HAYLEY CROSS
Lawson Public School (NSW)
She’s a teacher who loves to inspire and support everyone around her, and a leader who names solutions rather than problems. And in the words of her nominating colleague, “There is a great hope for education in Australia when we are fortunate enough to have future leaders, like Hayley, serving our community.”
Highly regarded by her community, Hayley Cross has taken her team on a continuous journey of school improvement, Specifically, she’s played an integral role in the development of Lawson Public School’s own Quality School, Successful Students (QTSS) initiative. This was instrumental in Cross’s team members developing rich and meaningful professional development plans that, in turn, were directly tied to the school’s strategic plan and will continue having a strong impact on student growth in literacy and numeracy.
Cross also played a crucial part in the successful introduction of STEM education at Lawson Public School. While the initiative was initially met with resistance, she persevered and set an example for colleagues by completing smaller, classroom-based projects, which ultimately led to an important wider, whole-school project. Cross was recommended to present at the Future Schools Expo this year on her achievements in STEM and, in particular, on how she was able to inspire teachers to embrace the initiative.