Photo: Assistant Principal Rebecca McIntyre and Executive Principal Annette Thomson say their team are pleased to be recognised and are proud of the efforts of all their students and families.
Coonamble Public School (CPS) has stood out from the class to be showcased in a government guide on best practice.
The NSW Department of Education released a 10-page guide on fostering high expectations in December 2025, which focused on CPS for the “belief that every student has ability, can learn, and is genuinely valued.”
The ‘What Works Best’ paper said staff work with students and families to create ambitious learning goals and provide tailored support to achieve them.
“Every child has ability and can be taught, and they are entitled to a quality education,” CPS principal Annette Thomson said.
“We have that belief system and mindset and then implement the strategies and practices to provide each student with the appropriate learning that will ensure they improve and succeed.”
Ms Thomson said all teachers are trauma-informed so that every child has the greatest chance of reaching their potential.
“Everyone can learn, and everyone has the right to learn.
It is not dependent on your socioeconomic status, physical appearance, cultural background, social/emotional wellbeing, family circumstances or where you live.”
The guide set out three strategies used to create high expectations.
They include having classroom teachers work with school leaders to plan for students to reach their learning goals.
They also focus on twice-a-year meetings to keep families involved, and setting behaviour expectations early.
The first five weeks of Term 1 are used to teach school norms and routines.
“If you don’t set your classroom up with the expectations, routines and structure within those first 5 weeks, you’re not going to get the expected learning outcomes from the students,” teacher Stacey Hughes said.
Assistant Principal Rebecca McIntyre said teachers and leaders work shoulder-to-shoulder to encourage high expectations in the classroom.
“We do get excited because we can see they’re succeeding and it’s because we’ve given them a great scaffold to be able to succeed.
“That’s the high expectations. The scaffolds are supporting them to complete more complex tasks.”
The guide also highlights the school’s Maliyan room, a wellbeing centre set up in 2019 which has a team including an Aboriginal youth worker and part-time psychologist.
Once every two weeks, students also take part in writing assessments to build their confidence.
What Works Best is published by the NSW Department of Education’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.