Inside the Fairy Meadow school helping to drive UOW’s top ranking in Teacher Education
It's driving the next generation of teachers.
Each semester, Fairy Meadow Demonstration School serves as a training ground for the next generation of teachers.
It’s this hands-on experience, UOW’s leaders say, that has helped the University of Wollongong be rated number one in Australia for undergraduate Teacher Education for the second year in a row in the Federal Government’s National Student Experience Survey (QILT).
Around 240 second-year UOW education students pass through the school each semester, spending time observing classroom practice, working with small groups, and gradually taking on more responsibility at the front of the room.
Dr Ken Cliff, Head of Teaching and Learning at UOW’s School of Education, said the approach is designed so that learning and practice develop side by side.
“This is not a situation where all of their professional experience is somehow at the end of their degree. It’s interwoven through the degree,” he said.
“It really helps them make those connections between what they’re learning at university, what they’re talking about with their peers, and then the classroom teachers.”
Students complete two three-week block placements at Fairy Meadow during the second year, supported by weekly visits across the semester. Further placements follow in later years, building toward full classroom responsibility before graduation.
Second-year student Tegan Myers, aged 20, who grew up in Wollongong, said the opportunity to return to the same school has been especially valuable.
“It’s a really rewarding experience because you get to engage with the kids and understand what the profession’s like,” she said.
Tiana McDonald, who moved to Wollongong from Batemans Bay, said repeated time in classrooms has helped join theory and practice.
“I feel like it just bridges that gap between learning the theory at uni and then actually putting it into action,” she said.
“I’ve been able to bring that back and apply it to my assignments. When we do our lesson plans, strategies that I’ve learnt from my supervising teachers, I’m like, ‘Oh yes, I can use that.’”
While second-year student Liam Appleby, aged 20, agreed. “It was nerve-wracking getting up for the first time in front of all these kids, but this [practical] has been a lot easier,” he said.
Fairy Meadow Demonstration School staff also describe the benefits of hosting student teachers.
Jarret Napper, the school’s In-School Coordinator for Professional Experience, said working with university students prompts staff to continually reflect on their teaching.
“It keeps you at the forefront of thinking about what’s new in education. You have to be on your game every week,” he said.
“The opportunity to teach teachers is something I never expected to enjoy as much as I do.”
He has also noticed a shift in students’ intentions as they enter the profession.
“People are choosing this profession because they actually really care about it. It’s not just a fallback job,” he said.
The annual QILT survey measures student satisfaction across key areas like teaching quality, learning resources, skills development, and student support. The results are published on the ComparED website, which reported that 90.4% of UOW students enrolled in Teacher Education (Undergraduate) were happy with the facilities and resources, 85% had a positive overall experience, and 67.8% were positive about their interactions with other students.
While 96% of graduates went on to find employment, which is higher than the national average.
Dr Cliff said many students are already working casually or temporarily in schools by their final year, smoothing the transition into full-time roles.
Professor Shirley Agostinho, Interim Head of the UOW School of Education, said the top ranking reflects the dedication and teamwork of staff across all teaching disciplines.
“Our lecturers, tutors and markers work tirelessly to support our students through their degrees. This number one ranking is really a team award. It shows how positive those interactions are across the entire course of a degree,” Professor Agostinho said.
In the broader QILT results, UOW ranked fourth in Australia overall for undergraduate students’ educational experience, after the University of Divinity, Avondale University, and Bond University.
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