New Schools: An Australian case study

New schools open in Australia on a relatively frequent basis. However, there is little literature to inform the establishment phase of a new school. The literature that does exist suggests that new schools begin in a frenetic way. There is much excitement about possibilities and such schools appear to be places where all dreams are possible. Yet the literature has documented that they revert to the norm. This article presents the results of a case study of an Australian secondary school during the first two years of its establishment. During the first two years of the school's establishment I was the foundation curriculum coordinator. The primary purpose of the study was to document the establishment phase of a new school from the perspective of an 'insider' and to communicate the issues and challenges that face staff during this critical period. The second was to determine what structures are vital when establishing a new school that would result in sustainable practice.