Education

Classroom Mastery

Classrooms must be safe spaces for all students and staff, and we, therefore, hold high expectations of student behaviour. All staff apply strategies from Classroom Mastery for every lesson, every day. 

Classroom Mastery promotes positive teaching approaches, a strong classroom culture, and thriving students. Designed to enhance student well-being and learning, it supports our College at a whole-school level, ensuring meaningful improvements in every classroom, every day.

High Impact Teaching Practices

High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) is based on national and international research on how students learn, process and retain information. It aligns to the Science of Learning and cognitive science principles and creates a practical methodology for best practice teaching in the classroom.

At St Clare’s College, HITP is embedded in every classroom, ensuring a consistent and effective learning experience. This is made possible through high-quality curriculum resources, ongoing professional learning, system-wide assessment, and peer support, empowering teachers to focus on what they do best – teaching.

HITP establishes clear expectations, helping students enter the classroom ready to learn. Research (Sweller, 2011) shows that students achieve the best outcomes when provided with explicit instruction, ample practice, and continuous feedback—all core elements of our teaching approach.

Further information on HITP can be found here. 

At St Clare’s College, every student is valued and supported in their academic and social learning. We recognise that each student learns uniquely. Some students require reasonable adjustments and modifications to successfully engage both in and out of the classroom. Students with specific needs have access to targeted interventions to ensure their learning is optimised both socially and cognitively. 

Our Inclusive Education team collaborates with students, families, and medical professionals to develop Personalised Plans that support individual learning needs. This includes:

• Differentiated curriculum for accessible learning
• Modified assessments to track progress and success
• Classroom Support Assistants to enhance learning opportunities
• Specialised teaching practices embedded with Classroom Teachers to support in-class participation

By fostering an inclusive environment, we empower students to reach their full potential and build a strong foundation for future success.

The Wisdom Program supports Year 7 and 8 students in developing literacy skills through small-group instruction using the MacqLit program over two years. Students are invited to participate based on diagnostic testing, including PAT-R, NAPLAN, and WARP assessments, which identify and track low-progress readers.

MacqLit is the primary program implemented, which focuses on phonics, word identification, and connected text reading, helping students build confidence and improve overall literacy. This intervention ensures students can successfully engage in their learning.

The Student Progress Program (SPP) supports academic achievement in a focused and supportive study environment, open to all students. Held every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm in the Learning Commons, the program provides access to:

• Academic tutors and faculty staff for subject-specific support
• A teacher-librarian to assist with research and resources
• A structured study space 

The SPP requires a strong commitment to meeting the prescribed study conditions. Student attendance will be recorded, monitored and tracked using the SEQTA kiosk, requiring students to tag-in and out.

For more information, contact phil.coe@stcc.act.edu.au