Start the new school year inspired with Chief Executive Martin Westwell as he joins Teach to discuss the year ahead. From encouraging new teachers and exploring the updated curriculum, to the introduction of three-year-old preschool and the first technical college student graduates, the Chief Executive shares his optimism, vision, and practical insights for educators. Discover how South Australia is broadening what success looks like for every learner and be energised for the year ahead.

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In the final episode of Teach for 2025, Chief Executive Martin Westwell reflects on the many achievements made across the Department for Education this year.

Professor Westwell shares stories from his visits to schools and preschools and discusses big projects such as the rollout of EdChat to all secondary students and preparing for the start of 3-year-old preschool in 2026. He also highlights how sites are working towards the same goal, but in ways that suit their community.

Looking ahead to 2026, Professor Westwell encourages educators to continue working on what’s important for their community, maintain their focus on learning, and actively share their good ideas with one another.

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In this episode Stew Nancarrow, Assistant Principal at Colonel Light Gardens Primary School and Sarah Bradbury, Assistant Director in the Department for Education’s Learning and Teaching Directorate discuss the Curriculum Leaders' Network.  This initiative is designed to connect leaders of curriculum and pedagogy in public schools across South Australia. There are separate networks for the Primary Years context and for the Secondary Years context, but each is designed to enable participants to lead and design for learning that activates our Strategy for Public Education and SA Curriculum Framework prototype.

Learn how these networks empower educators to design for  the SA Curriculum through peer learning, sharing of practice, and a focus on developing dispositions, capabilities and conceptual understanding. Hear firsthand accounts of how curriculum leaders are supporting each other, implementing new approaches, and preparing students to learn and thrive.

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Principals Sylvia Groves, Salisbury High School and Sally Schwartzkopff, Renmark Primary School, join us to talk about implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) at their schools. Hear how adopting the PBL framework has led to cultural transformation, improved wellbeing and strengthened relationships amongst their staff and students.

From overcoming challenges to celebrating school-wide achievements, this episode highlights practical strategies, the importance of community and staff buy-in, and advice for schools looking to enhance or explore their own PBL practices.

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Join us to explore Lenswood Primary School’s Resilient Lenswood Parents in Education project, an inspiring initiative born from the devastating 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfires. Sokhan Greenwood, Principal at Lenswood Primary School and Caroline Williamson, parent, volunteer and Project Lead share how their disaster-stricken community turned adversity into an empowering program for children and families.

Hear about the strategies that have fostered student voice, parent collaboration, and curriculum innovation to build disaster resilience and agency in children. This episode is ideal for educators, parents, and community leaders seeking to transform challenges into growth opportunities in their schools and preschools.

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Natalie Gentle, Education Programs Manager at Reconciliation SA and a member of the Department for Education’s Reconciliation Action Plan working group, and Leonie Shelley, Principal at Blair Athol North School (B-6), join us to discuss anti-racism in education.

Natalie shares how Reconciliation SA’s Education, action and change: anti-racism resource for schools and preschools is a blueprint for teachers and educators to understand racism and foster anti-racist behaviour.

The episode highlights the impacts of racism on learner and staff wellbeing and how to develop skills, strategies and capacity to engage consistently in anti-racism in schools.

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Professor Caroline Cohrssen and Dr. Danielle Harris share their insights into enhancing mathematical understanding in early childhood and secondary education, emphasising the importance of purposeful communication and responsive engagement in early years to foster mathematical thinking beyond basic counting and shapes and visualisation strategies in secondary education to encourage students to articulate their problem-solving skills through developing their spatial skills.

They also highlight the role of family involvement and the significance of recognising mathematical play in everyday activities and stress the need for a continuum in education, bridging early childhood and formal schooling, to build confidence and capabilities in mathematics.

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Global education expert Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan joins us to unpack the shift from shallow to deep learning and why South Australia is leading the way.

He explains how the Six Cs are redefining what it means to thrive in school and society and why empowering schools and communities from the bottom up is key to lasting change.

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Matthew McCurry, Principal of Hospital School SA, joins us to discuss how his team supports students across South Australia, and beyond, who are navigating illness, mental health challenges, and school refusal. With more than 4,600 students a year coming through their doors, Hospital School SA provides education across three campuses located within major hospitals.

Matthew shares how each young person's experience is shaped by a unique set of emotional, cognitive, and environmental factors. He outlines practical strategies educators can use to re-engage students, from shifting mindsets and challenging unconscious biases to creating truly flexible, student-led pathways back into learning.

This episode highlights the importance of empathy, connection, consistency, and low-pressure choices when working with young people and their families. It also offers valuable advice on language, relationship repair, and how schools can become active partners in a student’s journey back into the classroom.

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Join us as Tiffany Westphal and Louise Rogers, co-directors of School Can’t Australia (SCA), share their views on why some students experience distress around school attendance.

Tiffany and Louise discuss how school attendance difficulties are often a protective nervous system response to chronic stress, especially for neurodivergent students.

This episode provides insights for school leaders, wellbeing staff and classroom teachers looking to better understand and engage with students and families impacted by attendance distress.

SCA was established in 2014, to provide lived experience advice and support for families whose children and young people are experiencing school attendance difficulties.

Key takeaways:

• Attendance distress is a stress response, not misbehaviour. Students may avoid school due to cumulative stress from significant and recurring life challenges which may include learning difficulties, family trauma, barriers due to disability, or experiences of not belonging. Responding with rewards or consequences is not always a solution for the root cause.
• Understanding the nervous system helps educators reframe behaviours. Fight, flight or shutdown behaviours—like meltdowns, avoidance or dissociation—are often signs of distress, not defiance. Supporting students means tuning in to their nervous system state, not just their outward behaviour.
• Curiosity and connection are key. Relational practice and tools such as visual prompts may help students identify and articulate key stressors and feel safe enough to share what’s difficult. Educators create more supportive environments by seeking to understand, listen, and work in partnership with families.

Show notes

• School Can’t Australia
• We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode and any ideas you have for future topics. Get in touch with the Teach Podcast team at [email protected].

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