Trinity Wins 2025 Best Professional Learning Program

Trinity College was announced as the winner of the 2025 Best Professional Learning Program in Australia at the Australian Education Awards on Friday 8 August 2025.

This award recognises the most outstanding professional (staff) learning and development program, or initiative implemented in an Australian school in the 2024 academic year. When judging this category the following criteria was considered:

• Innovation and excellence in program design and delivery
• Demonstrated support for individual professional learning and links to individual and school-wide learning priorities
• Contribution to improved student learning outcomes
• Effective collaboration, reflection and feedback

The College launched its staff professional learning program in 2020 with clear aims: integrate practitioner inquiry, complexity thinking and learning analytics into day-to-day teaching to boost student outcomes. Early staff cohorts tackled foundational modules, establishing shared concepts before branching into research collaborations and peer-led projects. 

Since named “Catalyst”, the more formal program emerged from an informal “journal club” model, driven by teachers eager for deeper expertise in complexity thinking, learning analytics, and adaptive practice. A partnership with the University of South Australia Education Futures was leveraged to provide solid academic foundations, while Trinity’s Research Institute ensured practicality and resonance with classroom challenges.

Community voice is central to Catalyst’s ongoing development. Teacher networks, surveys, and focus groups gather timely feedback that shapes both topic choice and pacing. Students drive teacher research, as teachers respond to student needs in the classroom through the development of a reflective and reflexive culture, and measure shifts in areas like self-efficacy or belonging. Regular updates - shared through staff forums, infographics, and short videos - promote transparency and a sense of collective ownership.

The success of “Catalyst” can be attributed to how it unites complexity thinking, teacher inquiry, and pragmatic adaptive leadership, bolstered by Trinity’s Research Institute and the University of South Australia. Staff engage in micro-credentialled modules, research-based projects, and reflective collaboration, leading to a sustained culture of inquiry and practice-based evidence. Studies have included meaning and purpose in Year 12, the impact of feedback on self-efficacy, and creative self-assessment. Participation in these offerings soared from 10 teachers to reach over 340 Trinity staff, with data revealing myriad outcomes including stronger engagement, literacy growth, and richer classroom experiences. This ongoing cycle of feedback and adaptation continues to strengthen teacher professionalism and student outcomes at Trinity College.

See a full list of National Education Award winners here.