Pittwater House educator Katie Jackson has been recognised after being named the recipient of the NSW Premier’s NESA Quality Teaching Scholarship.
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Ms Jackson, Director of Teaching and Learning at Pittwater House in Collaroy, was among 14 teachers recognised through the 2027 Premier’s Teacher Scholarships, which provide recipients with $15,000 for a five-week study tour during 2027.
The scholarship will give Ms Jackson an opportunity to investigate a question she has posed about quality teaching: how can schools make high-quality teaching consistent across every classroom?
Her research project is titled From Knowing to Doing: Investigating Whole-School Conditions That Make Quality Teaching the Norm, Not the Exception.
Research to take Ms Jackson to schools in Australia and the UK
Ms Jackson plans to examine what excellent teaching looks like in the classroom, as well as the structures and conditions that can support it across an entire school.
Her study will include visits to high-performing schools in Australia and the United Kingdom, where she will investigate leadership decisions, curriculum systems, structures and professional learning.
The focus will be on the approaches used by high-performing schools and the conditions that support quality teaching across an entire school.
Ms Jackson’s research will also consider the role of shared, high-quality curriculum resources, whole-school approaches to teaching and strong professional cultures.
According to Pittwater House, these approaches can help reduce teacher workload and allow teachers to focus more deeply on the craft of teaching and student learning. The school announced the scholarship, describing the award as an “outstanding and richly deserved achievement”.
“We are incredibly proud that our Director of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Jackson, has been awarded the Premier’s NESA Quality Teaching Scholarship,” Pittwater House said.
The school said the research would examine how high-performing schools create the conditions for excellent teaching in every classroom and would explore what enables strong teaching practice to become embedded across an entire school.
For Ms Jackson, the question behind the research is one she is keen to explore during the scholarship. In a LinkedIn post, she said she was “still a little amazed and very honoured” to have received the scholarship.
“It gives me the opportunity to spend some time next year exploring something I care deeply about,” Ms Jackson said.
“We know a lot about what good teaching looks like, but how do schools actually make it happen consistently across every classroom?”
Ms Jackson also said she would be visiting schools in Australia and the UK to find out what they are doing, what could be learned from them and what might be possible in other schools.
Scholarship brings research back to Pittwater House
The NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships provide $15,000 for a five-week study tour within Australia or overseas. The scholarships are open to teachers in NSW schools, as well as teachers working across TAFE NSW and early childhood education and care services.
The NESA Quality Teaching Scholarship is specifically focused on the study of quality teaching. It is designed to support teacher accreditation and professional development, while providing resources and evidence to improve practice.
Research from successful applicants may also be incorporated into NESA resources supporting quality teaching across NSW.
Ms Jackson attended the scholarship presentation at NSW Parliament House with Pittwater House Principal Dr Steven Middleton.
Pittwater House said it was one of only two independent schools recognised among the 2027 scholarship recipients. Dr Middleton said the award reflected Ms Jackson’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, her passion for professional growth and her dedication to improving outcomes for students and colleagues.
The school said the insights Ms Jackson gains will help inform teaching and learning at Pittwater House, while her findings will also be shared with the wider NSW education community through NESA, professional learning networks and educational forums.
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The 2027 study tour will give Ms Jackson the opportunity to examine how different schools approach quality teaching at a whole-school level and investigate the conditions that can support more consistent teaching practice across classrooms.
Published 28-August-2026
