AQ appoints Head of Campus for new Sunshine Coast School

Sara’s appointment as Head of Campus of Autism Queensland’s new Brightwater School is a real coming home story.

Sara (pictured right with therapy dog Olive) lives on the Sunshine Coast and completed her practicum and taught in the region for many years. She was also a member of the foundation teaching team at Brightwater State School when it opened 12 years ago.

“I can think of nothing more exciting and fitting than to now be returning to the Brightwater community as the foundation Head of Campus leading the team at the new AQ School campus,” she said.

Sara has enjoyed a varied teaching career. She started in adult vocational education but moved to Primary Teaching after having children, taking on a variety of roles including class teacher, inclusive education teacher and Learning Support Teacher Literacy and Numeracy.

She joined the AQ School in 2019 as a part-time teacher, before becoming the Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator and then moving into her current role as Head of Campus.

“Even though I live on the Sunshine Coast, AQ is a perfect match for my passion for inclusion and learning support in education. When I first joined five years ago, I knew it was where I needed to be.

“Five years on and the school I joined has evolved into a truly remarkable place to work and a team that I am so very proud of.”

Sara sees her new role as the opportunity to take her experiences and learnings from her time at Brighton to create another incredible school embedded in the Sunshine Coast community.

The AQ School Brightwater campus is currently under construction, and when it opens at the start of the 2025 School Year, will be the school’s fourth campus, joining those at Sunnybank Hills and Brighton in Brisbane and Cairns.  A Distance Education program is also delivered from the Sunnybank Hills campus.

The new school is being constructed at Mountain Creek by Griffith Group and Armada Built. The school will occupy the building on a long-term lease.  When fully operational, it will have capacity to enrol up to 72 autistic students, with options for both full and part-time (shared enrolment with students’ local primary or high school), in Prep to Year 10.

Expressions of interest for 2025 enrolments at AQ School Brightwater (subject to accreditation approval) are open. Interested parents should email [email protected] for more information.

Teaching and support staff interested in working at the new school should contact [email protected].

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