At Canterbury Primary School, we believe that learning and wellbeing are just as important as one another, and when integrated, support all students to thrive at school. There are a number of programs, teaching approaches, policies and processes that we have in place.
Our CPS Wellbeing Framework, developed in consultation with students, staff and parents, identifies 5 elements that we believe are most important to ensure that students are happy, healthy, resilient and connected. These include Student Empowerment, Relationships, Connected Community, Inclusion and Diversity, and Education and Support. Please read below for further information on each of these elements.
Students are involved in curriculum design to ensure they have a voice in what they learn and do at school, this includes Discovery Learning in Prep and co-designed units of work in Years 1 – 6. You can watch recent highlights on our home page to see some of these projects in action!
We provide students with autonomy in their learning, where students have agency and take responsibility for their own progress. This could include goal setting, reflections, or a learning portfolio. Furthermore, our CPS Parliamentary Program (Year 3 - 6) provides opportunities for authentic student leadership and decision-making over matters that affect them most.
The Canterbury Primary School Child Safety Policy demonstrates our school’s commitment to creating and maintaining a child safe and child-friendly organisation. Our school welcomes all children, young people and their families. We create safe, respectful and meaningful spaces for students to self-advocate and discuss issues that arise that might impact their safety or sense of belonging. To access policies related to Child Safety, please visit the policy section of our website.
Health and Physical Education, which is taught school-wide as part of the Victorian Curriculum, supports students to develop and use personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills and strategies to promote a sense of personal identity and wellbeing and to build and manage respectful relationships. Weekly Health lessons are taught by classroom teachers to ensure lessons are consistently embedded and reflected upon.
The CPS camp program runs from Year 2 to Year 6, with camps increasing in duration, challenge and expectation. Year 2 students participate in a one-night school sleepover, Year 3, 4 and 5 students attend adventure camps in a range of locations across Victoria, and Year 6 students travel to Canberra, supporting the Student Parliament program. This program is aimed at supporting students in building resilience and independence as well as broadening their social connection and leadership capabilities.
Community Circle is an embedded practice which occurs daily in all classrooms. This is a safe discussion space focused on building community, peer-connectedness, and self-confidence.
Our Buddy Program promotes social and support networks between younger and older children, enhancing the sense of a friendly and supportive school community.
Restorative Practice is a consistently applied approach by all teaching staff, which seeks to repair student relationships that have been damaged.
Lunchtime clubs are offered daily to students across the school. These are led by teachers and Year 6 Ministers and offer an alternative space and a variety of activities for students to engage with, such as coding, music, chess, yoga or gardening.
A Friendship Tree, located in the junior school, supports students to meet others and build new friendships. It is modelled to students that if you see someone sitting under the friendship tree, you should seek to help them by offering to play with them.
At Canterbury Primary School weekly student-led assemblies and newsletters help to connect all community members to share, promote and celebrate what’s happening in and around our school.
Student transition programs in, through and out of Canterbury Primary School are well-established. Partnerships formed with local kindergartens and secondary schools, allow for reciprocal visits and collaborative teaching programs, which supports a smooth transition experience for our students.
The Canterbury Parents’ Association (CPA) provides support to the school and our community. They cooperate closely with school leadership to build partnerships between home and school, and build a sense of community within the school.
Parents are key partners in their child’s learning. We offer a wide range of opportunities for parents to participate, volunteer and contribute their own skills and experience.
We build links with community organisations, services and agencies to assist in the early identification of need and to collaboratively plan targeted support for all students and families, including those from vulnerable groups.
At Canterbury Primary School, we cultivate a collaborative environment that promotes openness to diverse ideas and perspectives. We show respect for diversity in needs, ideas, perspectives, learning styles, approaches to problem-solving and the cultures of individual community members.
Our classrooms are inclusive, with all teachers and support staff trained through the Inclusive Classrooms program. This is a professional development series facilitated by the Department of Education, which draws upon recent research related to learning difficulties and dyslexia to better cater for learning difficulties within the classroom. In addition, Individual Education Plans can be developed in collaboration with families to support learners with additional needs, which involves goal-setting and review processes.
The Intercultural Capabilities, which is taught school wide as part of the Victorian Curriculum, enables students to learn and value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others, assisting students to become responsible local and global citizens, equipped for living and working together in an interconnected world.
Approximately 20% of our families speak a language other than English. We engage interpreters for parent teacher meetings upon request, and continually explore how we can provide information in languages other than English.
We build partnerships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and Koorie Engagement Support Officers (KESOs), who are members of the local Aboriginal community and employed by the Department of Education. KESOs provide advice to the school and coordinate services to support engagement and improved outcomes.
Victorian government schools are required to have policies and procedures in place that cover a range of day-to-day operational and school governance topics, such as anaphylaxis, child safety and bullying prevention. School policies are regularly reviewed, consulted upon, and made available on our school website.
At CPS we support the right of all members of the school community to access safe and inclusive learning environments, including digital and online spaces. The Acceptable Use Agreement for the Internet and Digital Technologies, which is provided to all families at the start of the school year, outlines the school’s roles and responsibilities in supporting safe digital learning, as well as the expected behaviours we have of students.
Sex Education Australia (SEA) work with students in Years 3 – 6 through a series of workshops each year. SEA offers students the opportunity to gain accurate and age-appropriate information that is aligned with the curriculum in the domains of sexuality and relationships education. Parent forums are held annually, to support conversations at home and provide further clarity regarding the program prior to commencement.
Families can access support for children with additional needs through members of the school leadership team, who can personalise support to suit a student’s needs and explore resources available.