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Partnership Case Study

Mackellar Primary School

Mackellar Primary School began this journey at a moment of significant transition. With a new principal, a highly capable staff, and students eager for greater ownership of their learning, the school was ready for change — but needed a clear, cohesive way to bring that change to life. Leaders recognised both the opportunity and the challenge: honour established practices while empowering learners and teachers to step into deeper agency, connection, and purpose.

Mackellar-logo

Our PARTNER

Mackellar Primary School

SETTING

Urban School
Melbourne, Australia

ENGAGEMENT

Multi-year partnership

FOCUS AREAS

Whole-staff implementation of the Culture of Excellence Program

From Good Practice to Deep Agency: Turning Curiosity Into Connected, Purposeful Learning

Case Summary
Through a structured yet human-centred approach, Mackellar shifted from isolated pockets of innovation to a shared culture of agency and purposeful learning. Lesson Zero became an anchor for clarity and expectation, giving teachers greater confidence and learners deeper ownership. This alignment sparked a school-wide shift toward intentional practice grounded in relevance, empathy, and authentic community impact.
The Culture of Excellence work has helped our school strengthen what already makes it great. 90%
This work has provided clear, practical frameworks that support my everyday role. 90%
Our team now has a more shared language and approach to improving teaching and learning. 90%
The professional learning and conversations have made me feel more connected to our collective vision. 90%
Overall, this has been a positive and valuable experience for our school community. 100%

(Percentages reflect staff who agreed or strongly agreed.)

In Their Words

  • “Lee’s work helped us build a shared language for teaching and learning. Our planning is clearer, our expectations are aligned, and students feel the difference.”
  • “The Agency Learning Models gave our team a structure we could immediately use. We saw more engagement and more independence in our learners within weeks.”
  • “Our staff started thinking differently about ownership — not just for students, but for ourselves. It’s changed the way we collaborate and plan.”
  • “The clarity we gained around purpose, expectations, and how to support agency has been transformational. It feels like we’re all pulling in the same direction.”
  • “Before working with Lee, our teams were doing their best but often working in parallel. Now we’re genuinely working as one school.”
Simon Mcglade

“Working with Lee helped our staff gain clarity, confidence, and a shared purpose. The shift in agency — for both teachers and learners — has been remarkable.”

Simon McGlade, Principal, Mackellar Primary School

Ready to explore what this could look like in your context?