Footscray Primary school

Welcome to Footscray Primary School. Footscray Primary opened its doors in 1860 and has a long connection to the local community as a school of excellence and innovation. The school is forward-thinking and my vision is for each student to develop into a successful and confident person with a love of learning. Learning is student-centred and developmentally appropriate.

We have a supportive and positive community with full involvement in school life. The staff are open, highly committed and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that each learner is stretched and experiences fulfilment in his/her learning. We value our partnership with families and develop relationships based on mutual respect.

Teaching is viewed as both an art and a science. Teachers are constantly identifying what students already know before starting work in a particular unit of work, allowing them to understand when and how to intervene so that meaningful learning takes place. The instructional model is based on what research says are the practices that have a high impact on student learning. These practices are consistently implemented across the school.

Because each student learns differently, we do away with some of the traditional learning structures that can hinder the rate of progress. The aim is to continually reflect on the nature of each learner and to use the data gathered through formal assessment and observation to target each students’ needs. In mathematics and in all aspects of literacy, this means that students have the opportunity to work at a level that matches their ability. For teachers, it means knowing students better, and using different strategies and tools to guide each learner to the next level of understanding or skill. Every student is unique and has a range of skills, talents and abilities. We want every child to develop the confidence to succeed and the skills to adapt to a fast-changing world.

We implement the Primary Years Program and the inquiry approach to teaching and learning. Students develop essential knowledge, attitudes and understandings across key themes and will grow to understand how they can become 21st-century learners. I believe that in order to develop these skills and attitudes you must have an opportunity to practise them and apply them in a range of different contexts.