On Tuesday, December 3, Catholic Education Sandhurst executive director Kate Fogarty announced a new program, Magnify Sandhurst, which is set to switch up the way students learn and teachers deliver lessons.
The program will be implemented in January with an aim to streamline lesson delivery and student learning, with all teachers receiving the same structured “scripts” for each lesson at every Sandhurst school.
This system will be rolled out to all Sandhurst schools across Goulburn Valley region including colleges such as St Augustine’s College in Kyabram, St Joseph’s College in Echuca, St Anne’s College in Kialla, Notre Dame College in Shepparton, St Mary of the Angels Secondary College in Nathalia, in addition to 14 primary schools.
“You could walk into any of our 60 learning centres at any given time and see the same thing (being taught),” Ms Fogarty said.
The lessons were developed in partnership with “high-calibre” teachers and non-for-profit educational organisation Ochre.
All teachers across the Sandhurst Diocese will participate in professional learning before the school year begins to prepare them to integrate this style of teaching into their lessons.
“A lot of (classes) will see their teachers using scripts ... teaching in a way that we and the parents can be absolutely assured that the Victorian curriculum is being taught with fidelity across every class.”
Ms Fogarty explained that these pre-planned lessons would eliminate inconsistencies in teacher knowledge, creating a more equitable learning environment for all students.
“We know teachers are great at a million different things, but not everyone’s an expert on every component of fractions,” Ms Fogarty said.
“This gives them the language and tools to do that with fidelity and to make sure the kids get the exact learning experience we want them to get.”
Ms Fogarty said the program was based on the latest research in educational practices, combining evidence-based practices in teaching and learning with data collected at Sandhurst schools to find ways to support a student’s individual needs.
She said there would be “interventions” in place in the program to support students through if they do not respond to the planned lesson plans.
St Augustine’s College principal Jay Sutton said he was excited to begin the process in implementing this program into their school, hoping that it helps to bring all students up to an average level.
“It’s a really big focus this year and into the future of using student data, curriculum data, staff data and parental data to support teachers to build collaborative learning communities,” he said.
Another aim of the Magnify Sandhurst program is to target behavioural standards in the classroom, laying out what is acceptable classroom and school etiquette across every school under Sandhurst.
Mr Sutton said this would level understanding for behaviour, classroom standards and consequences for everyone across the board, including both teachers and students.
“What we know about young people’s brains is that — as much as they might say otherwise — their brains actually crave order, and they crave calm, and they need that to be able to learn properly,” he said.
The program was partly made in response to the teacher deficit across the state where a Victorian Department of Education Supply and Demand report revealed there were over 1000 teacher vacancies in 2024, a number which is expected to rise to 5000 by 2028.
Ms Fogarty believes this program will boost teacher retention by reducing after-hours lesson planning, allowing educators to dedicate more time to individual student needs and maintain a healthier work-life balance.
She said she expected teachers could gain back “a bit more” than three hours in their week usually spent lesson planning.
“In the first year, it is a $5 million investment ... so a very sizeable investment in our teachers to ensure that the best quality learning is happening for our students at every level from early learning all the way through to Year 12,” Ms Fogarty said.
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