Years 7 to 9 are a period of transition for students, as they cross the bridge between primary learning and their senior school years.

Our Middle School is a caring, secure and welcoming place where students develop the confidence they need to successfully learn and grow. Recognising that students in this age group are experiencing a period of self-discovery, our Middle School program is structured and supportive, while at the same time catering to students’ increasingly individual interests.

A comprehensive 12-step transition program begins in Year 6 and tutors are in regular communication with families throughout the settling-in period. Our Year 7 students have their own dedicated ‘home’ in the Year 7 Centre and meet daily with their tutor, who is the main carer during their first year of secondary school. They also attend pastoral and Outdoor Education camps early in the year, helping to establish positive relationships with their peers and teachers.

Our Middle School philosophy and practice is to ensure that every Middle School student is engaged in their learning. This means they are actively listening, watching, reading, thinking, making, speaking, performing and writing in a manner that indicates they are focused on, and interested in, their studies. The learning program is relevant, engaging and inspiring. Our curriculum is designed specifically to capture the interest and imagination of students at this stage in their learning journey, and it’s taught by dedicated teachers with a passion for the middle years.

We set high expectations with regard to academic rigour and encourage our students to think of themselves as learners and thinkers. Strong teacher-student relationships mean our students feel comfortable seeking assistance, and understand why they are learning specific content, concepts and skills. Our teachers also seek feedback from students, with our Year 7 students challenged to answer the question about what they would do if they were Principal for a day.

The Middle School Enhancement Program takes our Middle School students beyond the four walls of their classroom to reinforce their learning and to challenge their thinking. The traditional, classroom-based delivery of the curriculum is complemented and enhanced by the Inquiry Model of learning. Together, these two educational approaches encourage and empower our students to think independently and to develop a large range of skills needed for independent learning, which is so important beyond Year 9.

“I look forward to the continued development of a range of teaching and learning approaches that will challenge our students to step outside their comfort zone. For as Laurie Lawrence wrote in his Olympic book ‘Five Ring Fever’, ‘character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experiences of trial and disappointment can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.’” Mrs Julie Hall,

Deputy Principal and Head of Middle School

• Middle School Curriculum
• Middle School Co-curriculum