Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing, has congratulated Bass Valley Primary School’s Leanne Edwards for winning the Outstanding Primary Principal Award and Kurnai College’s Anthony Rodaughan for winning the Outstanding Secondary Principal Award at the 2015 Victorian Education Excellence Awards.

Winners were announced during an awards ceremony at Melbourne’s Regent Plaza Ballroom on Friday 30 October.

Outstanding principals, teachers, business managers and school support staff from government schools were recognised for their innovation, leadership and contribution to making Victoria the Education State.

Each of the nine category winners received professional development and research grants ranging from $20,000 to $25,000. Sunshine College’s maths team received an extra
$20,000 for winning the top gong – the Lindsay Thompson Award for Excellence in Education.

About Bass Valley Primary School’s Leanne Edwards:

Leanne Edwards has led the way at Bass Valley Primary School in developing programs to focus on student wellbeing and effective learning.

The school’s positive behaviours – ‘Be a Learner, Be Respectful, Be a Friend and Be Safe’ – outline the expected behaviours of everyone at the school, and have become the foundation for the school’s success.

The school has extremely high expectations of all students – regardless of background or personal circumstances – and the students embraced these expectations.

The school’s motto that ‘Every student is important, every teacher is an asset, every parent is a partner’ underlines the importance of teachers, students and parents working together to provide a great education.

Through data analysis and reflection, Leanne and her staff have identified areas of improvement, brought the school community closer together and lifted student outcomes.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing

“Bass Valley Primary and Kurnai College are great examples of schools working towards meeting the ambitious Education State targets to have more students reach the highest levels of achievement in mathematics and reading.”

“All finalists deserve our praise and thanks for the crucial work they are doing to give Victorian kids a great education.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, James Merlino

“We’re investing almost $4 billion to make Victoria the Education State, so every community has access to great local schools and every child gets the chance to succeed.”