Reimagining Inclusive Practice: Leading Systemic Change through MTSS and RTI at an independent K–12 diamond model school in Melbourne

This presentation explores how St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar is leading a whole school shift toward a more inclusive, responsive, and evidence informed model of student support through the implementation of a Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) aligned with Response to Intervention (RTI). The session highlights the leadership decisions, structural redesign, cultural change, and capacity building efforts required to move from traditional individualised support models to a proactive, data driven, and tiered framework that benefits all learners. Attendees will gain insight into the practical steps, challenges, and early indicators of impact as the school reimagines its approach to intervention, collaboration, and collective responsibility for student learning and wellbeing.

Joanne Cardullo is the Director of Inclusion (P–12) at St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar in Melbourne, leading whole school inclusive practice across a multi campus, diamond model K–12 setting. With more than 30 years’ experience across mainstream and specialist education, she specialises in structured literacy and numeracy intervention, strengths based approaches to neurodivergence, curriculum leadership, and evidence informed instructional improvement. In addition to her leadership role, Joanne teaches secondary English, ensuring her practice remains firmly grounded in contemporary classroom realities.

She is also completing a Doctor of Philosophy at Monash University, where she is researching learner agency, inclusion, and multimodal composition. Her work explores how pedagogical design, explicit instruction, and flexible multimodal pathways can enhance student voice, autonomy, and meaningful engagement for diverse learners.