduction of a “news broadcast” idea where the school presents to parents in assembly twice a term. The visits also prompted the school to stop its Reading Recovery program.
“Each of these are school-level decisions, that only a principal with a high degree of autonomy can make,” Professor Caldwell said.
Striking improvements in NAPLAN marks were made from 2004 to 2012. In 2012, the Broadmeadows pupils’ results were substantially above the median for all schools in Australia in writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and numeracy in both years 3 and 5. “It’s a very, very good school in very difficult circumstances,” Professor Caldwell said.
