By creatively analysing the curriculum and what it means to be a learner, the Queensland school’s students have adopted ways of thinking and learning that nurture curiosity, creativity and confidence.
The journey began in 2022 with a strong desire from P–6 teachers and leaders to rethink curriculum and assessment design. Rather than imposing a top-down reform, Stretton State College invited interested Prep to Year 6 teachers to lead this change in partnership with their Campus Principal and Heads of Department.
Starting small, they trialled and redesigned new units of learning, shared successes, rethought approaches and steadily scaled up implementation. By 2025, these new units were embedded across all P–6 classes, with a clear impact on how teachers and students see themselves as learners.
“We are excited to continue to monitor, reflect and shift our curriculum and pedagogy with the changing demands of our world, having now established a true community of empowered learners and learning,” says Primary Campus Principal Judy Rose-Cooper. “True magic happens when leaders enable teachers and students to lead their learning.”
The Stretton way
Empowering teachers as thinkers and learners means the school centres on student-focused and future-oriented learning.
This demands that teachers are given time, trust and support to inquire, collaborate and reflect – and crucially, removing the need for “permission” to reimagine learning. Teachers are encouraged to adapt learning to students’ interests and needs and to view experimentation as an expectation.
Deputy Principal-Innovation, Emma Webber, explains, “Our students grow as thinkers who are willing to take risks, reflect deeply and contribute thoughtfully to the world around them.”
Furthermore, Stretton makes it routine to acknowledge if things don’t work as expected, ask “what if” questions and challenge assumptions. By doing this, along with celebrating successes together, they have built collective efficacy and modelled to students the learning dispositions required to flourish in a rapidly changing world.
And to promote student voice and inspire teacher reflection and collaboration, the college’s staff newsletter, The Learner Mindset, includes photos, videos and artefacts from classrooms Prep to Year 12, highlighting innovation and best practice. By capturing the learning in classrooms, Stretton “de-privatises” the environment to support curriculum knowledge, share expertise and connect teachers.
Creating the perfect environment
The college has been very deliberate in constructing the best way to deliver its vision. Internally, it posed a series of questions:
- Is there dedicated time and space?
- How do we celebrate success and growth?
- What norms and structures exist to ensure every teacher is valued for their contribution and in alignment with our beliefs in learning?
Head of Teaching and Learning, Kirsten Morrison, underlines that being a community means teachers are afforded the same opportunities to take risks and reflect in the way students are encouraged to. “When we prioritise collaboration and invite innovation, that’s when we see transformational learning,” she says.
The logic works with the benefits clear from the development of teacher confidence in trialling evidence-informed practices and adapting learning experiences based on student needs to an increased knowledge of the Australian Curriculum. Many note a shift in classroom dynamics, with students taking more ownership of their learning and engaging in more interactive, real-world and digitally enriched experiences. Similarly, parental feedback indicates a higher level of student engagement and enthusiasm for learning.
Students report feeling greater autonomy and a deeper understanding of concepts, with their use of learning metalanguage continuously building. In the 2025 “Student Speak” videos, students shared the following sentiments:
- “To be a good learner is when you persevere through something you find hard, and if you don’t know something, you still have a go.” – Year 6 student
- “A learner studies for themselves – not to pass a test, but to help them succeed in their daily life.” – Year 8 student
While a teacher at Stretton says, “One of the real strengths of our school’s professional learning culture is that learning is genuinely valued at every level, especially by our leadership team. There’s a strong focus on working together, with time set aside for staff to collaborate, share ideas and support each other’s growth.”
Ultimately, the commitment to inquiry-based and futures-focused curriculum innovation is reshaping not only what students learn but also how everyone in the community understands themselves as learners.
By prioritising time, trust, psychological safety and collective reflection, the college has built an innovative professional culture – and student experience – framed within the dynamics of the modern world.
For more information, visit strettonsc.eq.edu.au.
This article is sponsored by Stretton State College