A CELEBRATED teacher spent the day at an Atherton school.

Stephen Harris — a past winner of the Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching — was a guest speaker at a day-long conference at Atherton Community School.

Mr Harris, principal of the Northern Beaches Christian School in Sydney, was accompanied by his assistant deputy principal, Mark Burgess, by addressed heads and senior staff from colleges across the North West.

The conference — on innovation in education — was hosted by Atherton principal Elizabeth Haddock.

She said: “This is the first conference for teaching professionals to get together and hear experiences in innovative approaches to education.

“We were delighted to welcome our Australian colleagues. Stephen is an inspiring principal and leader.”

The conference featured discussions including how education can move away from the strict year group system.

Mr Harris told delegates: “Education must be seen as an integral part of society and not something apart from it.

“In this age of high unemployment and shifting norms, the relationships between Government guidelines and standards in education must be tackled creatively. We must bring society into our schools.”