Our Junior School is a place where all students are known and valued; where a strong emphasis on quality teaching and learning spans from the very first days of Kindergarten to the final days of Year 6.
We value expertise, experience and stability in our staff: we believe that quality teachers equate to quality teaching. More than a dozen of our staff possess a Masters-level qualification in Education and two of our staff have attained a Doctorate in Education. Two of our teachers are recognised as experts and work with the NSW Education Standards Authority. Our staff also have a depth of experience that provides important stability for our students–the average years of teaching experience in our Junior School is well beyond twenty years.
The Junior School is a place of joy, a calm and happy learning environment, where students eagerly engage with learning. Class sizes are deliberately small and class teachers are supported by a team of highly qualified specialised teachers, including specialists in Literacy, Numeracy, Support Education, Gifted Education, Curriculum and Pastoral Care. Our academic results are exceptional. We offer a range of opportunities for every student, with an intensive focus on best practice in the explicit teaching of both Literacy and Numeracy. We also have a strong Gifted Education programme, with two qualified and experienced Gifted Education Coordinators as well as opportunity style classes for our highest ability students and a plethora of opportunities to extend and develop our most talented students.
Specialist teachers deliver programmes in Sport, Music, Drama, Science, Mandarin, Art, PE and Wiradjuri, as well as Outdoor Education (from Kindergarten onwards). Our highly reputable Music programmes attract large numbers of talented musicians who benefit from the highest quality Music tuition and performance opportunities.
We are authentically Christian, interested in developing the whole child, their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing. The development of character is at the heart of our teaching and pastoral care. We teach it both explicitly and implicitly through habits and routines, role-modelling, service opportunities, leadership and relationships.
Character Strengths are nurtured through a comprehensive wellbeing programme and integrated into the framework of daily life. We have three Psychologists (educational and clinical) servicing the Junior School community, providing expertise in student wellbeing and overseeing a comprehensive student wellbeing programme, which includes teaching social skills and fostering emotional wellbeing in our students.
We are proud of our First Nations’ school, Gawura, a school within our school, providing high quality educational opportunities to approximately 30 local First Nations children. Gawura is achieving exemplary results and was awarded Australian School of the Year in 2020. Our Junior School students learn First Nations cultural knowledge and cultural history, alongside their Gawura peers, including learning Wiradjuri. They directly benefit from the inclusivity of cultural learning opportunities available.
Our city centre location has many advantages for parents and students alike, being easily accessible, adjacent to Town Hall. Students enjoy vibrant, specially designed learning spaces, including a beautiful modern Library, Art Centre, Music Room, and a fully equipped Science Laboratory. A Junior School within a vertical building means instant access to the facilities and specialist staff of the whole school. Our students enjoy frequent city excursions which range from visits to the many galleries, theatres, and museums at our doorstep, to expeditions through the historical precinct of the Rocks or outdoor discovery in the Botanical Gardens and Darling Harbour.
We strongly believe that quality education in the foundational years is essential in setting every student up for success in school and beyond.
Mrs Rhonda Robson
Deputy Head of School (Primary)
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