Independent Schools Guide 2025: How to bring the best to the classroom

“Our teachers learn from each other, and they also develop deep knowledge and understanding with their students,” says Principal Susan Just. “Our classrooms are places with high levels of engagement and high expectations on the part of teachers and students.

“Higher-order thinking, critical thinking and student agency are encouraged every day.

“We also emphasise significance and students being able to connect what they are learning to their broader lives and the world.”

The QT Model sees teachers sharing research that showcases new approaches and perspectives on education with each other and collecting observations of each other’s lessons by coding them against the QT framework.

“Our staff are honest with each other, and observing and coding lessons results in rich conversations because of the level of trust between teachers,” says Assistant Principal – Junior School Kate Hehir.

“At the end of that process, teachers write a reflection and meet with a member of the executive team to look at how the school can help them continue to improve, realise their aspirations and create opportunities for professional learning outside the school.

“Our teachers value the process because it builds morale, encourages deep professional conversations, provides objective feedback and creates opportunities for them to connect with, and learn from, teachers across different subject areas.”

Students are, naturally, benefiting from Lauriston Girls’ School’s focus on quality teaching.

Higher levels of engagement, tapping into the valuable understandings that come with sharing intercultural experiences within the classroom, strong academic performance, and students being offered a degree of choice from each lesson are just some of the rewards.

“We’ve made a long-term commitment to Quality Teaching because we see its many benefits,” Just says. “It works and it ensures our classrooms are a special and inspirational place to be.”