Westlake Boys High School Westlake Boys High School
The Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
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Supporting the Growth and Development of Excellent Teachers

At Westlake Boys High School, teaching and learning is at the centre of all we do. We strongly believe that if we support our teachers to be the best they can be in the classroom, our students will grow to be the best they can be too.

The Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was established in 2019 to be at the core of our support and professional development for our teachers, whether they are new to the profession or have decades of experience. We value an attitude of continuous improvement and strive to be the best we can be, putting boys' education at the forefront of what we do.

Our philosophy and values are underpinned by research and evidence-based practice. In doing so, the centre continues to make connections with other schools within New Zealand and internationally. In an ever-changing educational landscape, it is important to be at front of the charge in innovation and adaptation of ideas and pedagogy in our own unique context of Westlake Boys High School.

If you would like to know more about what we do or collaborate with us, feel free to contact us by email below. 

Jude Arbuthnot

Jude began her career as an English and Media Studies teacher in the UK in 2001, moving to New Zealand and Westlake in 2006. She is currently Deputy Principal with the responsibility for Professional Development and supporting trainee and beginning teachers. She works closely with both the Auckland Secondary Schools Training Programme and The Teachers’ Institute as school co-ordinator. In the Centre for Excellence, her work focuses on supporting mentors and middle leaders, and action research (both for staff and students). She has completed Action Research for the International Boys Schools Coalition into collaborative writing.

Casey de Wit

Casey began her career as an English and Media Studies teacher in Auckland in 2015. In her career she has held the role of course leader and Head of Department for Media Studies. She is currently Director of Professional Development. As a Leader of Learning in the Centre for Excellence, her current work will find her running and coordinating professional development for staff, professional development for the school Prefects, Bite Size professional development, Provisional Teacher mentoring and Artificial Intelligence planning and implementation.

 

Kelly Easton

Kelly is one of the Leaders of Learning in the Centre for Excellence and has been teaching in New Zealand since 2006, after emigrating from the UK where her early Teaching career began. She has had a variety of roles in her career, such as Pastoral Dean, Head of Department and most recently is Specialist Classroom Teacher, with a focus on improving Teaching and Learning at our school. She is passionate about improving student outcomes and fostering the development of new Teachers to the profession and inspiring potential Middle Leaders. Presently Kelly is mentoring new and experienced Teachers at Westlake, supporting them with reflection and professional dialogue to improve classroom management, culture and cognitive load.

 

Rachel Smith

Rachel began at Westlake Boys High School in 2018, specialising in English, Media Studies, and Drama. She has held several roles including Course Leader of Media and Society, Year 10 English and Acting Head of Drama. As a Leader of Learning in the Centre for Excellence, she mentors Provisionally Certified Teachers, supports the delivery of professional development, and helps facilitate the Middle Leadership Programme. She is also leading the redesign of the junior English curriculum to align with the new national curriculum. She is passionate about supporting staff through reflective practice, strengthening media literacy and supporting staff and student wellbeing.

Our Current Programmes

Excellence in Teaching and Learning

At Westlake, we are committed to achieving excellence in every classroom, every day. Our teaching staff engage in continuous professional development grounded in the latest research and evidence-based best practices.

Every teacher, from their first day at Westlake, is inducted through our comprehensive Teaching and Learning Guidelines. These guidelines provide clear, practical expectations to support consistent, high-quality teaching across the school. Our goal is to ensure that every student benefits from engaging, effective, and inspiring learning experiences. 

Aspiring Middle Leadership Programme

The Aspiring Middle Leadership Programme takes place in Terms 1 and 2. It is intended for anyone who has an interest in developing their middle-leadership potential at a pastoral or academic level. The programme has a personalised leadership inquiry-based style, over a period of six months. With a combined approach of educational research, reflection, and discussion forums each term, our intent is that the group will conclude their key findings of their inquiry focus with a presentation at the end of the programme.

Topics covered in the programme include: self-awareness, leadership styles, team building, open-to-learning conversations, growth coaching, mentoring and supporting staff.

Provisionally Certified Teacher Programme

The PCT programme runs weekly every Tuesday morning before school for all first- and second-year teachers. Aligning with the professional teaching standards, the sessions provide our PCTs with extra support with a clear focus on the Westlake context. There are a variety of staff presenters, but the programme is organised and overseen by Kelly Easton and Jude Arbuthnot.

Topics covered in the programme include: knowing your learners, teaching standards, digital technology, behaviour management strategies, boysʼ education, supporting students emotionally, pastoral care, report writing, supporting international students, pedagogical approaches. 

Group mentoring of Provisionally Certified Teachers

Westlake Boys High School use a group mentoring approach for our teachers new to the profession. Once a week, teachers meet in the Centre in a small group of 2 or 3 with their Mentor. The philosophy behind this approach is a wraparound support system from an experienced teacher mentor and other beginning teachers. Time is dedicated in the timetable to this programme, and it has been a huge success in developing the capabilities and confidence of our PCTs. Mentoring is facilitated by Jude Arbuthnot, Kelly Easton, Casey de Wit, Rachel Smith, Sarah Belcher, Natalie Marriott and Kate Gardiner.

Whole Staff Professional Development

Two full staff Professional Development sessions run a term. The students begin their school day later on these days so that staff have dedicated time to focus on their professional learning. The whole staff PD is coordinated by Casey de Wit and runs with four strands throughout the year. These strands link to our school strategic intent. 

Our focus for 2026 will be curriculum development and our guidelines for teaching and learning to ensure our boys all have a high standard of teaching and learning in every classroom, every lesson, every day. 

Each session has a clear focus, allows for discussion with colleagues and gives staff practical ideas that they can implement in the classroom immediately.  

Bite-size Professional Development

Bite-size PD has been well attended in 2024. The popular, short, and voluntary drop-in sessions run after and before school in The Centre for Excellence. The sessions are run by staff for staff and often have a practical implementation. Casey de Wit co-ordinates these sessions which are run by staff who often have a passion for a specific area of pedagogy or who may have recently been on a PD course outside of Westlake and want to share their experiences and ideas. Sessions this year have been: Te Reo Pronunciation, Behaviour Management, OneNote, Supporting Students with Barriers to Learning and Action Research presentation. 

Action Research

The Centre for Excellence has revitalised their Action Research programme. Closely following the programme run by the International Boys Schools Coalition, staff carry out their research with their students with Jude Arbuthnot mentoring them through the process. A student Action Research group was established in 2025 as an extra-curricular group, allowing students to engage in research in areas that interest them in their learning.

Action Research report findings

Casey de Wit - Language Learning Model (LLM) Models Assisting Essay Planning
Kelly Easton - Targeted Strategies For Developing A Growth Mindset
Conor Pearson - Of Morals and Masculinity: Scenario-Based Moral Education for Year 9 Boys
Carla Boniolo - Facilitators of Friendship: Structured Teamwork Drills With a Debate Squad of Year 10 and Year 11 Boys
Jude Arbuthnot - Collaborative Creative Writing with High School Boys
Helen Jorgensen - Pride of the Pacific: Creating Connectedness in Year 12 Pasifika Boys Through a Student-Led Project
Andrea Dawber - Viewing Art History Through Windows and Mirrors: Exploring The Pluralities of 21st Century Masculinity with Years 12 and 13 Boys
Lucy Anderson - Research brief

Student Action Researchers 2025: 

Isaac Ryu, Borynt Em Ream, Yeonoh Noh, Tasman Hu, Danny Yoon - Student Action Research Project Brotherhood 2025

Preston Wang, Somatha Yin, Evan Li, Achilles Yeong (Year Twelve) - Student Action Research Project Peer to Peer 2025

Growth Coaching

We now have a significant proportion of staff who have been trained as Growth Coaches. In previous years, these staff have supported our Aspiring Middle Leaders on their leadership journeys. We will continue to offer the opportunity to participate in Growth Coaching Professional Development to our staff. Also, any member of staff who would like to work through the process of growth coaching, can now directly approach one of our trained Coaches. We hope that the initiative will further support our teachers professionally.

Prefect Development

Casey de Wit continues to work with prefects to develop their leadership skills and potential as leaders. There is a continual need to develop our students as well as our staff; their growth as leaders is just as important as that of our staff. 

The PD for Prefects is aimed at developing their leadership journey, looking at how they can accomplish the goals they set, having a strong connection with the junior school and hearing from leaders outside of a school context. Our aim is for them to leave with the honour of making an impact on our school. 

Emerging Student Leaders

Emerging Student Leaders (ESL) is a new half-year course designed to support Year 12 students who aspire to take on future leadership roles within our school. The programme recognises that leadership growth is a long-term journey, and that nurturing potential early allows students to step into leadership roles with confidence and capability.

The focus of the ESL programme is to help students build a strong understanding of themselves, their strengths, values, motivations, and areas for growth. The course encourages them to reflect on how they work with others, how they can contribute positively within a group, and how shared values underpin successful leadership. Students also learn about the importance of connecting with the junior school and gain insights from leaders beyond the classroom, broadening their perspective on what leadership can look like in different contexts. 

Teacher Training

We are proud to support initial teacher training with a range of ITE providers. Each year we host trainees from The Teachers’ Institute (https://www.teachersinstitute.org.nz/) and Auckland Schools Teacher Training Programme (https://www.schoolbasedtraining.org/). More details about these courses can be found on their websites.  If you would like to discuss teacher training at Westlake please contact Jude Arbuthnot: [email protected]. We are particularly keen to hear from old boys and people living within our community. 

Book Club

At the start of 2022 a Book Club of 55 staff members was established. The book club is centered around texts that contribute to the professional growth of educators, covering topics like pedagogical techniques, educational theories, classroom management, and subject-specific advancements, specifically for boys.

Our Book Club includes staff members from various departments who participate in a rich discussion post reading. Our meetings foster a collaborative environment where diverse perspectives are shared. The cross curricular of ideas can lead to innovative teaching approaches and a unified educational philosophy within the school. Texts that we have read so far are: Better Boys, Better Men by Andrew Reiner, Tools for Teacher by Oliver Lovell, Boys don't Try? By Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts and Boys do Cry by Matt Pinkett.