Here’s how we find them

March 27, 2025

Nothing shapes a student’s success more than great teaching.  That’s why our approach to hiring goes far beyond the standard interview. Our recruitment process is thoughtfully designed to identify the most impactful teachers.

Education is a widely researched field, and we now have a solid understanding of both student learning, and effective teaching.  We know which teacher mindsets, behaviours, and skills consistently lead to better student outcomes, and we put this knowledge to work when selecting our teachers. The skills and qualities we look for throughout our rigorous recruitment process are grounded in evidence, not guesswork. 

So, what do we look for in a teacher?  The best teachers are energetic and enthusiastic, yet dependable and approachable.  When it comes to engaging with other teachers, they are deeply collaborative and welcome feedback from peers. 

Being highly knowledgeable in a subject isn’t enough.  Some experts, in fact, struggle to teach well because they forget what it’s like not to know. This is known as “expert bias”: the inability to see why a beginner is confused, or to break complex ideas down into clear, simple steps. Effective teachers, by contrast, take students on a carefully planned journey: sparking their interest, building a strong foundation, and gradually guiding them to apply their knowledge in more complex and, eventually, unfamiliar situations. 

When students are challenged with increasingly complex material, mistakes are inevitable – and essential. The most effective teachers create a safe, supportive space where mistakes are seen as stepping stones, and feedback is timely, specific, and personalised – helping students reflect, adjust, and grow. Great teachers know how to guide students from simple to complex tasks while keeping them motivated, focused, and open to learning from missteps. This kind of classroom environment doesn’t happen by chance – it requires deep expertise and remarkable care.

Less obviously, but just as importantly, effective teachers are deeply reflective. When a student struggles, they don’t assume the problem lies with the student. Instead, they ask themselves what they could do differently to support learning. These teachers don’t settle for “I taught it, but they didn’t learn it.” Their mindset is, “It hasn’t been taught until it’s been learned.”  This doesn’t mean effective teachers do all the work – in fact, quite the opposite. Effective teachers hold exceptionally high expectations for every student, and research consistently shows that students rise to meet those expectations. Truly getting to know the many candidates who apply for roles at St Luke’s, and identifying the rare, exceptional individuals who have what it takes to shape young lives, is no easy task. It’s a rigorous, time-intensive process, but one we embrace wholeheartedly.  Because your child deserves more than just a qualified teacher – they deserve one who is genuinely effective.