Frank Cairns
Location Highbury, SA
School Leadership Experience
Early childhood Settings • Primary School
Sector Experience Government
State/Territory Experience SA
Professional Experience
Leadership coach/mentor - August 2015 - Present
Principal Woodville Gardens School, B-7 Band A07 May 2010
Principal Glenelg School R-7, April 2008 - April 2010
Superintendent Curriculum and Professional Learning, Education Centre Jan 2007 - April 2008
Acting Director Learning Resources and Services Education Centre, August 2006 - September 2006 and 16 October 2006 - December 2006
Superintendent Site Physical Resources and Community Building, Education Centre August 2004 - Jan 2011
Acting District Director Metro West District May 2004 - August 2004
Principal Ridley Grove School R-7, 1998 - 2008. In May 2005 I relinquished the position whilst in the Superintendent Site Physical Resources and Community Building role
Principal Ferryden Park Primary School CPC-7, 1994- May 1998
Deputy Principal R-12 and Head of School Yr3-7, Paralowie R-12 School, 1991 -1994. Acting R-12 Principal (PC08) short time
Principal Representative Education Review Unit, Term 3, 1993
Acting Manager Northern Areas Project Team R-12, District Office December 1990- February 1991
As Principal I led the process to establish a brand new school from an amalgamation of 3 primary schools 1 preschool and long day care service. The new leadership team developed the vision, values and expectations of our new school Birth -Year 7 with staff, parents and students. We developed a Site Improvement Plan and Quality Improvement Plan (Children's Centre) defining priorities for learning and care. As Principal I ensured that we needed to keep student learning at the forefront at all times.
We established the teaching and learning program incorporating the South Australian/ Australian Curriculum, Early Years Learning Framework, Teaching for Effective Learning pedagogy and the DECD Wellbeing Framework. Collaborative professional learning communities for Child Care, preschool and primary schooling were formed. Leadership provided professional learning in Education for 21st Century, in learner achievement, innovation and how to actively engage with change processes. We ensured the wider community and our new parent body were engaged in the amalgamation from the outset. Their ideas and support were welcomed from the start through the vision process, governance structures, policy making and general support.
From establishment in 2011 we developed a data base of student learner achievement. We analysed learning using real evidence and established many intervention strategies to support and extend learners. Our literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN, Running Records (Yr 1 and 2), PAT Reading, PAT maths) and Australian Curriculum results have improved markedly in 4 years.
In our first 3 years we underwent 2 major DECD reviews. They were; Support for School Improvement (SSI) for educationally disadvantaged sites (2012) and a School Improvement Validation in 2013. Both reviews highlighted the school's effective improvement strategies and use of DECD Improvement and Accountability Framework, staff professionalism, strong school culture of learning and improved learning outcomes for students and children.