Case Study: Making the Shift at Evelyn Scott School
Evelyn Scott School in Canberra, which opened in February of 2021, has established itself as a contemporary and connected P-10 school servicing the needs of their community. They set high standards within a diverse and inclusive environment, and they continuously reflect to deliver positive outcomes for learners. The Future Focused Learning Continuum fosters curiosity where learners grow to become critical and creative thinkers.
ESS is Canberra’s 89th public school and second zero emissions school. As one of the first zero-emissions schools for the ACT, Evelyn Scott School’s design has a focus on sustainability, winning a Master Builder’s Award for ‘Excellence in Sustainable Construction’ in 2022. The school continues to grow and expand, serving an increasing number of eager young learners each year.
Learn more at www.evelynscottschool.act.edu.au
How Do We Inspire Change?
As the Foundation Principal of Evelyn Scott School, Jackie Vaughan can confirm that the vision of co-creating a contemporary and connected school with their community has become a joyful and vibrant reality since the school opened its doors in 2021.
“I was fortunate to have been able to collaborate with the architects and builders during the construction phase,” Jackie recalls. “The contemporary architecture ensures that the school is purpose-built for Future Focused Learning. We have embedded a Future Focused Learning Continuum spanning across the school which begins with play-based learning in the preschool, inquiry learning in the primary school and a project-based learning approach in the high school.”
“With meaningful change comes challenge, and with great challenge such as we had, brings inspiration and rewarding outcomes.”
Where Do We Begin?
The teachers at Evelyn Scott School work together as lifelong learners, understanding that skills such as creativity, collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking are essential learning. Joyful curiosity is the order of the day, and tapping into children's interests, curiosities, and fascinations with a consistent and structured model of inquiry ensures that delivering personalised learning is their focus.
Future Focused Learning is an academically rigorous teaching and learning framework providing direction and clarity for all teaching staff. The ACT Future of Education Strategy provides the authorising environment for the work that is done at the school, and The 10 Shifts of Practice of Future Focused Learning deliver the roadmap.
What Does Progress Look Like?
In implementing the Shifts of Practice at Canberra, the team at Evelyn Scott School have worked closely with Lee Crockett, founder and president of the Future Focused Learning Network, and developer of the 10 Shifts of Practice and Future Fluencies, all of which figure prominently in their exceptional work. Lee sets out a rigorous structure for how to achieve agency in schools and Evelyn Scott School effectively utilises these processes and systems.
The entire teaching and Leadership Team have direct access to Lee at any time, and the coaching process keeps the team accountable and on track. The Destinations, Milestones, and Footsteps procedure has guided their way of completing ‘Executive Sprints’ and has allowed the team to move through significant pieces of work without drifting.
A new school brings many challenges and complexities, and this process has ensured a genuine sense of efficiency and accomplishment for the team, and all ESS learners.
A milestone for the school occurred at the end of Term 2 in the second year of operation when every teacher posted their recording of Lesson Zero. Lesson Zero is a unique teaching strategy focusing on what happens before any other lessons begin, with unpacking the Learning Intentions and clarifying Success Criteria.
Building ONE connected school has been a major achievement:
The P-10 school—Preschool, primary and high school teachers—all work together in our Future Focused Learning PLCs.
We have one timetable for the entire school which makes collaboration opportunities like ‘buddy reading programs’ and Head Heart Hand combined excursions/whole school events easy to facilitate.
Our Global Concepts provide us with ‘common ground’ for whole school projects to flourish.
Transition issues are limited because we have established a P–10 Future Focused Learning Continuum.
All learners participate in Showcases at the end of their Global Concept and each cohort visits with each other to gain insight into their experiences.
The Leadership Team have also identified Showcases, which occur at the end of every term, as another significant milestone for the school. The evolution of these Showcases has been a significant success for the entire school, and this year the Senior Campus Team have diligently facilitated exceptional Showcases for the school community. Feedback from families and children and young people is always very positive.
“At the end of Term 3 in 2023, there was a distinct improvement in the delivery of Showcases. We were all so impressed by the quality, rigour, and confidence displayed by our Senior Campus learners.”
In addition, Evelyn Scott School’s presence on Future Focused Learning’s online network, a professional learning community of support and nurturing for educators across the globe, has been invaluable. The ability to post comments and feedback directly to the teachers, and share ideas with local, national, and international colleagues makes it a uniquely collaborative, positive, and effective digital platform for ESS staff.
Evelyn Scott School’s two overarching Strategic Priorities are:
Building learner’s capacity to solve problems, be critical and creative thinkers, and self-directed learners (Future Focused Learning)
Developing learner’s belonging and connection to the school (Wellbeing)
The school’s contemporary vision includes a strong focus on wellbeing and high expectations so all children and young people can achieve positive outcomes and feel connected to their school.
Wellbeing is highly valued at the school and viewed as an integral component of a child or young person’s educational journey. We use the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework to create safe, supportive, and respectful teaching and learning communities.
Wellbeing Coaches lead all aspects of student wellbeing for both the Junior and Senior Campuses by building capacity of staff via targeted professional learning and working directly with families and children and young people. Youth Support Workers design and deliver programs for children in need of support.
Learning Support Workers provide academic support to students with additional needs. Evelyn Scott School have started to collect qualitative and quantitative data to track progress.
Early indications are very positive and staff are encouraged by the feedback from families and learners. Our teachers, support staff, and admin staff all utilise the FFL Network and have benefited from the highly positive and collaborative culture that we have built together.
“At ESS we provide proactive and responsive school-based prevention and early intervention to improve learner mental health and wellbeing. Our focus is on promoting learners’ mental health literacy, respectful behaviours, social and emotional learning, and their personal wellbeing.”
Beth Matter, Junior Campus Wellbeing Coach
“We offer highly effective, comprehensive supervision and coaching for all educators to build their skills and capacity in a range of wellbeing practices. This multi-faceted approach prioritises the overall development of learners, creating an environment where they can thrive academically and emotionally.”
Michael Hilton, Senior Campus Wellbeing Coach
On September 14, 2023, the school hosted a highly successful Future Focused Learning Family Information Evening at the end of Term 3. The purpose was to:
Equip families with the language and the understanding so they can have productive conversations with their children about their learning.
Show families that Evelyn Scott School has a very strong focus on literacy and numeracy skills and the Australian Curriculum.
This was a really fun session facilitated by Natalie Otten, the Future Focused Learning Executive Coach, and allowed families the opportunity to actually engage in the process of exploring a Global Concept, unpacking an Achievement Standard and then co-constructing Success Criteria. During this event, the staff walked the learners’ families through their learning processes.
How Has Learning Transformed?
Learners at Evelyn Scott School authentically have agency over their learning. The work that the team has completed on the Conceptual Framework has brought relevance and engagement to all P-10 learners.
It is clear that there is a strong foundation of contemporary learning in place.The Junior Campus learners were asked questions that focused specifically on the agency they feel they have over their learning after teachers had engaged in the FFL Network’s Master Classes. You can see their responses here.
How Has Professional Practice Transformed?
Here are some of the reflections made by teachers at Evelyn Scott School.
“Unpacking the Health Inquiry learning intention with my students was useful as it allowed us, as a class, to find out what we already know and the gaps in our knowledge in relation to the achievement standard. This in turn informed how I could guide their learning and address their curiosity and concerns.”
—Bea Calderon
“It was such a pleasure to walk into one of our kindergarten learning spaces today and see young learners totally engrossed in their learning. Imagination and Innovation is our current whole school global concept.”
—Natalie Otten
“I am slowly moving towards getting the learners to work more independently in constructing success criteria using Bloom's. I am finding that by allowing them to go through the process of trial and error, they are learning to be more thoughtful in their learning and not rushing into tasks.”
—Emmy Haster
“Being able to tailor projects to learners interests and abilities means every learner in our preschool, regardless of where they are in their academic journey, can participate and engage in learning that is important to them.”
—Nikki Ross
Where Do We Go Next?
As far as Evelyn Scott’s next steps go, the Leadership Team’s intentions are simple yet powerful: “To embed our priorities, measure our achievements, and keep doing the work.”
Additionally, this year, a partnership with Hayball Architects and Monash University was formed in order to enhance teachers’ spatial literacy. A series of professional learning for staff was co-designed and delivered, which included an entire day at the beginning of the year and termly workshops throughout 2023.
This professional learning series was called MakingSPACE and the teacher feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are some quotes from teachers showing the progression of learning both before and after the workshops.
Evelyn Scott School continues to move towards their goals and Strategic Priorities. The school continues to grow and it is hard to believe that they started in February 2021 with only 190 students.
They have grown slowly and steadily since then and as more and more families move into the Molonglo Valley, the school moves closer to their capacity of 1488 students.
“We look forward to meeting and working with new families, children, and young people, and welcoming them to our beautiful school throughout our foundation years.”
