Enhancing Reading Outcomes Through Instructional Leadership  

I am writing to you today with great enthusiasm about our ongoing commitment to strengthening reading outcomes for all students at Robertson State School (RSS). As you know, reading is the cornerstone of all learning, and a fundamental skill that empowers our children to navigate the world around them.  

Over the last few years, the RSS leadership team have been deeply engaged in a concentrated effort to implement and embed instructional leadership practices focused specifically on reading. This is a strategic and collaborative approach where we, as school leaders, work directly with teachers to enhance their instructional effectiveness in the classroom, ultimately leading to improved student learning. We are already seeing a remarkable improvement in our data.  

What does this look like in practice for reading?  

• Targeted Professional Development: We as a staff have participated in extensive professional development sessions, delving into the latest research and best practices in reading instruction. This has included workshops on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension strategies across all year levels.  

• Collaborative Planning and Coaching: Our leadership team has been actively involved in collaborative planning sessions with teachers, helping to design and refine engaging and effective reading lessons. We are also regularly present in classrooms, observing lessons, providing constructive feedback, and co-teaching to model new strategies. This hands-on approach allows us to celebrate successes and identify areas for further growth together.  

• Data-Driven Decision Making: We are continuously analysing student reading data to understand individual student needs and track progress. This data informs our instructional decisions, allowing us to tailor our teaching to ensure every child is challenged and supported appropriately.  

• Resource Alignment: We are ensuring that our reading resources, from decodable readers to authentic texts, are aligned with our instructional goals and cater to the diverse needs of our learners.  

• Cultivating a Culture of Reading: Beyond the explicit teaching of reading skills, we are also fostering a school-wide culture that celebrates reading for enjoyment. From our vibrant library to classroom reading corners and exciting reading initiatives, we want every child to discover the joy and power of books. 

The impact of these instructional leadership practices is already becoming evident. We are observing increased confidence in our students as readers, an increase in teacher confidence and capability, more targeted and effective reading instruction in classrooms, and a renewed sense of shared purpose among our staff. Our teachers are truly dedicated to mastering the art and science of teaching reading, and I am incredibly proud of our teaching team.  

I truly believe that by investing in our staff and providing the highest level of support and guidance, we are directly investing in the future success of our students. I look forward to sharing further updates on our progress throughout the year. We will also be sharing our 2025 NAPLAN Results in our next school newsletter. 

Last week, our Reading Team also met with Brett Shackleton (Our Education Queensland - School Supervisor) and Alyce Ryan (Senior Education Officer - Education Futures Institute - Metro South Region), to share our reading journey over several years and to ask for feedback regarding our Reading Plan moving forward. Our school received amazing affirmation for the work that has been completed in this space by many staff over several years. We received clarity that we as a school are ahead of many in the Reading space. 

Finally, I have connected our school with WoodLinks State School and Toowoomba East State School, as colleagues who are also learning through Instructional Practices in Reading. Over the next few weeks some of their staff will be visiting our school. We in turn will be visiting their schools.  

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in your child's learning journey. 

Principal’s Day (all school leaders’ day) 

Thank you to all staff, students and parents, for your kind and supportive messages last Friday, for Principal’s/Deputy Principal’s/Leaders Day. I appreciate the lovely gifts, cards, balloons, messages and lovely morning tea from our amazing P&C. Thank you for making it so special for my first at Robertson State School.