At John Colet School, students stay with the same teachers for up to three years, creating bonds that go well beyond the curriculum. With only two classes per year group, every child is genuinely known, and genuinely cared for. We asked five of John Colet's educators four questions. Their answers say everything.

Ms Sara Bell, Class 2B

Sara Bell is in her 21st year of teaching, and her seventh at John Colet, a school she knows from the inside out. Her nieces, nephews and her own children have all come through these classrooms. She believes strong relationships are the foundation of everything, prioritising a safe, respectful environment where students feel valued, then building skills and confidence through a mix of explicit teaching and interactive learning. Outside school, she's a reader, a walker and a pickleball enthusiast. Her standout John Colet moment? School camp, every time. Watching children step into a different environment and discover their own independence and resilience, she says, is one of those things that never gets old, no matter how many years you've been doing it.

Mrs Anne-Marie Sjögren, Class 3S

Thirteen years at John Colet followed a career in the not-for-profit sector in the UK, and Anne-Marie Sjögren says she has never felt out of step with the school's philosophy. Her approach centres on stillness, giving children the chance to pause, be quiet and arrive fully before learning begins. She loves to play with language and spark a sense of fun along the way. At home, she gardens, bakes, writes stories and walks in the bush with her family, with her cat never far behind. Her favourite John Colet moment is the sound of children singing together at Speech Night, a moment she describes as incredibly uplifting. "The children are magnificent," she says simply, and you get the feeling she has said it many times and means it every single time.

Miss Dana Compton, Class 3C

Dana Compton is four years into her classroom teaching career, and she already has a philosophy that feels considered and hard-won. She attended the International Teachers' Conference in Lucca, Italy last year, studying philosophy, child development and creative arts. In the classroom, she draws on the school's focus on Stillness, encouraging students to feel calm and present before learning begins. Her ultimate goal is to inspire positive character qualities and nurture each child's unique strengths and the goodness within them. In her spare time she loves to bake, read, write and travel. Her highlight of the year is the Shakespeare Festival: watching children find courage on stage and bring a 400-year-old play to life, she says, is a powerful reminder of the magic that happens at John Colet, and a deeply important part of their education.

Mrs Maddy Bolaitamana, Class 6B

Maddy Bolaitamana's connection to John Colet runs deeper than most. She's a former pupil who went on to study in France, work in early childhood education across two countries, and return to Australia in 2017 to take up a teaching role at the very school where she was once a student. Now a mum of three (with a fondness for audiobooks played over the sound of her sons wrestling on the couch), she teaches the whole child, well beyond writing, reading and counting. "Every child should know what it feels like for their light to shine," she says. Watching her eldest son walk through the gates on his first day at John Colet was, she says, a full circle moment she will treasure. Former students returning to visit on Open Day runs a very close second.

Mr Glen Miller, Class Music, Whole School Singing and Instrumental Groups

Glen Miller has been teaching for over 30 years, from piano lessons as a student teacher to classrooms and principals' offices across London, South Africa and Victoria. These days he has what he calls "the best job in the world," leading children in song at John Colet. His teaching philosophy is quietly profound: every child is innately pure and capable, and a teacher's role is simply to remove whatever stands in the way of that potential. His hobby is walking in the mountains, which feels about right for a man of his perspective. His favourite moment at John Colet? Every time the children sing in harmony. "There are many," he says, with the quiet satisfaction of someone who has spent 30 years collecting them.

Five teachers, five stories, one school that feels more like home. If John Colet sounds like the right fit for your child, find out more at johncolet.nsw.edu.au.

John Colet School | (02) 9451 8395