Welcome to Cranbourne Primary School. We are a small school that provides students with big opportunities, and I am proud to be the Principal of a wonderful community of parents, students and staff. We set up every student for a great future by living our school values: Persistence, Responsibility, Independence, Discipline and Excellence.
As a small school, we ensure that every student is known, seen and extended. Our teachers, support staff and peer support leaders know every student in the school. Not only does this provide a wonderful feeling of community, easy transitions between year levels and a supportive environment; it ensures your child will be known and cared for by everyone in the school. At Cranbourne Primary School, your child is an individual known by all, not just another number.
We are located in the heart of Cranbourne, and many parents who travel on the highway or work in Cranbourne enrol in our school. We provide a range of services to support working families include a breakfast club that runs 5 days a week from 8:30. In 2023 we will also be commencing our before and after school care program.
We see ourselves as “The School of Cranbourne” and we engage the community in a range of ways. Our termly open nights and special events have hundreds of parents, guardians, grandparents, siblings and friends of children to come to take part in events and engage with the school. Our recent working bees have been filled with fun, friendship, music and laughter (not to forget the smell of cooking sausages). Our newly renovated gym also allows us to share our state-of-the-art facilities with the broader community, and expands opportunities for our students to engage in activities such as basketball, karate and cultural events. The most visible representation of our community engagement is our Community Hub. The Hub runs a playgroup, parent networking morning teas, English Language classes and a range of visiting programs to help out community.
Our school’s wellbeing programs are second-to-none. Recognising the challenges students faced during multiple lockdowns, our school boasts a non-teaching wellbeing support teacher and a team of support staff to make sure every child feels safe, supported and well. We can support families to access outside resources, help students through challenging periods or remove students who are struggling from classes, ensure the learning environment remains calm. One of the crucial members of our wellbeing team is Finn, our trained wellbeing support dog. Our classes also take a supportive (and highly effective) approach to maintaining an orderly learning environment, drawing on our school superheroes to demonstrate and live our school behaviours, supported by a positive points system across the school.
Our staff are a cohesive team who are committed to supporting both the wellbeing and academic progress of our students. In addition to the caring approach they take in all facets of their work, teachers meet for 3 hours every week to customise lessons and teaching practices to the students in their class. They spend a further hour learning about the latest research in teaching practices to ensure every student’s potential is maximised.
In 2021, following remote learning, we realised we needed to revolutionise our teaching approach to help students make up the ground they had lost during the pandemic. With a new curriculum, new teaching approaches, small classes and a strong intervention program, we have been able to help students along in leaps and bounds. Early results are truly impressive, with early indications show students are learning at 150% of the normal rate in our focus areas. We are planning on embedding and extending these changes to all curriculum areas and year levels in the coming years. Extension programs to support high achieving students is an emerging priority, and we have engaged with the Victorian High Ability Program since 2021, in addition to recent developments in our classes.
Extracurricular activities are a key element of Australian childhood, particularly following long periods of lockdowns. We offer a range of school camps, incursions, excursions, sport and events to engage every student. To see the full range, I encourage you to look at our school Facebook page. We run a busy Lunchtime Club program that offers two activities each day to cater to a wide range of interests. Whether your child loves Minecraft, sport, dance or maths, there is something to engage them.
If you are considering sending your child to Cranbourne Primary School, or would like more information, please contact the office to book in a tour with me!
Lachlan Yeates,
Principal