The 30–60–90 model is a new timetable structure that introduces lessons of varying lengths: 30, 60 and 90 minutes. This approach allows learning time to be aligned with the needs of different subjects and learning activities, rather than using a single uniform lesson length.

The 30–60–90 timetable will be introduced in 2027. The year 2026 will serve as a preparation year, allowing the College to refine the model, share information with the community, consult with them, and ensure families, students and staff are well prepared for the transition.

The model has been designed to better reflect how students learn and to prepare them for contemporary learning environments. It supports the development of future-ready learners who are independent, adaptable and confident in their ability to manage their learning. The 30–60–90 timetable model has emerged from several years of research, consultation, reflection, and planning centred on how students learn best in a contemporary world, particularly following the significant disruption of the COVID-19 years.

Through stakeholder engagement with students, parents, and staff, alongside extensive professional learning, school visits, and collaboration with educational leaders across Victoria, New South Wales, and the United Kingdom, the College identified several consistent challenges impacting student learning and wellbeing. These included reduced attention spans, increased performance anxiety, overreliance on AI and teacher support, constant overstimulation, and reduced retention of knowledge over time.

The model has been informed by contemporary educational research and the work of leading thinkers including Barak Rosenshine, John Sweller, Ron Ritchhart, Nathaniel Swain, Glenn Pearsall, David Ausubel, Bryan Goodwin, Samantha Molloy, and Maria Ruberto, among others.

Importantly, this is not a trend-driven initiative. It is the culmination of many years of investigation into how the College can best foster deeper learning, greater student independence, and stronger wellbeing outcomes.

No. There will be no loss of instructional time. Preliminary timetable planning shows that learning time across subjects will remain consistent, while the structure of lessons will allow time to be used more purposefully.

Different types of learning benefit from different lengths of time. Shorter lessons allow for focused practice and retrieval of knowledge, strengthening long-term learning. Longer lessons provide the opportunity for deeper exploration, collaboration and practical learning experiences.

Early drafts of a Years 10–12 timetable indicate that most days within a ten-day cycle will continue to include four lessons, with a small number of days including five. Senior students will also experience more regular contact with their teachers across each cycle, supporting continuity of learning.

Yes. Independent study time will continue to be an important feature of the senior program. There may be some adjustments to how these periods are distributed within the timetable.

Updates, resources and key information will be shared through this Information Hub, which will remain the central place for the latest information about the 30–60–90 model. Families, students and staff are encouraged to return to this page at any time to stay informed as further updates are added. Opportunities for feedback will also be provided as the model continues to be refined.

Rather than every class running for the same amount of time, learning experiences will vary between 30, 60, and 90-minute blocks depending on the needs of the subject and the learning taking place. This flexibility allows teaching teams to better align time with learning intention. For example:

• Practical subjects such as Art, Design Technologies, and Physical Education may benefit from longer 60 or 90-minute sessions.

• Subjects such as Languages or Humanities may include a combination of shorter and medium-length sessions to support retrieval practice, discussion, and skill development.

• Dedicated retrieval and consolidation opportunities will be intentionally embedded throughout the learning cycle.

The model aims to create greater rhythm and responsiveness in the learning day, rather than a one-size-fits-all structure.

The model has been designed to strengthen both learning and wellbeing outcomes.

Research in cognitive science and learning theory demonstrates that students benefit from spaced retrieval practice, varied learning experiences, and opportunities to revisit concepts over time. Within the new structure, each Learning Area will intentionally incorporate retrieval practice to help students transfer knowledge and skills from working memory into long-term memory.

The increased flexibility in lesson structure also supports:

• deeper engagement with learning,

• stronger student autonomy and independence,

• improved preparedness for assessment,

• greater opportunity for collaboration and discussion,

• and more meaningful teacher-student interaction.

At its heart, the model is about creating the conditions for students to flourish as capable, reflective, and confident learners.

The College recognises that different Learning Areas require different approaches to time and learning design.

Learning Area Leaders and teaching teams are actively shaping timetable structures that best support the nature of their subjects. Practical and folio-based disciplines such as Art, Design, Science, and Physical Education are expected to utilise more extended 60 and 90-minute blocks to allow sufficient time for setup, experimentation, collaboration, and sustained creative work.

The timetable is not about reducing meaningful learning time; rather, it is about using time more intentionally and effectively depending on the nature of the task and learning experience.

Supporting all learners, including neurodiverse students, has remained central throughout the planning process.

The College’s Learning Diversity Team continues to work closely with teaching staff and leaders to ensure appropriate supports, adjustments, and structures are embedded within the model. While the timetable introduces greater flexibility in learning, it does not remove consistency, care, or predictability for students.

Importantly:

• learning resources and lesson materials will continue to be accessible via SEQTA,

• teaching teams are designing lessons in manageable and purposeful learning “chunks” where appropriate,

• increased teacher contact opportunities may further strengthen relationships and support,

• and students will continue to be supported through clear routines, communication, and pastoral care structures.

The College recognises that students learn differently and is committed to ensuring every learner is supported in ways that best suit their individual needs.

2026 is being treated as an important preparation and transition year. The College is continuing to work closely with staff through professional learning, planning days, feedback opportunities, and collaborative design processes. Earlier this year, all staff participated in a “mock 2027 timetable” experience, which helped identify practical considerations, alleviate concerns, and generate further ideas and refinements.

The College acknowledges that thoughtful implementation is essential, and that ongoing feedback and reflection remain an important part of the process.

The College recognises that meaningful innovation requires significant planning, collaboration, and professional learning.

Teaching staff, Learning Area Leaders, and College leaders are working closely together throughout this process. Dedicated planning time, professional dialogue, and collaborative curriculum design are all supporting staff as they prepare for implementation in 2027.

Staff voice and feedback continue to play an important role in shaping the model, ensuring that decisions remain grounded in classroom experience and student needs.

The 30–60–90 structure reflects the reality that learning and working beyond school rarely occur in fixed, identical blocks of time.

By experiencing varied learning rhythms, students are encouraged to develop greater independence, adaptability, organisation, and self-management. The model also aims to better align with contemporary understandings of attention, cognition, and wellbeing, while preparing students for the diverse demands of tertiary study, workplaces, and modern life.

Ultimately, the model seeks to support students not only academically, but as capable young people ready to engage thoughtfully and confidently with the world around them.

Spaced retrieval practice is an evidence-based learning strategy that involves students revisiting and recalling previously learned knowledge at regular intervals over time, rather than learning a concept once and moving on.

Research in cognitive science shows that the act of retrieving information from memory strengthens learning and improves long-term retention. When students are given opportunities to recall, apply and revisit concepts across multiple lessons, they are more likely to retain knowledge, make meaningful connections and transfer their learning to new contexts.

Within the new timetable structure, each Learning Area will intentionally incorporate retrieval practice into lessons. This may include short knowledge checks, review activities, discussions, quizzes, reflection tasks or opportunities to connect current learning with prior knowledge.

The combination of spaced retrieval, varied learning experiences and regular opportunities to revisit concepts helps move learning from short-term memory into long-term memory, supporting deeper understanding and improved academic outcomes.

For students, this means learning is reinforced over time rather than concentrated into a single lesson or assessment period, helping them build confidence, strengthen recall and develop lasting knowledge and skills. 

Please see below the links to the video updates shared via social media:

ANNOUNCEMENT OF 30/60/90 - MS RITA GRIMA

30/60/90 AND STUDENT WELLBEING - MS NAKKITA EGAN

30/60/90 Q&A - MR FRANK BONAVIA, MS FIONA HILLI & MS SARAH WALLACE

Please see the link to the presentatation shared with students at the College Assembly on Thursday 25 June by Mr Frank Bonavia, Head of College Operations and Ms Greta Bajada, Head of Learning & Teaching:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PRESENTATION

Please see the link to the presentatation:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PRESENTATION

No, the start of the school day will still commence at 8:35am, and conclude at 3:00pm.

No, the duration of breaks will remain the same, with a shorter break of 20 minutes and a longer break of 40 minutes. What may change is the timing of these breaks during the school day. The College is still reviewing various models, which will be finalised and shared in due course.

Yes. A short, soft signal will sound at the end of each 30-minute period. For 30-minute lessons, this signal indicates the end of the lesson. Within 60- and 90-minute lessons, it serves as a timing prompt only, supporting teachers in pacing their lessons and transitioning between planned learning activities, but it does not indicate the end of the lesson. The College's traditional bell will continue to sound at the start of the school day, at the beginning and end of recess and lunchtime, and at the end of the school day.

Like any good school, we are always asking ourselves an important question: How do we create the very best learning environment for our students, not only for where they are today, but for the futures they will step into tomorrow?

Preparing students for the future is no longer simply about equipping them for known pathways. It is about developing young people who can think critically, adapt confidently, manage themselves as learners and navigate a world that will continue to change. In this way, innovation at St Columba’s is grounded in purpose: responding thoughtfully to the needs of our students today while preparing them to contribute meaningfully to the world of tomorrow.

These capabilities do not develop by chance. They require intentional teaching, thoughtful structures and learning environments designed around how students learn, remember and engage. 

The 30-60-90 timetable is the result of years of research, consultation and careful planning. It is a deliberate approach to creating the conditions in which students can become more capable, independent and adaptable learners. Every decision has been guided by educational research and, above all, by what we believe will best prepare our students to develop the capacity to learn for life.

Actually, no. Students will still complete exactly the same curriculum and cover all the required content. What changes is how that learning is structured across the timetable. In most cases, students will have more regular contact with their teachers, allowing concepts to be revisited more frequently rather than leaving long gaps between lessons.

Learning doesn't happen in isolation. Research consistently shows that students retain knowledge more effectively when they revisit concepts regularly over time rather than learning large amounts in one sitting. Having more frequent contact points allows teachers to check understanding, revisit previous learning, strengthen retrieval and build confidence before moving on. It's about helping knowledge move from short-term memory into long-term understanding.

Not at all. Different learning experiences require different amounts of time. Some activities work beautifully in shorter blocks, particularly when students are introducing new concepts, participating in discussion or checking for understanding. Other learning experiences benefit from longer periods that allow students to investigate, create, experiment or complete more complex tasks. The flexibility of the timetable allows teachers to choose the learning that best suits the lesson length.

We expect students to experience a more balanced learning rhythm. More frequent contact with subjects helps maintain continuity, reduces the need to spend significant time revising where they left off, and provides more regular opportunities for feedback and support. Ultimately, we want students to feel confident, connected to their learning and well supported throughout each cycle.

Our teachers already use a wide range of evidence-based teaching strategies. The new timetable simply gives them greater flexibility to use those strategies even more effectively. It creates opportunities to thoughtfully sequence learning, revisit concepts more often and design lessons that best suit the learning goals for that day.

Whenever something new is introduced, it's natural to have questions. What we'd like families to know is that every aspect of this timetable has been designed with one focus in mind: supporting student learning. Our staff have been preparing extensively, and we'll continue working closely with students and families throughout the transition. We're excited because we genuinely believe this model will provide an outstanding learning experience for our students, not just next year, but well into the future.