School Preparation Conference

The session

NEAS is a not-for-profit quality assurance and membership body for English language education, with members ranging from schools to universities, TAFEs, and private colleges, teaching students of all ages. Schools are a growing and important segment of our membership, and for good reason: the younger the student, the more quality assurance matters, and the more that quality depends on what happens outside the classroom as much as inside it. For international students, adjusting to a new culture happens as much at the homestay dinner table as it does at school.

This session introduces NEAS, what we offer schools, and our new Homestay Association, extending quality assurance into where students live: host vetting and placement, child safety screening, critical incident procedures, 24-hour crisis support, and structured feedback between students, hosts, and schools.

If you manage or support homestay in a school setting, come away reassured about what you’re already doing well, and equipped with clear standards to build on. You’ll also get to learn more about the work of the association to research, promote and build capacity for homestay as an excellent student accommodation option.

About Adam

Adam Kilburn brings over 30 years of experience in the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector to his current role as CEO of NEAS Australia. He has previously held management roles across academic, marketing, and general operations, including managing a CELTA centre and overseeing multi-campus operations in Vietnam, Melbourne and Sydney for respectively universities, TAFE and private entities. With an MA in Language and Literacy and an MBA, Adam combines business skills with a deep understanding of ELT and international education.

The session

International students can present strong overseas school reports, interview confidently and appear well prepared for Australian schooling — but that does not always mean they are ready for the academic language demands of the classroom. Schools need reliable evidence to make informed decisions, both before a student is admitted and as they progress through school.

While many schools use independent assessment to guide admission, placement and English language support, others rely on school reports, interviews, self-administered testing or internal judgements. This can result in significant variability in student preparedness, and introduces risk for both students and schools.

This presentation considers the role of the AEAS Test as an independent assessment tool across three stages of the international student journey: application and admission; academic support and progress; and student outcomes.

Drawing on more than 40 years of AEAS assessment experience and recent case studies, it examines how externally benchmarked assessment can support admission and placement decisions, identify English language support needs, measure progress and inform transition from intensive English programs or ELICOS. Longitudinal assessment data can also help schools validate internal judgements, identify students whose progress requires closer attention, and evaluate the effectiveness of English language support.

The final stage, presented with John Paul International College, examines student outcomes after transition into mainstream schooling — connecting evidence of initial readiness and English language development with subsequent performance at school.

Designed for educators, international student coordinators, admissions and enrolment staff, and school leaders, the session shows how independent assessment can support more consistent, evidence-based decisions from application right through to the classroom.

About Andrew

Andrew Palmer has worked in education and training for more than 25 years, with a career spanning Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China. He began in teaching and academic leadership before moving into education management, international programs and broader operational leadership — including senior roles in TAFE, international education and community-based education and training, and a period as Chief Executive Officer of Northern Futures.

His experience in English language assessment runs deep. At The Gordon Institute of TAFE he established and managed the Geelong Pearson Test Centre, overseeing high-stakes English language and professional testing. He has also led international education projects and partnerships, redesigned ELICOS and EAL language programs and pathways, and managed government and commercial education contracts.

As Director, Operations, Testing & Courses at AEAS, Andrew works across assessment, education programs and operational improvement. He has a particular interest in how assessment data can help schools understand international student readiness and support successful educational outcomes — and in how technology can be used thoughtfully to improve assessment and education delivery.

He holds a Master of Education (TESOL), a Diploma in International Business, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

The session

Language attrition — the reduction, simplification or impaired access to a language a learner has already acquired — is a natural and often overlooked part of second language development. This presentation draws on observations from a Secondary School Preparation Program (SSPP) to examine how attrition shows up in adolescent EAL/D learners moving into mainstream secondary education.

The session explores the key patterns of attrition, including weakened linguistic representation and reduced fluency, particularly in productive skills. It also highlights the heightened vulnerability of intermediate-level learners, whose progress can plateau or regress without sustained support despite earlier gains in proficiency.

Contributing factors — frequency of language use, cognitive load, motivation, social environment and access to specialist support — are examined in relation to classroom practice and learner outcomes. Drawing on current research and practitioner experience, the presentation challenges deficit thinking by reframing attrition as a predictable, developmental phenomenon rather than a failure: a shift that matters if learners who start strong are not to lose confidence along the way.

It closes with practical, evidence-informed strategies for slowing attrition in school settings — embedding sustainable language learning habits, encouraging regular engagement with productive skills, using goal-setting frameworks to sustain motivation, and fostering intentional support networks across educational contexts.

Participants leave with a deeper understanding of how attrition works and actionable strategies to support long-term language maintenance and growth in secondary settings — so students have not only strong starts, but successful journeys.

About Kristen

With more than 20 years of experience in English language education, Kristen is an academic leader dedicated to supporting English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners and the teachers who work with them. At Citipointe Christian College International she oversees the Secondary School Preparation Program, the Homestay Program and the mainstream English Language Studies Program, guiding students as they move into and through secondary schooling in Australia.

Her specialist qualifications in linguistics, TESOL and secondary education sit alongside extensive experience in educational leadership. Work across Hong Kong, Brazil and Australia has given her close insight into the linguistic, cultural and academic challenges EAL learners face, shaping a practical, student-centred approach to curriculum design, pedagogy and teacher development.

Kristen is passionate about equipping teachers with the knowledge, strategies and confidence to create engaging, inclusive classrooms where EAL students can access the Australian Curriculum with increasing independence. She believes empowered teachers are the key to successful student outcomes.

Marcela Lapertosa is a child psychologist with a Master's degree in Cross-Cultural Psychology and a passion for fostering intercultural understanding. As an intercultural facilitator and trainer she has travelled the world delivering intercultural learning training and coaching to students, host families, volunteers, executives and educators.

Marcela led the development of multiple intercultural learning curricula designed to strengthen study abroad experiences, including the AFS Global Competence Certificate and the host family journey — the framework that guides host family recruitment, support and training in more than 60 countries worldwide.

An advocate for global citizenship education, she has organised and spoken at conferences around the world. She has worked with the Departments of Education in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland to bring programs to life for students from Prep to Year 12, alongside professional learning for educators and school communities. Marcela is co-founder and Director of Education at Value Learning, Intercultural Specialists.

The session

The first week of an international student's school journey is rarely neutral. It is either a foundation or a fracture point. Yet in many programs onboarding remains an afterthought: a tour, a timetable, and a hope that students find their footing.

This session presents a practical, replicable framework for designing intentional first-week experiences in international primary and high school preparation programs. Drawing on systems developed at Charlton Brown's School Preparation Programs in Brisbane, it walks participants through the key components of a structured onboarding architecture — from academic readiness assessment and cultural orientation to parent communication systems and the often-overlooked power of informal check-ins.

This is not a finished blueprint. It is an honest account of what works, what is still evolving, and what the evidence suggests about why strong early experiences are one of the greatest levers a program leader has for retention, wellbeing and long-term student success.

Attendees leave with a clear framework they can adapt to their own institutional context, and the questions they should be asking about their current Week 1 experience.

About Natalya

Natalya Londy (Naumova) is Director of Studies at Charlton Brown, where she leads the academic operations of an ELICOS program supporting international students. Her role covers leading and mentoring a diverse teaching team, ensuring compliance with national quality standards, driving curriculum development, and creating an engaging learning environment that helps General English and PSP/HSP students reach their language and educational goals.

Before becoming a Director of Studies she worked as an ESL teacher and Assistant Director of Studies at EF Education First, where she designed curricula, led professional development for teachers and implemented initiatives that improved student outcomes and satisfaction. Earlier in her career she was a Learning Development Teacher Aide at Somerville House, supporting students with diverse learning needs including English as an Additional Language, dyslexia, ADHD and autism.

She is also the founder of AussieRead, a not-for-profit literacy initiative that provided phonics-based English instruction to Ukrainian refugee children in Australia, helping young learners build the confidence and foundational literacy for an easier transition into mainstream schooling during a particularly difficult time in their lives.

Natalya is completing a Master of Education at QUT, specialising in TESOL and educational leadership. Her research interests include teacher development, curriculum design, educational leadership and inclusive learning environments. Across every role she has held, the passion has stayed the same: empowering both learners and educators.

The session

A strong start is easy to manage and hard to sustain. International students arrive to orientation, a buddy system and a warm welcome. Then, near the end of the first term, many hit a predictable wall: language fatigue, academic load, homesickness and the practical challenges of daily living all arriving at once, long after the welcome has faded and attention has moved on.

This session reframes the strong start as something built for the whole journey, not just the first week. Using a five-phase transition framework — Orient, Design, Prepare, Accompany, Embed — it focuses on accompanying students through the mid-term dip, and embedding belonging into the structures around them rather than the relationships alone. Pastoral care does essential relational work; this session shows how to give that work structural backing, so it no longer rests on any one staff member's goodwill.

Participants leave with a one-page diagnostic for locating where their own support has gaps, and a short set of low-cost, no-new-staffing changes that make a strong start strong enough to last.

What you will take away

• Recognise the predictable pressure points where standard onboarding drops off
• Map your school's support against a five-phase transition model to surface structural gaps
• Apply two or three low-cost, role-specific changes that embed belonging beyond individual pastoral relationships

About Natasha

Natasha Tereshchenko is the founder of Global Adapt, an intercultural education practice that helps schools, universities and families navigate transition and belonging in international education.

Over the past seven years she has worked as a teacher and a leader across schools in Europe, Asia and Australia, supporting students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs. Before that she spent a decade in international development and in refugee and conflict settings, including contributing to OECD and UNODC frameworks. She holds an MA in Anthropology and an MSc in International Development, and is a qualified teacher.

Natasha works with leadership and student services teams on belonging audits, staff training and international program design — turning pastoral care from ad hoc support into a structure a school can rely on, and one that helps students stay, settle and thrive.