Embedding Quality Teaching into everyday practice at Sanctuary Point

On the NSW south coast, Sanctuary Point Public School sits at the heart of a small, close-knit community. With around 400 students – roughly 30% identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander – and a relatively young, committed teaching team, it’s a school shaped by strong relationships and shared sense of purpose.

Here, professional learning is not an add on, but a shared commitment, and that is evident in the school’s long-standing engagement with Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR).

Sanctuary Point first connected with the QT Academy in 2020, when the then Principal and Deputy Principal Instructional Leader completed two days of online training, before introducing the QT Model and Rounds to the school. From the start, the intention was never to “roll it out” quickly but to embed it carefully and authentically.

Since then, the school has been dedicated to integrating the Model not only in their professional learning, but in their everyday practice as well.

A slow, deliberate build

At Sanctuary Point, QTR was introduced as a slow and deliberate process, grounded in a strong commitment to psychological safety.

Teachers were able to choose the colleagues they felt comfortable working with, building trust before classroom observations took place. This careful groundwork was reinforced through workshops, explainer videos, coding discussions and a twilight session led by Senior QT Adviser Michelle Ware, which unpacked the more complex elements of the QT Model.

From the beginning, it was made clear: QTR is not about coding the teacher, it’s about coding the lesson.

Just as importantly, the school invested in creating the conditions needed for success. All staff are given an additional hour off class each week, dedicated to professional learning. These conditions have helped create deep, sustained engagement with QTR.

The result is a culture where observation is not threatening, but routine and constructive.

As Mitch Butel, Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction (APCI), reflected, it is “very rare that you do these observations and don’t take something from it… very rare that you don’t come away feeling like you’ve picked up something you can use.”

Quality Teaching as part of practice – not an extra

Not only was it important for teachers to feel safe and comfortable; it was equally important not to add to an already demanding workload.

With the roll-out of a new curriculum in NSW, Sanctuary Point committed to working with ready-to-use lesson resources across key learning areas. As Mitch explains, “the units are there… it’s much easier to adapt that than create something from scratch.”

However, staff identified challenges of using pre-designed units for QTR. While teachers valued these units, they also found that tightly structured lessons limited opportunities to embed the QT Model in meaningful ways.

Instead of abandoning either approach, Sanctuary Point created a way to bring them together.

Working in small, stage-based groups – or professional learning communities (PLCs) – teachers trialled a new model: one teacher would deliver a lesson “as is” to be coded using the QT Model. In the second Round, the same lesson was taught to a different class, this time adapted using the QT Model and coded again. The goal was not to completely redesign the lesson, but to make deliberate, evidence-based adjustments.

As Gabby Murphy, co-APCI and Year 5 teacher explained, “our goal wasn’t to get everything to a five… it was just to improve one or two elements so the lesson coded slightly better.”

What they found

The results of this process were both reassuring and revealing.

With most ready-to-use resources designed for teachers, by teachers, it came as no surprise that the units held up well. “Most of the lessons code quite well,” Gabby noted, reinforcing that not every lesson is expected, or even designed, to code highly across all elements. In her most recent Round, Gabby’s PLC focused on a Year 5 PDHPE lesson, and it coded highly across the Intellectual Quality and Quality Learning Environment dimensions, as you would expect given their close alignment with explicit teaching strategies.

Making small adjustments to the Significance dimension made a substantial difference. By focusing on elements such as narrative, background knowledge and cultural knowledge, Gabby’s PLC saw both noticeable shifts in coding, from low codes to mid and high ranges, and promising shifts in the engagement and outcomes of students in their learning. These changes were not the result of extensive rewriting, but of a few carefully placed additions.

Finally – and most importantly – the process highlighted what teachers already know and do. Many found it surprisingly difficult to teach the original lesson without modification. “It was actually really hard to stick to the unit and not add those QTR elements,” said Gabby, “because we already know that those elements are what bring out great teaching.”

In other words, the QT Model didn’t introduce something new, it made visible what was already embedded in teachers’ practice.

Strengthening culture through collaboration

The structure of QTR has also strengthened collaboration across the school.

Initially, Rounds were conducted within stage teams, leveraging shared context and common language. Over time, teachers have moved beyond these boundaries, gaining insight into different classrooms and approaches. This has broadened professional conversations and deepened collective understanding of the QT Model.

The school has also extended this collaboration beyond its own gates, supporting neighbouring schools to implement QTR and sharing its experience.

Looking ahead

Sanctuary Point’s current approach – using QTR to analyse and refine ready-to-use resources – may continue to evolve. Leaders recognise that as units are adapted and strengthened, this particular approach may have a natural “shelf life”. But rather than a limitation, this is a sign of success.

As Gabby noted, the real aim is for teachers to become “so comfortable with QTR that is becomes a part of their authentic practice.”

At Sanctuary Point, that shift is already underway.

A model that respects teachers

The story of Sanctuary Point is not one of quick wins or dramatic transformation, but of sustained commitment, thoughtful adaptation, and deep respect for the work of teaching.

The QT Model has not been imposed as an additional requirement or treated as a checklist to complete. Instead, it has been used as a lens – a way of seeing, discussing and refining practice in a way that acknowledges both the complexity of teaching and the expertise of teachers.

In a context where time is limited and demands are high, that matters.