75 years of innovation in teacher education

Monday, 30 September 2024

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Professor Susan Ledger, Dean of Education and Head of School, and the dedicated School of Education staff at the University of Newcastle, are extremely proud to be celebrating 75 years of leading innovative teacher education programs for schools within the region.

Cessnock High School teacher Kelsey (centre) walks with two Year 12 students. Cessnock High School is in the background of the image.
After adopting the QTR model in 2020, Cessnock High School now has some of the most improved NAPLAN scores in the country and its Year 12 results have improved by 50 percent.

The School has developed a unique approach that focuses on teacher education through emerging technologies like simulated classrooms, foundational understandings of the quality teaching model, coupled with a focus on physical health and wellbeing, and inclusive and respectful practices to prepare our graduates for the ever-changing demands facing students, schools and society.

At the heart of educating our teachers is the belief that every child deserves a quality education and every teacher has the power to change lives:

  • Our award-winning and globally recognised training programs and innovative research centres are leading the nation in supporting education and learning outcomes.
  • Our tailored approach to partnering with schools is supporting teachers in the classroom to help young people reach their full potential.
  • Our teachers graduate with globally- transferable skills and qualifications, and our graduates are in high demand with over 97.6% of graduates employed within four months of graduating. 1
  • Our annual Indigenous graduating cohort has grown to 4.9% of graduating teachers. 2
  • You’ll find our teaching graduates in almost every school across our vast region, they are educating and supporting the next generation of our community and global leaders.
  • Through our existing and new intensive courses, this year alone we will strengthen our regional communities with approximately 640 new teachers. 2

1 Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022-2024. 2 University of Newcastle Program Profile data.

Thank you to our supporters

Generous support through the University of Newcastle and the School of Education has the power to change lives. Thank you for supporting research, scholarships and community programs to help people reach their full potential.

Creating more thriving schools

The University of Newcastle’s Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) program has helped turn the tables for thousands of students and teachers across Australia.

Developed by Laureate Professor Jenny Gore and colleagues at the University, the program empowers teachers to draw on their collective strengths, the advice of their peers, and an evidence-based model to improve their teaching practice.

For the past four years, Cessnock High School has partnered with the University to roll out QTR to every teacher at the school, with impressive results. In 2023, the school was ranked first in the Hunter Region and 11th in the state for its growth in NAPLAN results from Year 7 to Year 9. HSC results also improved by more than 50 percent.

QTR is now set to expand thanks to generous philanthropic support from the Paul Ramsay Foundation and funding from the NSW Department of Education.

Led by University of Newcastle researcher, Dr Drew Miller, the $4.3m Thriving Schools project will see the University partner with 25 more NSW government schools serving disadvantaged communities.

“The core business of teachers is teaching and learning. But in these more complex schools, teachers’ energies are often channelled in many directions which limits the time they have to focus on high-quality classroom practice.

Changing anything in these schools is hard because of the profound social inequities facing those communities. Every school is different, and many have different needs. Helping generate change is our key focus, and it's a real honour to be able to do it,” explains Dr Miller.

Success beyond academic achievement

As the QTR program is expanded across the state, it’s important to recognise its impacts reach far beyond just the schools themselves.

We’re not just trying to help kids through school here, we’re trying to help the Cessnock community by producing kids who are capable of getting quality jobs, being able to operate as a community member, and adding to our community. We are really proud of the results we have achieved so far."


Peter Riley
Principal, Cessnock High School
Bachelor of Education, 1991

To learn more about how this new way of teaching has helped turn the tables at Cessnock High School, click here.

If you would like to find a project to support that aligns with your values, please see Kate's contact information below or go to newcastle.edu.au/donate

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