From the Principal

Hello and welcome to our first community newsletter for 2026! It has been wonderful to meet new students and staff and to connect with those returning this year. It has also been great to witness students embracing the range of opportunities for learning and personal growth offered at the College.

In this newsletter, you will find details of our 2026 leadership profile, including our student leaders and year level teams. Our leaders work closely with classroom teachers, and together we are highly committed to supporting our students' success. If you have any enquiries regarding student learning and or wellbeing, I would encourage you to contact the relevant staff member at the college.

Please enjoy this snapshot into the first 5 weeks of Term 1. I am looking forward to our year together and sharing in future success and achievements.

New and expanded progress reporting framework.

In 2020, we launched our progress reports across all year levels. The data generated from these reports has informed students, parents/carers and school staff about students' learning progress and areas of strength, as well as revealing areas for improvement. In 2026, the framework of the reports and the generation of this data has undergone some changes. The aim of these changes is to improve the quality of the feedback and to support our work in continuing to raise student expectations and aspirations. The data generated from these reports informs targeted contact and follow-up of students via our year-level teams. Often this information is communicated via Compass and email. I would encourage all parents to ensure they have appropriate access to Compass and up-to-date contact details at the school. Further information on changes to our report can be found in this edition of the newsletter.

Parent, Student and Staff survey highlights from 2025

2025 was a very successful year for our results across a variety of Department of Education performance measures and surveys. In the majority of categories across parent, student, and staff surveys, the college results were above state and similar-school averages. In some key areas of these surveys, Cranbourne Secondary was also above the average for all local schools.

A quick snapshot of these results:

• Parent Survey – All categories in this survey were above the state average, with the majority also above those of similar schools and all other local schools. This survey includes general satisfaction regarding the quality of student learning and wellbeing programs, as well as how the school engages with parents and the local community. Receiving results that indicate high satisfaction and positivity from our parents is wonderful and will inform our continued improvement work together.
• Staff Survey – Over 95% of all categories were rated above state, similar schools and local schools. Some of the most pleasing aspects of these results included consistent improvement in our Academic emphasis and continued improvement in our overall school climate. Our school climate, a combination of measures designed to assess overall focus on student learning, is now 10% higher than state and similar school averages.
• Student Survey – over 90% of categories in this survey are above the state average; the most notable was our continued improvement in key areas, particularly students' understanding of our high expectations, as well as the variety of ways we support students to strive for outstanding results.

The above results, alongside improvements in student learning outcomes has contributed to a very positive school performance report from the Department of Education.

Thank you to our parents, staff, and, of course, our students for your contributions to our ongoing commitment to improvement for the benefit of our community.

Update on social media restrictions for children under the age of 16 

(Thanks to Year 7-9 Assistant Principal Michelle Colette)

As you are aware, at the end of 2025, social media age restrictions were introduced for young people under 16 years old. This includes the following social media apps:

The intention of these age restrictions is not to ban children from accessing social media, but to delay the access that social media corporations have to children under the age of 16 and their personal data until they are old enough to make more informed choices and maintain their own safety.

It has been reported that over 4.7 million social media accounts have been disabled, with a general indication that the technology companies are complying with the legislation. There are also indications that not all children under the age of 16 had accounts disabled, as well as teens developing strategies to circumnavigate the age verification protocols. We can anticipate that a more complete understanding of this legislation's success will take many months to become clear.

As a parent or carer, it’s important to talk with your children about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. Use this opportunity to speak openly with your child about their social media use and to set expectations as a family.

Updating our expectations

The school has considered the use of the Microsoft Teams chat function in light of the new laws and has decided to disable it for year levels 7 to 10. Students across all year levels will be re-taught how to access emails to contact their teachers for support when required. Students should continue to place their mobile phones in their bags as they enter school grounds and keep them in their locked lockers during the school day. Our school's Digital Learning and Mobile Phone Policy will be updated to reflect these changes, with consultation with the School Council as required.

It is our recommendation that families support the Government Social Media delay for students under the age of 16.  However, if students have accessed these platforms and encounter any concerns, we want them to know they can come forward. Our approach will always be supportive, not punitive.

Our support of the social media restrictions is grounded in our experience working with young people and young adults. Resources are available at the following link: 

eSafety Commissioner 

Social media age restrictions hub.

Easing into adolescence

In addition to the above links, the Department of Education has recently launched an updated website with information and resources to help parents navigate the early years of adolescent development. The website’s target audience is parents and carers of students aged 10-14.

In addition to its focus on supporting strong engagement in school and the development of emotional intelligence, the site also includes a range of helpful links on adolescent health and wellbeing. 

www.vic.gov.au/easing-adolescence-resources-families

School council elections

Towards the end of Term 1, all schools are required to have completed School Council elections. The School Council is made up of parents, students and college staff. Each year, half the school council member positions are up for re-election.

At Cranbourne Secondary College, there are vacancies for 4 parents, 1 staff and 1 student. These positions are for two- year terms. The student position is open to any student enrolled at the school from year 7 to year 12.

The school council meets 8 times per year for approximately 90 minutes. Information regarding nominations and voting will be emailed to parents directly via Compass. I would encourage all parents to consider this opportunity to be involved.

School uniform and student dress code policy

Thank you to parents for your cooperation and support in working with students to ensure they are following our policy and processes. Our aim is to remove as many barriers as possible for students and families, enabling all students to be in full school uniform and ready for learning. There are a variety of supports available, and we invite any parent who requires support to contact the school. Ensuring students arrive on time, in full school uniform with all learning equipment, is one of the kindest things that we can do together to help our students succeed. When students consistently meet these expectations, positive conditions for learning are the norm. This is an important factor in our ongoing improvement as a school. Thank you for your support.

Please enjoy the first edition of our community newsletter, the first of our 50th year of service to Cranbourne. 

Many thanks, 

David Caughey

College Principal