But it hasn’t just happened overnight - it’s been a continuous improvement journey for the leadership team.
As a result, the Gold Coast primary school has experienced remarkable growth during this period, with enrolment increasing from 600 students to 730, alongside notable developments in staffing, leadership structures, curriculum, and teaching practices.
NAPLAN results from 2023 to 2024 showed significant increase in all areas and feedback from recent parent survey data shows an increase in all benchmark areas.
Building community through collaboration
Principal Matt Edwards said Jubilee prides itself on its strong community focus, creating an environment where students, parents, and staff feel welcomed and supported.
“We actively involve families in our school life through open-door policies, participation in classroom activities and school events such as Open Mornings, Jubilee Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and Grandparents' Day,” he said.
“Our Parents and Friends (P&F) committee plays a pivotal role in strengthening ties within the community too.”
One notable initiative was Jubilee’s participation in the 18km Kokoda Challenge, where an astonishing 17 teams (68 students and 17 staff), guided by dedicated staff volunteers, demonstrated their commitment to fostering teamwork and resilience among students.
A new approach to supporting classroom teachers
The introduction of Learning Engagement and Enhancement Teachers (LEETs) has transformed Jubilee’s approach to education and staff support.
At Jubilee, LEETs spend time supporting teachers in classrooms, assisting with planning, moderations, and professional development. They also provide targeted support to students and facilitate parent-teacher engagements, ensuring a holistic approach to learning.
The school's first LEETs, Clare Wilson and Aaron Verbruggen, who are now both Primary Learning Leaders, laid the foundations for this important role.
“Our model has evolved over time to ensure we meet the changing needs of the school. The structure we started with five years ago would simply not be as effective today,” Clare said.
“Today, the role’s focus is aligned to our Explicit Improvement Agenda and teacher support.
“It's about co-teaching, modelling, and guiding teachers to pave the way for the next generation of mentors, such as Lauren Parkes and Julianne Brown, our current LEETs who continue to refine and expand these practices.”
Clare said the emphasis on effective first teaching, consistency and collective efficacy among staff has significantly impacted both student behavior and academic results.
Clare and Aaron’s work in this space has also earned them recognition as finalists in the Excellence in Learning and Teaching by a School Team category of the 2025 Brisbane Catholic Education Excellence Awards.
Teacher impact and wellbeing
Learning Engagement and Enhancement Teacher Lauren Parkes said having two teachers in a classroom has impressive benefits for student engagement and accountability.
“We have the ability to impact student academic results because we are given time to investigate data, identify areas of weakness and plan to ensure we are making progress," she said.
“This role is so successful at Jubilee because of how it was introduced with Clare and Aaron first. They had a vision and goal and have encouraged us to achieve this by working together.
“The teachers have buy-in because they can see what we're doing is working and that we're here to work with them along the way.”
Looking ahead
Matt said his leadership team was establishing a “particular way of being” at Jubilee that also focused on staff voice.
“It starts with orientation and induction; it’s about a consistent culture and the level of support we offer in the classroom from a range of people,” he said.
“A key feature of the Jubilee staff team is collaboration, based on mutual respect. We are blessed with outstanding staff who know what it means to be at Jubilee, work effectively together and see the impact of the work they are doing.
The leadership team at Jubilee also includes Gavin Agnew, Assistant Principal Religious Education and Chris Clurey, Assistant Principal.