During the early months of the COVID pandemic, as the state government allowed students to return to school for one day a week, Glenroi Heights Public School undertook an experiment.
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"We sort of did things a little differently to other schools," said principal Liz Beasley.
"The feedback from staff and students was amazing, and it had a really positive effect on our students."
Rather than have children learn from home full-time, Mrs Beasley decided that from Monday to Thursday students would attend numeracy and literacy classes from 9am to 12pm.
The school has about 240 students.
Instead of typical class sizes of 25 to more than 30 pupils, Mrs Beasley reduced them to a maximum of 21.
To achieve this she directed more of the school's budget into teaching resources.
After 12pm the students would return home, so as to avoid mingling in large groups in the playground.
They would learn remotely in the afternoons.
"We found some real positives from COVID," Mrs Beasley said.
She said that holding classes in the morning "gave us continuity" and was "supportive of our community".
The first hours of classes in the morning were the most important as students were fresh and more open to learning, said Mrs Beasley.
"It pays to listen to kids because their voices are so important.
"We asked the students if they liked the smaller classes in the morning and the feedback we got was so positive.
"They were saying things like 'it's much better for learning and I'm learning more', 'I have more time to ask questions', and 'It's quieter and there aren't so many distractions'."
In response to the overwhelmingly positive feedback Mrs Beasley implemented the changes for 2021 and beyond.
After the smaller numeracy and literacy classes in the morning, "they come together in bigger groups in the afternoon to do subjects including history, geography and science", Mrs Beasley said.
About half of the students at Glenroi Heights Public School are Indigenous.
Mrs Beasley has been the principal of the school since 2018.
Last year she was behind a push for the school to have new uniforms and a new school logo, with a two-year window for students to wear the new uniform.
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