Iris Nastasi : How an awarded Principal creates positive cultural change inside the Catholic Sector

Jane Stocks on the IQTVE model, two State Ranks and School-Wide Transformation

In this episode, we are fortunate to hear from Jane Stocks, current Deputy Principal of North Sydney Girls and, most significantly, the developer of the IQTVE writing model; a framework that has reshaped what's possible in HSC English classrooms. Jane's work first drew attention when North Sydney Boys overtook James Ruse for the top position in NSW. Now, the same approach is driving the meteoric rise of North Sydney Girls, where HSC English results have climbed from 40% to 72% of students achieving a Band 6 in English Advanced, alongside 86% achieving E4 in English Extension 1. These are not incremental gains, they are system-level shifts that have placed two state ranks on the board and lifted whole-school outcomes in the process. With over 25 years of dedicated service in the NSW Department of Education, Jane has built a career around fostering enriching learning environments and empowering educators to achieve collective excellence. Her strategic focus on high-quality teaching, the kind that inspires lifelong learning in both staff and student, is exactly what brings us to this conversation. We unpack the thinking behind IQTVE, how it was implemented across two school cultures, and what it takes to translate a classroom innovation into school-wide transformation. Jane truly is an education changer, and it's a privilege to share this conversation with her.

Iris Nastasi : How an awarded Principal creates positive cultural change inside the Catholic Sector

Today we have the awarded principal and leader in education, Mrs Iris Nastasi. Iris has been recognised through significant professional honours, including the ACEL NSW Leadership Award and the Teachers’ Guild of NSW Phyllis Evans Medal, awarded for her contribution to improving educational outcomes for young people. With more than three decades of experience in the Catholic education sector, she is currently the Principal of Rosebank College in NSW and previously served as Principal of Clancy Catholic College, where she helped guide the school through its early HSC years to become a recognised high-performing learning community (including an 823% rise in academic achievement). Beyond school leadership, Iris has contributed to educational policy and governance through roles including membership on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Board and advisory positions across Catholic and independent school sectors. From all that I have gathered, everywhere that Iris has gone she has promoted a culture of collaboration, supporting staff and student voice and enabling what can only be termed as flourishing- academically and beyond. She is a collaborative culture EduChanger.

NSW State Rank student insights from an EdTech and AI entrepreneur, Jonny Boyle

Jonny Boyle, the Co-Founder & Managing Director of Jeddle - an education tech company that provides Band 6 quality resources that are paired with tactics and strategies to approach the HSC examinations. The online platform also includes an AI marking feedback system for students - JedAi that I look forward to discussing further. Each year Jonny interviews the students who achieve state ranks in their HSC English courses, in order to understand the strategies and content behind their success and share it with others. I want to state that I have no vested interest in the company and no kickback from this conversation- I have just seen Jonny’s resources and strategies be genuinely transformative for students, such as the case for one school in Newcastle which saw a 472% increase in Band 6 English results after implementing Jeddle from Years 7-12 from 2021. With over 50,000 students and teachers served by the platform and 150 schools engaged with your resources including a school int he top 5 in NSW, 6m views on resources on YouTube, join with me as we dive into the reason for this success.

Chris Bradbury and the 277 place rise of an independent school in NSW

Today's episode focuses on the leadership strategies and accomplishments of Mr Christopher Bradbury. During his role as Principal of Northholm Grammar School from 2019-2024, he applied teaching, learning and character education experience from his time as a Head of Faculty and Director of Teaching and Learning at The Kings School to transform an entire school system, including a rise of 276 places in the NSW HSC State Rankings within just six years. From declining enrolments, financial strain and academic underachievement to becoming a top-50 school in New South Wales- including in the year after his tenure, Chris speaks about achievable and sustainable practices. Today, Chris serves as Principal of Radford College, a high-performing co-educational school in Canberra, where his passion for excellence continues to shape students, staff and the wider community.