Primary School

The advantages of a child being educated from primary through secondary at the one school are immense.

The transition from primary school into secondary school can provoke feelings of stress and anxiety in many individuals.

Some of the many issues that students face include:

• Learning school expectations
• Establishing relationships with new peers and fellow students
• Being taught by different teachers
• Experiencing new subjects
• Understanding the internal geography of the school
• Accommodating timetable constraints

The Scots Primary School, with our single year level classes and quality teaching and learning environment, provides a smooth, uncomplicated transition from pre-school to primary, and primary to secondary, all on the one site.

Students commencing their Scots education in the primary school gain a strong understanding and acceptance of our rich learning culture from an early age, embracing the broad and engaging curriculum whilst revelling in our true sense of spirit and community.

To understand the true benefits of early entry, read the article below written by our Head of Primary, Mr Greg Newbold:

2009 Primary Education Early Entry: ‘Of Primary Importance’

There have been many phrases and mottos that have been used to attract attention to primary education. The one I think truly sums up a vibrant and robust start to a child’s educational journey is ‘Of Primary Importance’. Primary education is surely of the utmost importance.

The first eight years of a child’s life is the period of time where the most significant learning occurs. It is in the family environment that a child learns the very basic language skills. They learn to talk. They learn how to communicate, co-operate and share. Core values such as fairness, compassion, tolerance, honesty, responsibility, trust, organisation and respect are learned through everyday experiences. It is at this time that neural pathways form, social skills are learned and refined, fine and gross motor patterns are established and attitudes and values instilled.

Pre School education followed by formal schooling from Kindergarten until Year 2 sets the blocks in place, providing the foundation from which children learn.

From Year 3 onwards, children begins to question more of his/her own world, they begin to explore with increasingly more mature and rational thought and they begin to undertake physiological, emotional and social change. This is in contrast to the generation in which I grew up, where adolescent development commenced later.

Therefore, a high quality educational environment should provide authentic learning opportunities and successful, smooth transition programs from Preschool to School and Primary to Secondary. Children need to be given experiences that help them to develop strategies which will assist them in dealing with change. They need to be immersed in an environment that provides activities which enhance listening and speaking, and develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Children need to have meaningful adults, classmates and ‘buddies’ as role models who display genuine interest and care. They must feel reassured that they are valued and belong to their school community.

The school community must provide a progressive and comprehensive education that covers not just English and Mathematics, but one that develops, within each individual child, the creative, artistic, musical, spiritual and physical elements of learning.

Of equal importance is that the learning environment (the classroom) needs to be exactly that – a place to learn. A place where achieving is acceptable, in fact highly prized, a place where personal best performances are acclaimed and encouraged, a place where everyone participates and their participation is appreciated, and a place where respect is the glue that binds the group together.

Talking recently with parents and children who experienced our Student-for-a-day program or were external applicants for the ‘MY School’ Scholarship, the most common replies they gave as to what impressed them most about their day at Scots, were related to the genuine warmth of the welcome they received, and the fact that the classroom was a place where students actually wanted to learn.

These comments are important as they demonstrate the values that our students carry through their primary years, into their secondary years and onwards.

With interest in our school extremely strong and our student population continuing to grow, enrolment opportunities at some levels are becoming more restricted. A third of the Year 5 level next year will be new students, with a further half a dozen new students entering at Year 6, demand for Kindergarten places has been strong,  Years 1 and 2 levels are high and Years 3 and 4 are virtually full.

There is no doubt then,  that many families are taking the opportunity to commence their child’s Scots education earlier than they may have initially intended. In these tough economic times this is indeed gratifying. It is wonderful to see the passion is shared - primary education is indeed of primary importance!

Mr Greg Newbold
Head of Primary