In this episode, we sit down with staff from St Patrick’s Primary School Bega, a school that has embraced the Catalyst initiative to transform teaching and learning. From instructional programs to leadership strategies, we explore how this school has aligned its practices to create a knowledge-rich, student-centered environment.
School-Wide Impact
Catalyst Learnings
How Catalyst has influenced school-wide practices.
Implementation of instructional programs: Reading Mastery, Spelling Mastery, InitialLit, and CMC supplemented with units developed in partnership with Ochre.
Emphasis on a knowledge-rich curriculum: Teaching deeper, not broader, while meeting outcomes.
Curriculum beyond DI Programs
School Routines & Behaviour
Creating Consistency
Aligning expectations around routines and behaviour.
Tools and strategies: Behaveability (Ian Luscombe), scripted routines
Teaching Practice
Teachers share their experiences and reflections on Catalyst’s impact.
Good Shepherd Primary School serves students from diverse and multicultural backgrounds in Canberra. The school has transitioned from an inquiry-based approach to teaching to Catalyst’s focus on Direct Instruction and Explicit Instruction, and staff are seeing strong results from the change.
At Good Shepherd, Catalyst supports equity in learning
Prior to Catalyst, Good Shepherd adopted a student-led approach where children where taught with an inquiry-based model. Current research suggests that students benefit most from this approach when they have existing content knowledge to draw on. For this reason, Catalyst focuses on a ‘knowledge-rich curriculum’ and ensuring every student is explicitly taught the skills they need.
“We can now see that every student is getting the same thing, and one class isn’t missing out on, for example vocabulary or text level writing.” (Classroom teacher)
The Catalyst approach now taken at Good Shepherd is about giving every student the same opportunity to succeed. A strong message from leadership about equity resonates with teachers, who recognise the importance of this – not just at their school – but for every child in the system.
“The biggest conversation I would have with those new teachers is about equity.“ (School leader)
Teachers work in teams to bring this approach to life. Weekly two-hour meetings are the key mechanism for consistency, with all staff in a given year level planning together to ensure they are delivering the same content. Teachers know when and how to adapt the shared plan, when needed, to best support the children in their particular class.
The new Principal identifies the importance of student assessment
While the school has undergone a leadership change in 2024, the new Principal has maintained a strong focus on Catalyst. Data use across schools is unlocking new possibilities for teaching, and Good Shepherd is keen to be at the forefront.
The Principal identifies, “We’re really evolving a new language around assessment at the school”.
The approach to data use and assessment spans both sophisticated adaptive and diagnostic testing, to systematically using miniature whiteboards with students in classrooms. The latter is a Catalyst strategy that gives teachers instant feedback on how well all students are grasping what is being taught. It means teachers get the information they need, without students constantly doing tests.
“The biggest change is using data to inform our teaching practices. We’re collecting data more consistently. And just even the use of whiteboards we collect more data rather than relying only on formal assessments…And trusting that that is actually a good way of informing our teaching practices.” (Classroom teacher)
Teachers are motivated by the results they are seeing students achieve
Ask any teacher at Good Shepherd about the impact of Catalyst, and they will tell you what they are seeing in their classroom, and how this motivates them to keep getting better and better.
“The results are really what’s driving us, that we can actually see these programs are working… We can see our little people are growing.” (Classroom teacher)
Good Shepherd NAPLAN results – Year 3 and 5 combined
This improvement, and the way the school supports all students can also be observed in NAPLAN.
Empowering students to take the next step in their learning
In reflecting on the next steps for the school in 2025, there is a strong emphasis on how students can feel that they ‘own’ their assessment data (in an age-appropriate way). This aligns with research about the importance of student agency, motivation and wellbeing, and the types of feedback that best help students learn. In practice, this might look like conversations with students after tasks to help them understand the specific next step for them in their learning.
External Analysis delivered by
To measure the outcomes and impact of the Catalyst program, CECG engaged Deloitte Access Economics (DAE) for an external analysis. Starting in January 2022, DAE evaluated Catalyst’s effectiveness on schools. Their final report includes six case studies from diverse schools in the Archdiocese, highlighting academic achievements for students and advocacy impacts for teachers, along with areas for improvement.
Last week, 148 educators from across the CECG system, including colleagues from Independent and Directorate schools, gathered for a valuable day of professional learning with international classroom behaviour expert Tom Bennett.
A leading voice in evidence-based teaching, Tom draws on over a decade of classroom experience in London and his ongoing work supporting educators to create calm and effective learning environments. Since founding researchED, he has worked with educators across the world to develop research literacy and practical strategies for improving behaviour in the classroom. In recognition of his contributions to education, Tom was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2022.
His workshop, Running the Room, focused on the critical role that behaviour, culture and routines play in creating orderly and productive classrooms. His insights reflected much of Catalyst’s Bold Goal ‘High Impact Teaching Practice is visible in every classroom’ and further highlighted that effective classroom management is key to improving academic outcomes, student wellbeing and lifelong success.
“Children thrive when we create clear expectations and teach the behaviours we want to see, just as we teach knowledge and skills.”
Building a positive culture
Tom reminded participants that every classroom is shaped by its culture, or the “how we do things around here.” He emphasised that teachers lead this work by –
Setting strong norms: Establishing and reinforcing the behaviours that are expected and celebrated.
Embedding consistent routines: Practicing key behaviours until they become automatic, helping students focus on learning.
Building positive relationships: Holding high expectations and showing a genuine interest for every student.
Behaviour management
Rather than reacting to misbehaviour, Tom emphasised the importance of explicitly teaching and practicing the behaviours we want to see. From how students enter a classroom to how they transition between activities, these routines provide the structure that supports learning.
He also reinforced the role of consequences as feedback, helping students understand that their actions have meaning and impact. While intrinsic motivation is the goal, extrinsic support is often needed to build the habits that lead to lasting change.
A shared commitment
This professional learning session reinforced to our CECG attendees that behaviour is not a separate agenda but an essential part of effective teaching. By setting clear expectations, embedding consistent routines and nurturing strong relationships, we create the conditions for every student to learn, grow and succeed.
CECG schools across the ACT have been praised for notable improvement in the latest NAPLAN results released this week on the My School website.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has identified the Top 20 Schools Making a Difference in each state and territory, comparing year on year data for 2023/24. Of the 20 top schools in ACT identified, 13 Catholic Education Canberra-Goulbourn (CECG) schools were recognised, a milestone widely acknowledged by media sources this week and celebrated as a clear endorsement of the power of High Impact Teaching Practice and explicit teaching.
Following its launch over four years ago, Catalyst has transformed how teaching and learning is approached in CECG schools. By implementing High Impact Teaching Practice, grounded in Science of Learning and the Science of Reading, schools have seen positive growth and improvement in literacy and numeracy outcomes.
CECG Director Ross Fox emphasised the program’s ongoing potential in an interview for RioTact –
“We’re excited by these results, but we know there’s more we can achieve. The advancements in early years learning are encouraging, and we’re confident they’ll lead to sustained higher achievements over time.”
Following the success of CECG schools, Good to Great Schools Founder and Co-Chair, Noel Pearson called for all schools to adopt explicit instruction in their classrooms. In an interview for The Australian, he acknowledges all challenges schools face but emphasised,
“If you don’t get the instruction right, you’re going to fail anyway.”
In this episode I chat with Ross Fox, director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn, about his reflections on Catalyst from the last 4 years. After 8 years with CECG, he is stepping away from the role of Director to explore other opportunities. In our episode today we hear about Ross’ reflections about Catalyst, including its effectiveness, implementation and vision. We hear about:
His greatest achievement in the Catalyst space
Where he would like to see Catalyst in 5 years time
What he hopes for the future of HITP
What’s next for him on the horizon
The use of time to be as effective and efficient as possible in schools
In an interview for Riotact, Dr Lorraine Hammond, a pioneer of the Science of Learning teaching movement, has underscored the importance of explicit teaching in transforming classroom practices in light of the recent literacy and numeracy inquiry.
The article highlights the adoption of High Impact Teaching Practice by Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn through the Catalyst program as the benchmark for reform. Through embedding a scientifically backed, data-driven methodology, significant improvements in student outcomes have been witnessed across the Archdiocese and these results cannot help but attract attention from government schools, creating a compelling case for wider adoption.
Dr Hammond recognises the barriers and resistance to government school and system reform, despite the weight of evidence behind High Impact Teaching Practices. She urges the Directorate to bypass those teachers attached to the past and start with a “coalition of the willing”, to build momentum towards positive change.
“Because teachers are altruistic and they want the best, it just creeps very, very quickly, because then parents are like, ‘Well, hang on, what’s happening at that school down the road, they’re doing this. Why aren’t we doing that, too?’”.
In addition to best practice teaching, Dr Hammond believes that routine and an orderly working environment are a key contributor to success. The CECG approach creates a structured environment for learning, with classroom architecture designed to ensure that students are ready and willing participants and to ensure that teachers achieve whole class engagement.
This approach is particularly important when it comes to literacy. “To get to 100 per cent reading, you’ve got to go through the bottom 20 per cent, so this is going to help everybody. If we don’t go through that bottom 20 per cent they’re never going to learn how to read. That’s the position that Catalyst took as well.”
This document identifies six key questions about learning that should be relevant to nearly every educator. All educators should be able to connect these principles to their practical implications for the classroom.
A suite of resources and readings that will give you a greater understanding of the foundational research and theories that underpin the Catalyst program.
