Profile
“No matter how many clients I have, I make sure to call each one personally every quarter. It’s a chance to not only update them on their portfolio, but also check on how they’re doing personally”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
Michael West is the Executive Principal at Bellbird Park State Secondary School (BPSSC) in Queensland. He began in 2016, before the school opened the following year.
“I lead with high relational trust, the ground zero of our explicit improvement agenda to ensure high performance flourishes at BPSSC,” West says.
Prior to his current position, he held senior roles at Forest Lake State High School, Browns Plains State High School, Stretton State College and Redbank Plains State High School.
BPSSC is currently the fastest-growing school in Ipswich’s aspirational growth corridor (low socioeconomic and multicultural community), with 1,800 students and more than 150 staff members.
Success is a clear attribute at BPSSC, and the inaugural Year 12 students graduated in 2022 with:
2 Alesana Drive, Bellbird Park, QLD 4300
07 3819 7222
mwest91@eq.edu.au
linkedin.com/in/michael-west-b663aa43
bellbirdparkssc.eq.edu.au
Michael West
Executive Principal
Bellbird Park State Secondary College
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Milestones
“I strongly believe in working smarter, not harder. I think it’s one of the keys to living a great life, and I want to share that with as many people as possible”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
2005–2015
2015–2016
2021
2022
Present
2005–2010: Head of Department at Forest Lake State High School and Browns Plains State High School; Queensland University of Technology, Seasonal Academic; District Review Panel Chair
2010–2013: Deputy Principal at Stretton State College; Queensland University of Technology, Seasonal Academic; District Review Panel Chair
2013–2015: Campus Principal at Stretton State College; Queensland University of Technology, Seasonal Academic
2005–
2015
Principal at Redbank Plains State High School
Queensland University of Technology, Seasonal Academic
2015–
2016
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: Best Professional Learning Program
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: Best Strategic Plan
2021
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: School Principal of the Year
Winner of the Australian Education Awards: Special Education School of the Year
Finalist in the Excellent Leadership in Teaching and Learning Queensland College of Teachers TEACHX Awards
Recognised as one of The Educator’s Hot List
Queensland Secondary Principals Association Bursary Awarded to undertake a professional learning tour of New Zealand
2022
Executive Principal at Bellbird Park State Secondary College since 2016
Principal Peer Reviewer, Department of Education, School and Region Reviews since 2016
Queensland Teachers Union Principal Representative since 2016
Queensland Teachers Union and Queensland Secondary Principals Association representative on promotional panels since 2016
Governance member on a number of Department of Education Advisory Groups
Recognised as one of The Educator’s Most Influential Educators
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: School Principal of the Year
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: School Best First Nations Education Program
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: Special Education School of the Year
Highly Commended at the 2023 Queensland Reconciliation Awards
Present
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
West refers to opening BPSSC as the single biggest achievement of his career.
“It was the opportunity to open a brand new school in 2017 and to create a high-performing culture of success in a complex and multicultural community,” he says. “I am a relational leader who prioritises building a cohesive team that is intellectually aligned and committed to the vision and values of BPSSC. I have taken personal responsibility for investing in and building the capacity of the entire staff team at BPSSC, which is built on the underlying principles of trust, commitment, collective action, accountability and results.”
Monitoring student progress is a priority for West. He frequently invites school leaders to rigorously evaluate the quality of instruction, to challenge the status quo and to diagnose program effectiveness.
“The best schools in Australia are not those with the highest NAPLAN or ATAR scores. The best schools are those that enable their students to make the greatest progress in learning,” he says.
At BPSSC, West has embedded a strong staff culture and collegial engagement with feedback and coaching that is aligned to the pedagogical framework and explicit improvement agenda.
“In 2023, our explicit improvement agenda is to increase the number of students receiving a C or better in all subjects across all year levels,” he says.
As an educator, West is a multi-award winner, including:
“My successful career in leadership has not come about by being the smartest person in the room, but by working the hardest with a very high level of resilience and persistence – the price that all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile,” West says.
100% of graduates receiving their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
100% achieved a VET qualification at a minimum certificate 2
64% achieved a certificate 3
28% received an ATAR >80
98% of graduates received an A to C across all subjects
100% of First Nations graduates received their QCE and transitioned into a meaningful pathway post-year 12
Australian Education Awards Excellence Awardee: Best Strategic Plan (2021)
Australian Education Awards: Special Education School of the Year (2022)
Australian Education Awards: School Principal of the Year (2023)