-
Our news

Impact Case Study: Horsham College, Northwest Victoria

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

300 kilometres from Melbourne and with approximately 900 students, 300 of whom travel at length and almost half of whom come from households in the lowest income quartile, Horsham College is the only government secondary school servicing the town and surrounding communities.

Officially designated as a difficult to staff school, Horsham College has partnered with Teach For Australia for six years.

16 Associates have been placed at the College, with 16 Associates and Alumni currently teaching there. Alumnus Adam Ross is an Acting Assistant Principal and Alumnus Michael Briggs-Miller was also an Acting Assistant Principal until his appointment as Principal of nearby Warracknabeal Secondary College, another Teach For Australia partner school.

Horsham-College-Case-Study

Raising academic achievement

In 2014, the average study score for Year 11 and 12 classes taught by Teach For Australia Associates or Alumni was 35 out of 50 – the College’s median study score being 28.

Increasing student engagement

Principal Rob Pyers received his first-ever email from a student asking if their teacher would be the same next year – Associate Daniel Garner who teaches humanities and legal studies. To ensure that a student with hearing difficulties could learn with their peers, Daniel rewrote and adapted all Year 8 humanities resources.

Contributing to leadership cultural change

Teach For Australia partnered with Horsham College nearing a time of leadership renewal. Associates and Alumni arrived at the College with skills that helped shift teaching practices across the College. Alumnus Daniel Marget took on the challenge presented to him by the College’s leaders and led the development of a school vision and positive behaviours framework.

“Teach For Australia Associates have been a catalyst for change at Horsham College. The energy, aspirations and commitment of Associates have been harnessed to create a better school environment and ultimately impact on student outcomes.”

– Rob Pyers, Principal

Drama-Club

Driving wellbeing and inclusion programs

As Acting Assistant Principal, Alumnus Michael Briggs-Miller managed 12 staff to deliver four programs for approximately 170 disengaged students, designed to improve engagement and transition students to further education or work.

Alumnus Adam Ross, then Lead Teacher now Acting Assistant Principal, developed individual education and career action plans for each student, focused on building resilience and relationships.

Attendance and engagement is high, improvements are being made in literacy and numeracy and career pathways have developed.

New opportunities for students in drama and languages

Associate Christopher Summers, a National Institute of Dramatic Arts graduate and recipient of a Patrick White Playwrights’ Award, has expanded the College’s drama program. Disused squash courts have been converted into a performing arts complex and the College will include drama in both its Victorian Certificate of Education and Vocational Education and Training offerings in 2016. The College has made the vocational drama program available to schools across the region, including remote and non-government schools.

Another Associate, Kate Alliot, managed the introduction of Spanish as a new subject, developing materials and implementing a program for Years 7 and 8.

Find out more

Continue reading

Learn more about Teach for Australia, our programs and our cohorts.
Read more
Tuesday, December 19th, 2023
Read more
Read more