2026 School Review

The Department of Education (DE) requires all schools to participate in a four-year school review cycle to evaluate performance, measure learning and wellbeing growth, and develop goals and targets for the next School Strategic Plan.

The Elwood College school review took place this term, providing an opportunity to reflect on the past four years and consider our priorities for the next School Strategic Plan. The review panel included the Senior Education Improvement Leader (DE representative), our School Council President, Grace Hollister, and two local secondary principals who joined us as challenge partners, bringing a valuable external perspective and helping us to test our thinking through questions and discussion.

A school review is a great opportunity to pause and celebrate successes and to set clear and focused objectives for future improvement. The reviewers engaged with students, parents/carers, staff members, school leaders and conducted classroom visits of all year levels as part of the process.

The key strengths of Elwood College as identified by the review were:

A safe and inclusive learning environment for students
A culture of strong and positive relationships between all school stakeholders
Elwood College Student Survey results above those of similar schools in 18 of 20 areas
Elwood College Staff Survey results above those of similar schools in all 16 areas

The identified target areas for improvement in our next strategic plan (2027-2030) were:

The establishment of a culture of excellence in all areas of our programs
To continue to implement consistent and responsive teaching practices
To enhance and embed pathways programs across the school
To continue to build a comprehensive wellbeing curriculum across our students’ 7-12 school experience

This feedback from the review was valuable and reassuring as it confirmed the feedback we had been hearing from students and staff in our termly focus groups and surveys. Progress towards some of the key targets identified by the review has already begun in 2026 through initiatives such as:

End of year Junior School exams for year-long subjects
End of Semester Exams in Middle School
The explicit teaching of study and revision techniques in Years 7-10
All summative assessment tasks (CATs and SACs) being handwritten and completed under teacher supervision
Two staff professional development sessions on Responsive Teaching led by Rachel George, our regional Senior Education Improvement Leader

Our next priority is to be more intentional and deliberate in defining what excellence looks like at Elwood College. This will involve building collective ownership of our definition of excellence, establishing a shared common language and ensuring consistent expectations across our school. We want to create a culture that pushes for excellence for every student and every staff member, supporting growth, high expectations and a strong sense of pride in what we do. Ultimately, our aim is to position Elwood College as a school of choice for our students, families and staff.

We have dedicated time in Term 4 to work with students, staff, parents and carers to develop a shared definition of what excellence looks like at Elwood College. This will give us greater clarity about what we are collectively striving for as a whole school community as we move into 2027. Students in Years 7–11 will contribute their perspectives through focus groups in Term 4, and parents and carers will be invited to contribute their perspectives on what will help us consistently establish and support excellence through our programs and practices.

As always, we are looking forward to working with all members of our school community to improve the quality of the educational program Elwood College offers to its students.

Elwood College Newsletter

Respect Integrity Care Compassion

2026 Term 3 Newsletter · 18 Sep 2026

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