Collaborative Enquiry: Carrongrange High School
This video series explores how collaborative enquiry has been developed, embedded and sustained at Carrongrange High School. Through the voices of school leaders and practitioners, the series offers a rich insight into how enquiry can support meaningful professional learning, strengthen collaboration and improve outcomes for learners.
Beginning with an introduction to the school context, the series traces Carrongrange’s journey - from establishing the foundations of collaborative enquiry, through its evolution into everyday practice, to its long-term impact on professional learning culture. Teachers share their own enquiry experiences, highlighting how collaboration, reflection and shared practice support continuous improvement.
The series also provides practical examples, including enquiries focused on play, communication and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), illustrating how collaborative enquiry can lead to tangible changes in teaching practice and learner engagement.
This collection is designed to support educators at all stages of their enquiry journey, offering both strategic insight and practitioner perspectives on building and sustaining a culture of collaborative enquiry.
After each video, reflective questions are provided to help you consider how the approaches, experiences and insights shared might inform collaborative enquiry within your own context.
To see all videos - here is a playlist.
This video provides an overview of Carrongrange High School and its approach to collaborative enquiry. Janine, Depute Head Teacher, describes how staff across the school engage in enquiry as part of their professional learning and ongoing improvement.
Reflective questions
- How does collaborative enquiry currently feature within our school or setting?
- What structures or opportunities exist for staff to engage in professional enquiry?
- How clearly is our approach to professional learning understood across the whole team?
How do you begin collaborative enquiry as a whole staff? In this video, Arlene from Carrongrange High School explores the early stages of their journey, highlighting the practical steps and key considerations that supported staff to engage in meaningful enquiry.
Reflective questions
- What would be the key first steps in introducing or strengthening collaborative enquiry in our setting?
- How can we support staff to feel confident and engaged at the early stages?
- What conditions are needed to build trust and openness among staff?
Building on their initial work, Carrongrange High School has continued to evolve its approach to collaborative enquiry. In this video, Cameron shares how enquiry is embedded in practice and highlights what has made it meaningful and sustainable for staff.
Reflective questions
- How has our approach to professional learning evolved over time?
- What has helped enquiry become meaningful rather than procedural?
- What challenges have we experienced, and how have we responded to them?
What impact can collaborative enquiry have on a school’s professional learning culture? In this video, Janine from Carrongrange High School explores how enquiry has influenced staff learning, collaboration and improvement across the school.
Reflective questions
- What does our current professional learning culture look like?
- How can leadership support a shift towards more collaborative, enquiry-based approaches?
- In what ways do we empower staff to take ownership of their professional learning?
In this video, Janine, Depute Head Teacher at Carrongrange High School, reflects on how collaborative enquiry has shaped the school’s approach to professional learning. She also explores how this approach is sustained, including the role of school leadership in supporting ongoing engagement.
Reflective questions
- What systems and structures help sustain collaborative enquiry in our setting?
- How does leadership actively support and prioritise this work?
- How do we ensure enquiry remains a meaningful, ongoing process rather than a one-off initiative?
Rebecca discusses her collaborative enquiry exploring play and communication using the SCERTS framework. She highlights how this focus supported learning and development within her classroom practice.
Reflective questions
- How do we select meaningful and relevant enquiry focuses in our own context?
- In what ways do we use frameworks or research (e.g. SCERTS) to support our enquiry?
- How do we evaluate the impact of our enquiry on learners?
In this video, Rebecca explores the role of collaboration in her enquiry journey, highlighting how shared dialogue and support from colleagues enabled meaningful professional learning.
Reflective questions
- How do we create opportunities for meaningful collaboration between staff?
- What does effective professional dialogue look like in our setting?
- How can collaboration challenge and extend our thinking?
Rebecca discusses the importance of sharing collaborative enquiry and reflects on the impact this has had on her professional learning. She highlights how sharing practice supports reflection, dialogue and improvement.
Reflective questions
- How do we currently share learning from enquiry across our setting?
- What opportunities exist for staff to reflect together on practice?
- How can we make sharing practice a routine and valuable part of professional learning?
In this video, Vicki, a class teacher at Carrongrange High School, reflects on how a culture of collaborative enquiry has positively impacted her as a practitioner. She shares how this approach has supported her professional learning and development.
Reflective questions
- How does our professional environment support individual growth and confidence?
- What does it feel like to be a practitioner in our current learning culture?
- How can we ensure all staff benefit from a collaborative enquiry approach?
In this video, Vicki shares her experience of engaging in collaborative enquiry focused on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She reflects on the positive impact this enquiry has had on supporting communication and outcomes for her learners.
Reflective questions
- What are the key learning needs of our learners, and how can enquiry address these?
- How do we explore and embed approaches such as AAC within our practice?
- How do we measure the impact of our work on learner participation and communication?
In this video, Shelley, Depute Head Teacher at Carrongrange High School, reflects on how collaborative enquiry has influenced the day-to-day practice of staff. She shares how enquiry has supported changes in teaching approaches and professional thinking across the school.
Reflective questions
- What changes in practice have resulted from professional learning in our setting?
- How do we know that collaborative enquiry is making a difference in classrooms?
- What would we expect to see in day-to-day practice if enquiry is having real impact?
