Lakes Grammar takes a holistic approach to learning and views students as ‘the whole child’, considering and planning for their growth academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.

The Junior School experience provides students with:

• A Christian foundation that supports students in fostering their God-given gifts.
• Explicit and direct instruction in the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy and in the content, skills and processes of each curriculum area
• The integration of inquiry based and problem-based approaches to learning.
• A technology rich environment including a well-resourced STEM centre for practical Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, that prepares students well for the digital world in which they are immersed.
• Specialist teachers in the areas of Music, Personal Development and Health, PE and Christian Studies.
• Outstanding student wellbeing and pastoral care programs.
• A strong social and emotional perspective in our learning, emphasising the importance of community mindfulness, global perspectives and the personal responsibility, and importance, of establishing true Christian values, good habits of mind and positive behaviour.
• A strong co-curricular program which enables students to experience success and to grow as individuals
• Music, performing arts and cultural activities including Choirs, Training and Concert Bands, String, Percussion and Guitar ensembles, drama lessons, performing arts festivals, debating and public speaking. Private music lessons are also available on site, conducted by the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music.
• A broad PE and sport program, including a range of team sports in which Years 3 – 6 compete against other local and regional independent schools, as well as a diversity of offerings such as our own Netball Club and an Equestrian Team.

The Learning Power Approach

The nature of teaching and learning has shifted dramatically in the 21^st century, and the kinds of skills that students require both to engage with the world as they are learning at school and in their careers as they graduate as life-long learners are dramatically different from those which allowed for success in the past.

For these reasons we have adopted The Learning Power Approach (LPA), developed by Professor Guy Claxton, as our foundational approach to teaching and learning. “The aim of the Learning Power Approach is to develop all students as confident and capable learners – ready, willing and able to choose, design, research, pursue, troubleshoot, and evaluate learning for themselves, alone and with others, in school and out”. We have integrated this approach into a framework that also includes our Christian, social-emotional and values goals for our students.

We call this the Vital framework. Click here to view our Vital Framework.