John Quincy Adams once said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

That quote certainly applies to Nambour State Special School Principal, Richard Fisher, who has recently been recognised with a Regional Griffith University Jack Pizzey Award for Excellence in School Leadership. 

“I guess I always felt that children with special needs do it tough every single minute of every day. They face challenges and obstacles that we can’t even begin to imagine. And I know that every member of our team here is committed to providing them with the highest quality of education we possibly can. It is our passion.”

Mr Fisher was nominated in a region that covers all primary, secondary and special schools from Hervey Bay to North Brisbane. “From now, a State Panel will evaluate all nominations to decide who goes to State level,” Mr Fisher said.

Mr Fisher said that he believed the culture of the school was fundamental to creating an innovative environment where staff were supported in their professional development. “To me, supporting staff to innovate and achieve excellence in their role means more than back patting and putting on a morning tea every now and then. It is about making dedicated time for collaboration and professional development, and looking for ways to improve your capacity to do your job with skill and confidence. We set high expectations and then we arm our team with the skills and knowledge to achieve those goals. It is very easy to lose the momentum of professional development and innovation in the business of running a school.”

“But we have a wonderful stable, cohesive and solution focused leadership team here. It has always been my belief that the expertise is in the school.”

This dedication to development and innovation has led to recognition for the Nambour Special School for three consecutive years. In 2018, the school was the State winner of the Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools and in 2019, another State award went to Jennifer Irving, for Innovation in Teaching.

Mr Fisher has been Nambour Special School Principal for 8 years. His career started in the UK, where he worked in mainstream education as Head of Year. “But I always wanted to learn more about Special Needs education,” Mr Fisher said. “It is something I have always been drawn to. We have a relatively small cohort of students here, which allows us to engage with them and their families with so many important milestones. It means that we develop close relationships with the entire family,” he said.