Junior School - PreKindergarten to Year 6
The philosophy and vision of Radford College Junior School commences with the Early Learning Centre's belief that "young children have an amazing capacity to be active participants in their own learning journeys" and links into our belief that within the middle years "students construct their own meaning through a process of inquiry".
As such, the Junior School fosters the existing College Aims:
- to provide a purposeful, imaginative and enjoyable learning environment
- to nurture student potential
- to foster personal values and attributes
- to encourage an understanding and acceptance of Christianity as the spiritual and moral basis of life
Staff within the Junior School seek to develop strong relationships, motivation and values within today's students. Our aim is to ensure each child develops a powerful basis from which they can seek out and actively pursue their lifelong learning journey. The staff within the Junior School actively pursue programs, approaches and pathways that will enhance our students' ability to thrive within the challenges of tomorrow.
The 21st century requires thinking citizens who can evaluate new learning as it becomes available, recognise the connections in their knowledge and make decisions that sustain the future of our world. This means that our teaching and learning methods and curriculum must not only focus upon core literacy and numeracy but also must be inquiry-based and interdisciplinary. Students need to be able to ask challenging questions and find and evaluate the answers.
Our inquiry learning programs extend from the Early Learning Centre, through the International Baccalaureate (Primary Years Program) in Years 1 to 6.
MIDDLE SCHOOLING – Years 5 to 9
Radford College is committed to a strong middle schooling approach across Years 5 to 9.
Early adolescence is a time of significant change and development for our students in terms of cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth. It is a time when peer pressure is at its greatest. It is also a time where academic progress and personal development are highly dependent on meeting the emotional and social needs of the young person.
Middle schooling is a student-centered approach to learning, where students and teachers work in teams. It features the adoption of an integrated project approach to emphasise the understanding that learning areas are not studied in isolation but rather flow across the entire curriculum.
Middle schooling at Radford deliberately cuts across our Junior School (Years 5/6) and High School (Years 7-10). There is a separate Middle Schooling Executive that plans and promotes our various initiatives. It is led by the Deputy Principal – Head of Learning and Teaching. The major components of our middle schooling approach are:
- A focus on adolescent developmental needs.
- A team approach in which students are taught by a team of specialist middle schooling teachers who focus on their students’ academic, social and personal growth.
- High academic expectations stressing life connections to the academic content.
- Interdisciplinary teaching
- Flexibility of approach
- Student involvement, reflection and voice as part of the learning journey.
Teaching staff with a real passion for educating this age group are selected, work in a highly collaboratively way and engage in targeted middle schooling professional development.
Contact Details
Head of Junior School: |
Mr Paul Southwell |
Director of |
Ms Tanya Stevenson |
| Director of Primary Years Program 3-6: |
Mr Nicolas Martin |
Executive Assistant: |
Mrs Beth Maggs |
Junior School Reception: |
Mrs Kerrie Shevlin (office Hours 8.30am-4.30pm) |