The Department of Education has honoured some of the state’s most outstanding teachers, school staff and schools in the Victorian Education Excellence Awards 2025.
Mr Ben Carroll, Minister for Education, congratulated winners of the awards which recognise outstanding teachers, principals, business managers and education support staff at government schools.
The individual and team awards were presented at a ceremony at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne on 26 October, ahead of Australia’s celebration of World Teachers’ Day on 31 October 2025.
Winners were celebrated across 14 categories, recognising recipients for their achievements in education, the positive impact on their school communities and student learning and wellbeing outcomes.
This year, for the first time, the Lindsay Thompson Award for Excellence in Education for the most outstanding contribution to Victorian government school education was awarded to an early career teacher, Mr Chufeng Liu from Suzanne Cory High School.
“Our teachers, principals and education professionals do a crucial job in educating our young people and these awards recognise those who go that extra mile to help young Victorians thrive at school,” Carroll said.“These winners deserve our praise and thanks for the crucial work they are doing to give Victorian students a great education.”
Victorian Education Excellence Award winners received grants of up to $25,000 to undertake professional learning and access further resources and opportunities to drive excellence in Victorian public education.
Individual Award Winners
Lindsay Thompson Excellence in Education – Mr Chufeng Liu, Suzanne Cory High School, whose contribution to Victorian government school education was judged to have been the most outstanding. Liu also won the Outstanding Early Career Secondary Teacher award for improving educational outcomes with his students by setting high expectations, embedding inclusive practices in teaching and using data-informed approaches to boost academic achievement and student wellbeing. He also helped develop the wellbeing program.
Outstanding Primary Principal – Mr Michael McLean, Kerrimuir Primary School, whose work boosted outcomes for a school with a diverse background which last year was recognised among the top-performing schools in the state, based on NAPLAN results.
Colin Simpson Outstanding Secondary Principal – Mr Christopher Quinn, Western Port Secondary College, for leading a cultural reset that has led to improved student engagement and behaviour and more effective teaching time.
Outstanding Early Career Primary Teacher – Ms Felicity Jenkins, Box Hill North Primary School, whose approach including professional learning on restorative practices has led to significant gains in student learning and wellbeing.
Outstanding Primary Teacher – Ms Alice Jury, Canadian Lead Primary School, who led a teaching and learning transformation which improved outcomes schoolwide. She co-developed a new phonics program for Prep to Grade 2 that boosted reading and spelling results.
Outstanding Secondary Teacher – Mr Robert Harrow, Victorian College for the Deaf, whose work improving literacy and numeracy and using more accessible instruction and assessment led to the college enrolling students in the VCE for the first time in 15 years.
Outstanding Business Manager – Ms Katrina Palmer, Kurnai College, who led a strategic planning and structural redesign, made uniforms more affordable, introduced efficient digital platforms and started an outreach group to identify at-risk students for early intervention.
Team Award Winners
Outstanding School Improvement – Western Port Secondary College, for its Positive Behaviour Support framework that guides change, has lifted student results including VCE mean study score, and led to more taking VET subjects.
Outstanding Education Support Team – Ms Natalie Vercoe and Mr Stephen McNeight from Wendouree Primary School for their hands on approach to the school’s award-winning Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program.
Outstanding Inclusive Education Team – Travancore School which works with the Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Unit and Orygen to support students to work towards their mental health goals, helping them stay linked to their main school while getting extra help.
Outstanding Koorie Education Team – Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools, Bayside Peninsula network, has grown to 16 schools which host events that explore leadership, belonging, and identity. It’s improved learning, engagement, attendance, and wellbeing.
Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students – Primary – Heathmont East Primary School tracks assessments by Gifted Insights and Mensa, allowing for early identification of high ability students and teaches staff how to support them.
Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students – Secondary – Albert Park College. Its Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) program challenges and supports high-achieving students. In 2024, more than half of these students achieved an ATAR over 90.
Dr Lawrie Shears Outstanding Global Teaching and Learning – Albert Park College. One of few state schools offering the International Baccalaureate, it aims for students to be global citizens and has a year 9 campus studying global environmental and social issues.
Click here for more information about the awards, winners and finalists is available.
