Mr Cleary, principal of Casuarina Street Primary School is one of 12 educators from across the country to be awarded a $45,000 Fellowship, as part of the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards.

Held in partnership with education not-for-profit, Schools Plus, the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards are Australia’s leading education awards, recognising and rewarding teachers who are transforming learning outcomes at their schools.

John will use the Fellowship to fund the growth of an innovative in-school program, which provides new learning experiences for the school.

He was born into a teaching family in England, felt he had done a good job with his students as a primary school teacher in East London - until he arrived in Australia and worked in Arnhem Land.

In his first week at Ngukurr, an alarming number of Aboriginal students stopped coming to class. So he changed his teaching style and focussed more on what children and their families said they needed. Attendance improved.

Now, as principal of a primary school in Katherine, John takes learning cues from the students themselves and it has paid off, with one of the nation’s best NAPLAN-measured improvements between Years 3 and 5 in reading, writing and numeracy.

His philosophy is “relationships first.” He knows at least five things about each of his 405 students and just about everyone in town knows him. 

The Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards are held in partnership with education not-for-profit Schools Plus to award 12 distinguished educators and school leaders across Australia with a $45,000 ‘Teaching Fellowship’ to encourage their effort in transforming student lives. 

The prize money will benefit the educational efforts at the school with $30,000 to fund a project designed to improve student performance and wellbeing; $10,000 for each teacher’s professional development; and $5,000 for participation in a 12-month fellowship program that includes an overseas study tour. 

Kylie Macfarlane, general manager of Corporate Responsibility, Commonwealth Bank said the 2018 Teaching Fellows were driving the future of education in Australia through their passion for inspiring students, their families and the wider school community.

“A good education sets up a person’s pathway for success, which is why Commonwealth Bank is committed to investing more than $50 million into education initiatives, including the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards, across the country to prepare young Australians for workplaces and careers of the future,” she said.

Rosemary Conn, CEO, Schools Plus said John was changing the lives of hundreds of students through his creative and inspiring approach to education.

“The Fellowships provide a wonderful opportunity to recognise and reward the ground breaking work our teachers do around Australia, particularly in schools in disadvantaged communities,” she said.

The Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards were announced at a ceremony in Sydney yesterday.

Teaching Award Fellows also receive assistance in applying for the Global Teaching Awards with three of the 2017 Teaching Award recipients shortlisted in the Top 20 for the 2017 Global Teaching Awards.