The current offer in education is that schooling is a special activity that takes place in special places at special times, in a system where most of the goals and what children need to learn is set for them. Attainment measured against those standards leads to a system of grading, which has a huge bearing on life chances and often on social and emotional wellbeing.

At St Augustine’s we believe that in reality, learning takes place all the time, in a wide variety of settings, and from a wide range of people. Pupils should have more say and more choice over what, how, where and when they can learn and whether it is from teachers, other adults, peers or other sources. Learning is collaborative and experiential, it encourages self-evaluation and self-motivation as the norm.

What is on offer here is not a trendy account of alternative education. It is a deeply practical approach developed in innovative schools. The route to a more socially just and inclusive education system which engages, motivates and rewards all, is through a more personalised approach to learning. Learning with, rather than learning from, should be the motto of the system going forward: learning through relationships and not simply through systems.

As you can appreciate there is a lot going on in education around the world at the moment and no less so than in Australia and our own local context. It is our endeavour to ensure that this is a successful phase in the school’s teaching and learning and look forward to working with you and your children. (Ref: Charles Leadbeater - 21st Century learning pedagogies)