Junior School

Built from a FOUNDATION

of care

In Barbreck we believe the role of our School, and our teachers, is to develop happy and relaxed young girls who are engaged and connected to their learning and each other. Creating this as our conditions for success ensures the drive to achieve develops naturally within all our girls.

As a school we are proud to be the number one girls’ school in Victoria. Within Barbreck we are also proud to acknowledge our academic success through our NAPLAN results placing our students above the state and national averages in Literacy and Numeracy in all tested Year levels. However, what I am most proud of is that we achieved this success without placing pressure on our students. Earlier this year, students in Years 3 to 6 participated in the Australian Resilient Youth Survey. Results from the Survey demonstrate that in Barbreck, our girls are happy, have a positive mindset, are engaged, have hope and feel cared for. Particularly, St Catherine’s achieved a score of 81 to the question: Is there someone at your school who cares for you? Against the national average of 66 for single-sex schools.

Comparison of our School’s 2019 to 2022 Survey results also shows an improvement in feelings of wellbeing, happiness, and resilience, even with two years of COVID lockdowns and remote learning.

In Barbreck we believe:

• Confident, relaxed, and happy girls inspire others • Small steps in learning lead to good learning outcomes • Pressure is counter-productive • Girls learn best when they are relaxed • Happy and safe learning environments encourage girls to challenge themselves • Learning should be exciting • Every girl has unique talents that are celebrated within our Barbreck community

In Barbreck we encourage our girls to:

• Try their best • Strive to reach their personal goals • Learn from mistakes • Ask questions to deepen their understanding • Give things a go • Extend themselves – both academically and across our co-curricular activities • Challenge their thinking • Learn from others

This increase can be attributed to the wonderful work of our teachers, personalised learning for every student, our wellbeing and health programs, and a positive and supportive school environment which has been created from a foundation of care, compassion, and kindness.

In Barbreck our girls work hard to achieve their personal goals. They are willing to explore and extend their interests and capabilities within our academic and co-curricular offerings. They are supported by passionate, experienced and engaged staff, celebrating their individual achievements. They are guided and supported to reach their goals through our comprehensive learning programs within vibrant learning spaces and facilities.

To me, our Barbreck girls are happy and achieving well.

Ms Karen McArdle Head of Junior School