Dear Parents and Carers,

Schools for All

Who is our school for?

Who is welcome to become a member of our school community?

Who belongs at St Benedict’s Primary School?

What does each person in our community bring with them? What do they have to teach us? What can we learn from them?

The charism of our patron, St Benedict, reminds us that ‘All guests who enter shall be welcomed as Christ’. Every single person who enters our doors is made in the image and likeness of God and deserves the respect and dignity that this entails. Every child, every adult.

The 2015 report ‘Schools for All Children and Young People’ was a result of the work of the Expert Panel on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviours. The recommendations challenged every school in the ACT to create places of learning for students and for all students. It recognised excellent practices happening in all sectors and areas where more work could be done.

Catholic Education (Canberra & Goulburn) released in 2016 the Archdiocesan Principles of Pedagogy that every school uses to underpin their teaching & learning practices. The very first (and in my mind the most important) principle is:

Everyone can learn

This principle is fundamental to building a positive and supportive learning environment for all students in our school. At the core is a belief that every student, by their very human nature, has the capacity to learn and grow; physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, morally, etc.

I believe that our school works hard for every student and holds a ‘whatever it takes’ approach to recognising the learning that each student has achieved and guiding them through their next step. This requires plenty of support, expertise, resources and collaboration with many others. We believe that inclusion is not about treating everyone equally. Rather it is about treating everyone equitably, enabling all children to access and participate in all learning opportunities to achieve their full potential.

At St Benedict’s we sometimes make adjustments for particular children who need simple help to be able to participate fully in their learning or in school life. A great image that we keep up in our classrooms is:

I would like to assure you that we are proud to be a School for All and will continue to welcome every student (and family) that joins our community and do our very best to ensure they learn and grow and become their very best self.

Thank you for your ongoing care and partnership in your child’s learning.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal