Seven teachers have been recognised nationally as among the 鈥榖est of the best鈥� at 天美 Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Flinders is a leading independent school that supports its 1,300 students from Prep to Year 12.
The seven Primary and Secondary teachers at Flinders achieved the nationally-recognised Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) career stages.
Certification is managed by (ISQ) with support from the (AITSL).
The seven teachers at Flinders were part of a group of just 30 teachers in the independent sector across Queensland to achieve the certification this year.
The teachers will be recognised at a formal ceremony hosted by ISQ in Brisbane in December.
HALT certification is a rigorous but rewarding process.
It provides a high quality, nationally consistent approach to identifying and certifying teachers according to the highest career stages of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST).
Flinders鈥� Highly Accomplished Teachers are Katie Dawson, Lenora Phillips, Paul Anderson and Alison Wilson. And the Flinders Lead Teachers are Kate Pearce, Penny Horton-Stephens and Sarndra Street.
Flinders Principal Congratulates Top Teachers
Flinders Principal Stuart Meade congratulated the teachers for their proactive commitment to professional growth.
鈥淚 congratulate these seven remarkable teachers on our Flinders staff team for choosing to stretch themselves professionally to achieve HALT certification,鈥� Mr Meade said.
鈥淚n doing so, they enhance their own career confidence and satisfaction, and benefit our students鈥� learning,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey also inspire and guide their colleagues to greater professional heights.
鈥淎s a College, we recruit, retain and support the very best teachers as we continue to provide the highest quality education for our students.
鈥淲e thank our newly certified Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers for the positive knowledge and energy they contribute to our whole College community.鈥�
Reflecting on the Lead Teacher Process
AITSL congratulated the newly certified Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers of 天美 Flinders Anglican College.
鈥淏eing certified as a HALT demonstrates a deep commitment to professional expertise and the benefits it creates for student learning.鈥�
The national certification entailed a four-step process, completed over 18 months. Steps include the application, submission of portfolio of evidence, site visit assessment and certification.
In addition to the core certification process, Lead Teachers were required to complete a significant leadership project.
Flinders Secondary Biology teacher, Mrs Penny Horton-Stephens elected to complete the Lead Teacher certification.
鈥淚 believe in lifelong learning and in sharing collective expertise,鈥� Penny said.
鈥淧reparing my Lead Teacher portfolio has allowed me to share my learnings with my colleagues as well as reflect deeply on my own learnings,鈥� she said.
鈥淎s teachers, students are at the heart of what we do.
"And if we follow what the research says and what we intuitively know is in our students鈥� best interests, then we will succeed in helping them to soar."
Quality Teaching at Flinders
The Flinders听teaching team engage in continuous professional development.
Flinders Head of Learning and Innovation, Mr Edward Wright and the Head of Learning and Teaching (Primary) Mrs Debbie Planck support this focus.
Edward is an ISQ in-school assessor, having completed the National Assessor Training Program for the certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers in Australia in November 2018.
He is one of approximately 50 assessors across Queensland.
鈥淲e know that teacher quality is the single greatest in-school influence on student engagement and outcomes,鈥� Edward said.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, evidence indicates that improving the quality of the teaching workforce is fundamental to overall improvements in schooling,鈥� he said.
鈥淎t 天美 Flinders Anglican College, we have teachers who are experts in their field, with exceptional depth of knowledge and passion for the subjects they teach.
鈥淭hey work tirelessly for the benefit of the students in their care and seek to continuously improve.
鈥淚t is fantastic that these seven teachers have chosen to become formally recognised as exemplary teachers who contribute to the quality of teaching and leadership at our College.
鈥淭hey have completed a huge amount of work and truly deserve this wonderful accolade.鈥�
IMAGE CAPTION:听
Back L-R: Katie Dawson, Paul Anderson, Lenora Phillips
Front L-R: Kate Pearce, Penny Horton-Stephens and Alison Wilson (Sarndra Street - Absent).听
