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School Review – A letter from our Board Chair

Dear Shenton College Community

The Shenton College Board is very pleased to report that our College has secured an outstanding external review of its performance. A copy of the review report is attached.

Each Western Australian public school is reviewed every 3 years by the Department of Education, and we were extremely pleased to receive the report from Brett Hunt, the Public School Review Director, at our board meeting on Monday evening.

Brett could not have been more complimentary of the standards achieved by Shenton College across all 6 of the measured domains. He was eager to ensure that we clearly understood how our College sets an impressive benchmark for public schooling in our State. Particularly pleasing for the Board were his observations that:

  • Having assessed the College on 3 separate occasions, he considers that the standards of excellence have become culturally embedded throughout the staff and student bodies
  • High level leadership and alignment to a clear moral purpose is evident throughout all levels of the leadership hierarchy and
  • The assessment demonstrated that Shenton’s emphasis on authenticity (delivering on what is said to be important), alignment (between strategy and operational performance) and accountability (regular measurement and transparency) is paying ongoing dividends in terms of student outcomes.

The letter confirming the completion of the review from Stephen Baxter, the Deputy Director General, Schools, confirmed this theme:

The high levels of trust in the college and its leadership, founded on the authentic and consistent commitment to ‘much more than marks – learning for life’ ethos is to be commended. The strategic intent of the college is clear and enhanced by the unified purpose of leaders in a culture of continuous improvement.

The rating of “effective” is the highest rating available and provides comfort to the entire Shenton College community that our College is delivering on its commitments.

On behalf of the Board, I wish to thank Michael Morgan and the entire leadership and staff for their outstanding commitment, energy and collaboration in securing this outcome. The report is a credit to each of you, and validates that you have created a learning environment in which students are “safe to pursue their interests, both academically and creatively, in an orderly and inclusive environment.”

Congratulations all.

Mal Cooke

Shenton College Board Chair

4 December 2019