Abstract

In Australia, Victoria’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has encouraged educational institutions and systems to respond to the global movement of personalising learning in ways – both pedagogically and organisationally – that support the diverse personal aspirations of learners. An evaluation of the leadership structure of a large, regional independent school came at a time when the school was initiating some ideas in relation to personalising learning; ideas that also coincided with innovations that the school had already made with its middle years students. Focus group discussions took place to identify issues and a Web-based survey was utilised to explore the ideas further with all staff. Staff members highlighted the challenges and tensions arising from the seemingly constant introduction of innovations without any parallel processes to ensure organisational and curriculum coherency across the school. In this paper, the research design is described and the responses from staff are discussed as they relate to the concept of personalised learning. The focus of the paper is upon the organisational and curriculum issues confronting the school’s leadership in order for the school to become the vibrant learning community to which it aspires.