Staff Insights
By Mr Christopher Bradbury, Principal
Karl Anders Ericsson wasn’t a sportsman or a musician, however his research had a profound influence in both disciplines. He was curious about the nature of excellence and his work provided a lifetime of study that made him the ‘expert on experts’. The key to his research was providing overwhelming evidence that ‘experts are made not born’. He argued that the way to develop expertise was through the intentional process of deliberate practice.
There are several critical components to the effective execution of deliberate practice and one of them is that not all practice is equal or will yield expertise. Anders Ericsson argued that bad practice can be counterproductive, however deliberate practice refers to the systematic method of effortful, highly focused, goal-oriented practice which aims to improve performance. It is the ‘intentional engagement in skills-based learning’ that proves most effective, and a prime example was captured in the sport documentary series The Last Dance conveying how Michael Jordan’s greatness on the basketball court was hard won in all manners of deliberate practice. Hours on the court practicing shooting and engaging in oppose sessions to best perform under pressure proved to be the cornerstone of his success.
Deliberate practice also serves to build resilience in the mastery of skill. As a consequence of trying to do things you cannot yet do, deliberate practice will involve regular failure and so will require bouncing back to persevere towards expertise. The process develops ‘effort’ and a hard-working attitude in terms of pursuing excellence which is the residue of a quality education in any field.
Deliberate practice involves sustained effort, because you are outside your comfort zone which provides the necessary challenge and rigour to grow.
Finally, Anders Ericsson’s work highlighted that the success of deliberate practice was largely dependent on the influence of the teacher or coach. To practice harder and smarter, the environment and instruction is largely dependent on the quality of the teacher or coach. Students need to be guided with a deep understanding on the correct skill development and content that is required in their respective domains, otherwise it becomes practice for the sake of practice.
Anders Ericsson’s work relates significantly to a quality education in schools. At Radford College, we want to foster a learning environment where students thrive in the pursuit for excellence and as a result are committed to deliberate practice and responding to the feedback delivered by their teachers. It is why we talk about ‘teacher excellence coupled with personal responsibility’ with our students. Teachers need to be the experts in scaffolding and modelling appropriate practices to achieve excellence and our students need to take ownership of their learning by being personally committed to continuous growth and improvement.
Anders Ericsson’s gift to the world was that he ‘democratised excellence’ making it available to anybody willing to put the work to discover their potential as a human being. Every child at Radford College has enormous potential and capacity to grow. Through deliberate practice, confidence and self-belief, each student can observe or be excited by their level of improvement.
By Reverend Andy Fleming, Associate Chaplain
As this week started, so did the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is an ecumenical approach to raise awareness and action for God’s gift of creation by a coalition of different expressions of the Christian faith from around the world, including the Anglican Communion.
This year’s theme is Peace with Creation. Drawing on the prophet Isaiah’s depiction of Creation being broken and desolate because of humanity’s brokenness, damaging impact and injustice, the stated hope is for 'Creation to find peace when justice is restored'.
The Garden of Peace symbolises this hope. The depiction of a dove carrying an olive branch as a sign of a new period of peace. The story of Noah’s ark begins with the earth being filled with violence and culminates with Noah sending out a dove which eventually returns carrying a fresh olive branch, that is now widely recognised as a sign of new peace.
The Anglican Board of Mission is also encouraging a collective response to work towards healing our common home. If you’d like to contribute, you can support the Season of Creation here.
Of course, helping our planet to thrive involves a year-round daily effort. There are many awesome actions that Radford community is taking to ensure the aims of the Season of Creation are embedded into our school’s practices.
The Season of Creation ends on 4 October. The day in the Church calendar that celebrates St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. St Francis is well known for his deep love of nature and animals. For Francis, ‘brotherhood’ included all of God’s creation where an animal was as much his brother as any human. Perhaps we could learn from St Francis in order to restore and bring peace to Creation.
Prayer for the Season of Creation, adapted from Season of Creation Celebration Guide 2025.
Creator God,
You provide for us the gift of life that unites us in care for our common home.
However, we have become estranged from one another and from your Creation.
In our greed and destructive impulses have fractured our relationships with you, with others, and with the Earth.
Fertile fields have become barren, forests lie desolate, oceans and rivers are polluted.
Thriving communities have become places of suffering, and the earth cries out.
Inspire us and empower us to work with compassion for the end of conflict,
and for the full restoration of broken relationships –
with you, with our communities, with the human family,
and with all Creation.
Amen.
News
Radford College has proudly achieved its fourth star in its sustainability accreditation, marking another milestone in our ongoing commitment to the environment.
This recognition follows a recent biodiversity audit. It was inspiring to see our school grounds thriving on the cusp of spring and to witness the impact of the collective efforts of our staff, students, and community.
'Achieving our fourth star and becoming the first school in the ACT to receive sustainability certification through the Sustainable Schools Program is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and passion of our entire school community. This milestone reflects our commitment to creating an environmentally responsible and inspiring learning environment,' says Radford College Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Suba Tharmarajah.
Student Sporting Achievements
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in a School Sport ACT representative team to compete at an upcoming School Sport Australia national championships:
- Zalie (Year 8) – 12&U girls hockey
- Mille (Year 6) – 12&U football (soccer) girls
- Oscar (Year 7) – 12&U football (soccer) boys, selected as a shadow player
- Shubh (Year 7) – 12&U cricket (boys)
- Joseph (Year 7) – 12&U cricket (boys)
- Tahlia (Year 6) – 12&U cricket (girls)
- Akshara (Year 5) – 12&U cricket (girls)
- Zoey (Year 5) – 12&U cricket (girls)
- Zoe (Year 7) – 12&U cricket (girls), selected as a shadow player
- Claudia (Year 7) – 12&U netball (girls), selected as a shadow player
- Beatrice (Year 7) – 12&U netball (girls)
- Emma (Year 6) – 12&U netball (girls)
- Zoe (Year 9) – 10–19 years cross country
- Tor (Year 9) – 10–19 years cross country
- Shannon (Year 8) – 10–19 years cross country
- Mae (Year 8) – 10–19 years cross country
We would also like to congratulate Molly (Year 10) on her recent selection in the Barbarians women’s water polo team. The team is a composite side made up of elite Sydney and Canberra Premier League players, most of whom are in their twenties. This is an incredible achievement seeing as Molly is only 15 years old. Coached by Olympic silver medallist and current Australian Stingers centre forward, Dani Jackovich, Molly is thrilled to learn from such an inspiring role model – especially as she also plays centre forward.
Molly will travel to Singapore in November to compete and train against the Singapore national team as part of their preparation for the Southeast Asian Games later this year.
On top of this, Molly has also been selected in the ACT U17 girls' team to compete at the Nationals in the September/October holidays.
ACT Mountain Bike Championships
On Friday 29 August, Radford College proudly fielded 38 enthusiastic riders at the ACT Schools Mountain Bike Championships, a full-day teams event that brought together more than 500 competitors from across the ACT and NSW.
Our riders tackled the course with determination and teamwork, and their efforts paid off with 3 podium finishes. In the College Girls division, Mischa, Kate, and Diya rode with precision and unity to secure second place. Junior Boys team made up of Lawrence, Jasper, Thurein, and Acacio, impressed with their speed and coordination, also earning silver in their category. Meanwhile, Aiden, Quentin, and Tor powered through the course to claim bronze in the Senior Boys division.
Beyond the podium, every Radford rider demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship, resilience, and team spirit. The event was a fantastic opportunity for students to challenge themselves, support their teammates, and represent Radford with pride.
By Mrs Monique Glavonjic, Community Engagement Manager
The countdown is on for the Twilight Fete on Saturday, 1 November, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Secure your ride and food wristbands now – available to purchase online or in person from the Morison or Junior School receptions.
Everything you need to know about the Twilight Fete, including rides, volunteering and donation collections for our stalls can be found here.
Recently Zoe (Year 10), Arery (Year 10) and Caitlin (Year 11) travelled to the Sydney International Equestrian Centre to compete in the Equestrian NSW State Interschool Championships.
Zoe walked away as State Champion in the Prix St. George, which includes collected trot, shoulder-in, volte, half-pass, extended trot, half pirouette, and collected walk. This achievement meant that she qualified for the prestigious Australian Interschool Championships in the Advanced and FEI Small Tour Classes.
Arery finished with high scores in the Senior Preliminary 1.2 and 1.3 against some very tough competition, and Caitlin came in eight place in the Senior 95cm Combined Training.
Congratulations to all our talented riders on their achievements and dedication!
By Mrs Kirsten Knight, Head of Co-Curricular Music
Rockin’ Picnic is a mini music festival on the lawns of the Morison Centre, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, 20 September.
Bring a rug, hat and your favourite drinks and nibbles and listen to excellent performances by bands from the co-curricular music contemporary ensembles program.
Featuring 6 student-led bands, the event will be headlined by The Koebi Faumui Band, which includes Radford College bass tutor, Ms Olivia Falatoese. You’ll hear covers and original music played with passion and rock-inspired spirit!
The line-up for this year's Rockin' Picnic includes:
- The Co-Workers (Year 7)
- Current (Year 10)
- Ouch! (Year 8)
- R3DV3IL (Year 8)
- The Greeks Freaks (Year 11)
- Is The Ocean a Soup? (Year 12)
- The Koebi Faumui Band (special guest artist)
Entry is free and tickets are not required. All are welcome!
