Best Practice

Image of the child.

We believe every child is a unique individual who is capable, intelligent, creative and curious.  To fulfill their potential children need to be active participants in their learning and development.  In our school teachers, alongside students, determine what should be learnt and how best to learn it.  A child-centred inquiry-based approach ensures greater involvement and sustains interest; learners discover for themselves in authentic situations, constructing knowledge with others.  Our approach will enable children to develop knowledge, understanding and skills which are necessary to fulfill their aspirations and relevant for today’s society; skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration.

Staff posture.

Teachers, like students, need to be able to see themselves as capable, creative, curious, intelligent – actively participating in the way they teach, learn and develop – in order to support children to fulfill their potential. 

Teachers model and encourage children to be life-long learners, by understanding the importance of working alongside, researching, observing, facilitating, provoking learning, dialoguing, questioning, listening, thinking, and respecting learners’ cultural experiences, ideas and viewpoints.  As a high-calibre staff we work as a team to develop an intentionally intercultural context for teaching and learning.

The Environment.

The school environment provokes learning and discovery by making space for children to express and explore their creativity.  Modern learning environments are physically adaptable, always emerging, changeable, flexible, full of possibilities, interconnected, limitless, open, with different levels and viewpoints – just like learning should, just like life does. 

Children can access a variety of languages of expression and exploration within learning space(s) – inside and outside – they are free to move between disciplines and utilize different media as and when they see fit. 

Children grow cognitively, physically, spiritually and socio-emotionally in
a built-environment that encourages the development of 21^st Century skills like critical thinking / problem-solving, creativity, communication, collaboration, curiosity, persistence / grit, adaptability, leadership and social / cultural awareness.

Relationships with parent-carers.

Ensuring quality, diverse and affordable education is the shared responsibility between parent-carers, the school and the child.  Research shows that where parent-carers are committed and contribute to their child’s education, children are more motivated (Okeke 2014).  

As a leadership and teaching staff, we aspire to develop genuine and meaningful relationships with parent-carers, and the community beyond the school, as we intentionally develop practices, rhythms, and ways of being that accommodate, celebrate and empower diverse, genuine and meaningful relationships.