Strategic Transformation Project
• Chair’s Foreword
• An Education Worth Having: The Next Ten Years
• A Grammar Education; Great Learning, doing good! • Uniquely Grammar • What We Value, How We Behave
For over one hundred years, Blue Mountains Grammar School has educated young people in the heart of our World Heritage-listed community. I have had the privilege of being connected to this remarkable school for almost two decades; I have witnessed its profound impact on families across the mountains. The BMGS Plan builds on this legacy and steps towards a bold and confident path into the future. In this future, the influence of BMGS extends beyond the Blue Mountains, reaching into the global conversation about what education can and should be in the 21st century.
This plan is a testament to our belief in young people’s capacity to shape the world with courage, creativity, and compassion. It is a commitment to nurturing academic achievement, character, resilience, and the ability to lead with integrity. By equipping our students with the skills and values they need to thrive in an everchanging world, we ensure that BMGS remains at the forefront of educational innovation.
In an era marked by rapid technological change, global interconnectedness, and complex societal challenges, this plan serves as a rallying point for our community. It reflects our commitment to honouring our local roots while embracing our responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the global educational landscape. This plan imagines what is possible, blending tradition with forward-thinking approaches to learning and personal development.
As we move forward, I am filled with confidence. BMGS has always been a place where young people discover their potential and become leaders who make a difference. With this plan, we affirm our dedication to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to excel and contribute, shaping a brighter, more inclusive future full of promise.
Thank you for your support as we embark on this exciting new chapter in Blue Mountains Grammar School’s story. Together, we will build on our rich heritage to create a school that continues to inspire, challenge, and transform lives locally and globally.
Costa Zakis Board Chair
Blue Mountains Grammar School
STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION PROJECT | 2025
THE NEXT 10 YEARS AN EDUCATION WORTH HAVING
For every child, an education worth having.” This statement from The Melbourne Declaration, issued by all Australian Ministers for Education (2008), should be aspirational and a call to action for educators and parents across Australia. Education will play a critical role in the solutions our children, and young people will face now and in the future.
Welcome to an exciting point in the story of Blue Mountains Grammar School, which spans over 105 years. As we present our Strategic Plan, we do so with a deep sense of pride in our rich history. This history isn’t just a testament to past successes; it is the firm base we launch into future opportunities that will always have young people at its centre.
Daniel Pink, the recognised expert on the science of motivation, asks: “Education in general, and higher education in particular, is on the brink of a huge disruption. Two big questions, which were once so well-settled that we ceased asking them, are now up for grabs. What should young people be learning? And what sorts of credentials indicate they’re ready for the workforce?” Daniel Pink (2017)
These are appropriate questions as we begin developing and executing the 2024-2026 Strategic Concept Plan for Blue Mountains Grammar School.
It is important to remember that we can only develop extraordinary changemakers with the courage to step towards something extraordinary if we look to design an extraordinary model of learning. Right now, many schools are doing ‘the ordinary’ exceptionally well, but to be pervasively extraordinary requires a new level of vision and execution. It requires a new level of imagining and a unique courage to step towards things that, in our gut, we know are right but for which there may not yet be any precedent.
As an Anglican School, the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) provides further motivation: the Biblical imperative for developing, growing, and exercising what has been given to us. This teaching underscores a principle deeply relevant to the school’s mission. Blue Mountains Grammar School is committed to identifying and nurturing the talents of young people and their teachers. This commitment is a personal responsibility and a collective, sacred duty to ensure that all can find and fulfil their place in God’s story.
I invite you, in good spirit, to engage with and grow further the impact on the next generation of changemakers from Blue Mountains Grammar School.
Steven Coote - Principal
Given the right conditions, we believe young people will be motivated and inspired by learning opportunities that allow them to share their skills as authors and architects of knowledge and skills.
STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION PROJECT | 2025
GREAT LEARNING, DOING GOOD! A GRAMMAR EDUCATION
Great Learning, Doing Good: Pedagogical Design Principles at Blue Mountains
Grammar School
Our approach to learning is anchored in our “Great Learning, Doing Good” philosophy. We want our students to know that they can have influence and impact. The fundamental design principles defining our educational model, ensuring our students thrive academically and personally, include:
1. A Personally Informed Approach
Our students and their learning are the driving forces behind everything we do and every decision we make. We prioritise their needs, interests, and aspirations, creating a responsive and supportive learning environment. By placing students at the center of our educational model, we ensure that their experiences are meaningful and impactful.
2. Multi-Modal Approaches to Learning
We understand that few learning approaches work all the time. Using Design Thinking, we trust our staff to choose the most appropriate approach to learning at any given time, tailored to the needs of their students. Many contextual factors determine the success of an instructional approach, and the most effective is an intelligent combination of direct-explicit instruction and inquiry-based learning. This approach respects our young people and provides balance along the learning pathway.
3. Creative and Open-Ended Learning
Creativity is at the heart of adventure, innovation and problem-solving. We encourage students to engage in open-ended projects that allow for creative expression and original thinking. This approach helps students develop resilience, adaptability, and the ability to think outside the box.
4. Holistic Development
Academic success is intertwined with personal growth, and the reverse is also true. Our holistic approach to education addresses our students’ intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development. We will not separate one from the other. By nurturing all aspects of a student’s being, we create a supportive environment where they can flourish.
5. Social Enterprise Integration
Integrating social enterprise into our learning allows students to apply their learning in real-world contexts. Students develop a sense of purpose and social responsibility through projects that address community needs and global challenges. This experiential learning fosters empathy, collaboration, and a commitment to influencing with impact. collaboration, and a commitment to influencing with impact.
6. High Expectations and Academic Excellence
We know that complex problems require a commitment to ‘finding out’. We set high expectations for all students, believing in their potential to achieve something worthwhile, either big or small. We challenge and inspire students, ensuring they develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their future endeavours.
7. Connected Learning Communities
Learning extends beyond the boundaries of our school. We foster connections with local, national, and global communities, creating opportunities for students to engage with diverse perspectives and cultures. These connections enhance learning experiences and help students understand their role in a broader context.
Conclusion
The pedagogical design principles at Blue Mountains Grammar School are crafted to create an educational experience that is both academically rigorous and socially meaningful. By fostering inquiry, creativity, holistic development, and social enterprise, we prepare our students to excel academically while cultivating their capacity to contribute positively to society. Our commitment to high expectations and a student-centred approach ensures that every student at BMGS receives an education that empowers them to do great learning and do good in the world.
PURPOSE (WHAT GETS US OUT OF BED)
Great learning doing good.
OUR INTENT (WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BUILD)
Grounded in the Mountains community, we will have a local impact as we step towards future-oriented learning that provides young people with a launchpad to be positive changemakers with global influence.
What We Value, How We Behave
What we value should be seen in the way we act and behave. One without the other simply does not make sense. These values and behaviours help us to strengthen our focus.
Each of our values, is linked with an observable action or behaviour. This allows us to encourage one another to achieve what we intend for our young people.
OUR THREE STRATEGIC CHANNELS
WE VALUE WE BEHAVE
• Collaborative Growth Culture
We will all design, develop and execute a collaborative growth-oriented culture.
• High-quality Leadership
CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP
From our youngest to our oldest, we will all engage in high-quality, ethical leadership.
• Nurturing Capacity
THE LEARNER EXPERIENCE
PLACE SPACE AND BELONGING
We will all identify, grow and celebrate the capacity in all our people including students, parents and
• Unleash Potential
We will all unleash learners to grow holistically to explore areas of passion and connect with experts school.
• Share our Expertise
We will all grow further our levels of teacher capacity and share excellent practice across the school
• Grow Changemakers
We will all empower students to be changemakers who impact their communities.
• Improve the Conditions for Learning
We will all design and create the best conditions for learning and belonging.
• Celebrate our UNESCO Location
We will all amplify the unique educational experiences and opportunities of our UNESCO World Heritage
• Learner Focussed School Design
We will all create ways of working that serve the learning of our young people.
and staff.
experts within and beyond our school and beyond.
Heritage location.
CULTURE & LEADERSHIP CHANNEL ONE
We make a commitment to growing our culture to ensure that we celebrate healthy and ethical leadership. We believe that everyone has the capacity for influence, and that our cultural evolution will stem from the intentions and actions of every member within our community.
ACTION: Design and launch the Leadership Greenhouse Mobilise an agile team that anchors and activates our purpose.
ACTION: Ideate and prototype The Good Change Lab Create a codesigned research and development space.
ACTION: Create partnerships and build a Global Network Partner with a global network to cultivate collaboration and deep learning.
THE LEARNER EXPERIENCE CHANNEL TWO
It is our intention to engage with our young people and increase their agency and voice to include their perspectives and help them develop a strong sense of optimism, purpose, and hope for what they can and will do at school and beyond.
ACTION: Enabling student agency and empowerment.
Empower students to identify, address, and solve real-world challenges.
ACTION: Develop a Learning Master Plan
Design a pedagogically rich student-centred learning journey.
ACTION: Reimagine Classroom Practice
Enhance teacher capacity through a focus on professional growth and shared learning
PLACE, SPACE AND BELONGING
We are committed to fostering a dynamic learning environment that captivates and motivates our students. We will empower our students to become proactive and brave individuals, ready to make a positive impact as engaged citizens. This intention will inform our systems, experiences and environments.
ACTION: Promote belonging and engagement within our communityMobilise Nurture deep relationships and meaningful connections
Action: Connect with the world
We will unleash the potential of learning beyond the classroom.
ACTION: Maximise the schools organisational design Review and improve our operations to enable our Strategic Transformation Project.
Strategic Transformation Project
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2025 STRATEGY
2025 STRATEGY
2025 STRATEGY
2025 STRATEGY
2025 STRATEGY
BMGS PRIMARY YEARS
THE JUNIOR SCHOOL IS A BUSY PLACE
Our students jump in with both feet. We provide opportunities for performance for every student.
Students get involved in Art exhibitions, Book Week, Science Week, fun runs and fundraising for charity.
Primary student leaders take the lead with organising activities to promote wellbeing, and they take their role as a representative voice in the Junior School seriously.
BMGS PRIMARY YEARS
THE JUNIOR SCHOOL IS A BUSY PLACE
Our students jump in with both feet. We provide opportunities for performance for every student.
Students get involved in Art exhibitions, Book Week, Science Week, fun runs and fundraising for charity.
Primary student leaders take the lead with organising activities to promote wellbeing, and they take their role as a representative voice in the Junior School seriously.
PRIMARY LEARNING IN THE WILDERNESS
Primary students at Blue Mountains Grammar embrace our unique environment, growing their appreciation and capabilities in the Great Outdoors. Students participate in Wild Ed activities like canoeing, orienteering, rock climbing, bushwalking and camping.
A wilderness perspective is woven into class work too, with students passionately taking on projects and learning with a sustainability focus.
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.
Mountains kids deserve a Mountains education.
Rachael Newton Head of Junior School
Fred Rogers
PRIMARY LEARNING IN THE WILDERNESS
Primary students at Blue Mountains Grammar embrace our unique environment, growing their appreciation and capabilities in the Great Outdoors. Students participate in Wild Ed activities like canoeing, orienteering, rock climbing, bushwalking and camping.
A wilderness perspective is woven into class work too, with students passionately taking on projects and learning with a sustainability focus.
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.
Mountains kids deserve a Mountains education.
Rachael Newton Head of Junior School
Fred Rogers