00:00 Cessnock High in the Hunter Valley is a regional school on the rise.
00:11 Overcoming disadvantage to record some of the strongest learning growth in the country.
00:17 It's a tough community I suppose.
00:18 Over 70% of our community are in the bottom quartile for socio-economic advantage and
00:24 with that comes all the issues associated with that.
00:27 Who wants to go out in the middle of the desert and dig a five foot trench every day?
00:32 Not me, personally.
00:33 History teacher Kelsey Kacina has a commanding classroom presence but was fearful when offered
00:39 a job here seven years ago.
00:41 My reaction was absolutely not.
00:45 My preconceptions of Cessnock High School was a school that had a massive issue with
00:49 violence.
00:50 I remember my first week here there was a particularly violent fight that took place.
01:00 Principal Peter Riley took over five years ago and transformed the school.
01:05 He introduced the Cessnock Way, underpinned by improved teaching practices and trauma
01:10 informed discipline that emphasises consistency, character and high expectations.
01:16 We've been able to build a culture on that where there are very few negative behaviours
01:21 where violence doesn't exist in our school at all anymore.
01:25 The data shows Peter's plan is paying off.
01:29 Cessnock High's Year 12 results have improved by 50% and its NAPLAN scores are some of the
01:35 fastest growing in Australia, with benefits for the entire local community.
01:40 We want to produce good citizens who are capable of adding to our community that are employable,
01:45 and that education and employability is a lifelong difference for them.
01:51 We want to break the cycle.
01:55 School Captain Gabrielle Streitberger-Sams and her classmates are taking up the challenge,
02:00 with big dreams for the future.
02:02 I want to be a biomedical researcher.
02:06 I have celiac disease and my cousin has NF1 or neurofibromatosis, so I'd like to try and
02:12 find a cure.
02:13 I'm looking to potentially join the military or the police.
02:16 I want to be a teacher.
02:18 The main reason is because of the teachers at this school.
02:20 They've influenced me in a way, like a massive way.
02:26 Parents are taking on the challenge too.
02:28 Mum, Cheryl-Ann Liggett, is nurturing her daughter Kira's dream to study dinosaurs.
02:35 My daughter would like to be a paleontologist and has had that dream since she was very
02:39 young.
02:42 At the Facilis House, Mum Heidi is celebrating her son Lennox, who is the first student from
02:47 Cessnock High to score in the highest band in Year 12.
02:52 Daughters Logan and Lily hope to follow in his footsteps.
02:55 Very proud.
02:56 He made the honours roll and he was ducks.
03:00 For so long we were operating in this kind of survival mode.
03:04 We were just trying to get through our jobs, get through the day.
03:06 The school partly attributes its success to a decision to partner with researcher Dr Drew
03:11 Miller in a program to improve classroom practice called Quality Teaching Rounds.
03:17 You're going to lose staff soon because they're developing really well.
03:21 Teachers have developed their teaching practice.
03:24 Lessons are more engaging.
03:25 The environment to learn is safer and the learning is more significant.
03:29 Students are coming to school.
03:30 That's had a really big impact on their NAPLAN growth.
03:34 Cessnock High's success has impressed state and federal education bosses and its teaching
03:39 model will now be rolled out right across Australia.
03:43 About $10 million will be spent to train 1600 teachers and allow another 25 disadvantaged
03:49 schools to partner with the university.
03:51 It can break intergenerational poverty and disadvantage and unemployment.
03:58 Breaking that can then lead to enormous benefit.
04:03 Teaching teachers lessons to transform lives.
04:06 Make a difference for the future, not only for them but for their family and generationally
04:10 we can make a change.
04:11 [Music]
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