Embedding Formative Assessment Across Independent Schools in Australia May 2026
When
Timezone
Speakers
David Neville
David Neville is CEO and Co-Founder of Nurture, where he works with schools, school organisations and multi-academy trusts to embed evidence-based assessment and feedback practices at scale. With a background in education and technology, David focuses on helping leaders reduce workload, improve consistency across schools, and translate research into everyday classroom practice using Microsoft and Nurture technology.
Professor Dylan Wiliam
Dylan Wiliam is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London and Strategic Advisor to Nurture. In a varied career, he has taught in inner-city schools, directed a large-scale testing programme, served a number of roles in university administration, including Dean of a School of Education, and pursued a research programme focused on supporting teachers to develop their use of assessment in support of learning.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins is an experienced educational leader supporting school improvement, leadership, curriculum and pedagogy. He currently sits on the SCSA Curriculum and Assessment Committee, ACEL WA Branch Executive and SEDA College (NT) Board. Phil’s career spans over 20 years across independent, government and system-level contexts. He has held roles including Principal, Deputy Principal and Director of Student Wellbeing and contributed to Aboriginal education, school leadership and career development programs. Phil holds a Master of Educational Leadership and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education at Curtin University.
Jim Shackleton
Jim Shackleton is an experienced educator and leader currently serving as the Assistant Director of Senior School - Teaching & Learning at All Saints' College since January 2024. Prior to this role, Jim held multiple positions at All Saints' College, including Acting Director of Senior School (Teaching & Learning) and Assistant Director at Djoowak: The Beyond Boundaries Institute, focusing on pedagogical direction and professional development. Additionally, Jim has experience as an Adjunct Lecturer at Murdoch University, contributing to the Discipline of Education, and has been involved in various leadership roles within the Australian Air Force Cadets, overseeing curriculum development and personnel management. Jim holds a Master of Education with a focus on Advanced Pedagogies and multiple degrees from Curtin University, including a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Applied Chemistry.
From Professional Learning to school-wide Impact Featuring Professor Dylan Wiliam & AISWA
For Principals, Directors of Teaching & Learning, and System Leaders in Australian Independent Schools
What are the highest-impact teaching practices we can implement in our schools?
This session brings together Dylan Wiliam, the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia and an independent school leader to bring clear, digestible research and evidence together with real, classroom-based insights.
Formative assessment is one of the most powerful levers available to improve student outcomes, but only when it is:
- Embedded in daily classroom practice
- Supported by sustained, high-quality professional learning
- Reinforced through clear leadership and system alignment
- Enabled by technology that strengthens, not replaces, teacher judgement
Guest Speakers
Hear directly from Phil Collins, Curriculum and School Improvement Manager at Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) and Jim Shackleton, Assistant Director of Senior School (Teaching and Learning) at All Saints’ College, Perth, sharing how:
- System-level perspective and a school-level perspective
- How Nurture's Formative Assessment Innovator Programme with Nurture is being implemented across 8 Independent Schools in Western Australia
- Professional Learning, guided by Dylan Wiliam, is driving teacher practice change
Nurture Technology, alongside its Strategic Advisor Dylan Wiliam, is being used to sustain and scale this impact across schools and systems.
Professor Dylan Wiliam
One of the world’s leading authorities on formative assessment, Dylan will share:
- What actually changes teacher practice and what doesn’t
- The non-negotiables for embedding formative assessment across a school or system
