St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School has been named Employer of Choice for the second consecutive year by The Educator, affirming its strong culture and emphasis on staff development.
The Employer of Choice awards recognise Australia’s top schools from the perspective of employee experience.
St Margaret’s Principal Ms Ros Curtis said the award was validation of the school’s positive work environment that supports staff as well as students.
“At St Margaret’s, we champion the importance of life-long learning among our staff as much as we do our students and have implemented a number of initiatives to support professional development.
“We know that quality teaching has a significant impact on learning outcomes for students, hence our strong emphasis on staff development to ensure teachers are continuing to deliver outstanding teaching and learning to students and that all staff can upskill in their roles,” Ms Curtis said.
Initiatives adopted to achieve this culture have included mentoring staff to achieve their individual career and professional development plans and nurturing a learning community that celebrates innovation, active engagement and critical thinking.
The St Margaret’s Centre of Teaching and Learning Excellence (CeTLE) was developed to offer a range of professional development opportunities to teaching staff, including those aspiring to become senior leaders and teachers looking to move into middle management.
Other learning opportunities for teachers and staff include international/interstate exchanges and financial and study leave support for master’s degree study. The school also offers a Born to Fly scholarship for undergraduate teachers looking to gain real world work experience and mentorship during their final year of studies.
St Margaret’s aims to support the health and wellness of employees through initiatives such as flexible work arrangements and bonus leave days for special personal events and over Christmas; a Staff Wellbeing Committee which regularly hosts initiatives such as step challenges, cooking classes and bake offs; an online portal which shares wellbeing information; and an adult swimming club available to all staff.
The positive staff culture established at St Margaret’s over the past decade is evidenced by low rates of turnover and high rates of tenure.
“It is an incredible honour to be acknowledged as an Employer of Choice for the second consecutive year and it is testament to our dedicated team of staff members,” Ms Curtis said.