Tammy Anderson
Briar Road Public School, NSW
Dharawal
Teaching Fellow
Tammy Anderson has demonstrated an enduring commitment to culturally responsive leadership, professional learning and collective improvement throughout her leadership of Briar Road Public School situated on Dharawal Country since 2013. As an Aboriginal leader, Tammy brings cultural knowledge, community voice and a deep commitment to Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing into the leadership of whole-school improvement. Her work demonstrates that improved educational outcomes are strengthened when culture, belonging and high expectations are embedded together.
At Briar Road Public School, a highly disadvantaged setting where 47% of students identify as Aboriginal, Tammy has led a sustained transformation in teaching, learning and student outcomes. Through analysis of NAPLAN, Check-in and attendance data, she identified priorities for improving teaching practice and established a whole-school improvement model centred on explicit instruction, consistent pedagogy and collaborative professional learning. This work was recognised by the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) as a case study in effective Aboriginal Education.
The impact has been measurable, with significant growth in reading and numeracy and attendance now outperforming state, network and similar-school measures. Importantly, Tammy has understood improvement as more than academic achievement. She has led the development of culturally responsive curriculum and co-designed approaches that strengthen students’ connection, identity and belonging. By ensuring Aboriginal perspectives and community knowledge are authentically reflected in learning, Tammy has supported measurable improvements in attendance, engagement and students’ connection to school.
Her commitment to learning across professional and cultural networks is demonstrated through initiatives such as the First Nations Circle and the Akuna Explicit Teaching network. These collaborations create opportunities for educators to learn with and from one another, strengthen culturally responsive practice and build shared responsibility for Aboriginal education across school communities. Tammy actively contributes to network, regional and state initiatives and extends this influence nationally through her engagement with professional associations, ensuring that the learning generated through her school and community is shared more broadly.
Central to Tammy’s leadership is her authentic partnership with Aboriginal communities. She engages respectfully and consistently with Elders, the AECG and organisations including Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service, moving beyond consultation to formalise processes through which community voice informs curriculum, wellbeing and school planning. This approach reflects a genuine commitment to cultural ways of working by building relationships, listening deeply, valuing local knowledge and making decisions with community rather than simply for community.
Tammy’s leadership is therefore characterised by a powerful combination of evidence-informed improvement, cultural integrity and professional generosity. She builds the capability of others, creates networks for shared learning and ensures that Aboriginal perspectives are central to decisions about teaching, learning and wellbeing. Her contribution reaches from classroom practice to whole-school improvement, across local networks and into regional, state and national professional conversations. Through this work, Tammy demonstrates how culturally grounded leadership can create both stronger educational outcomes and a deeper sense of belonging for Aboriginal students and their communities.