Empowering students through Voice, Agency and Leadership
We know the importance of empowering students and the contribution that student Voice, Agency and Leadership make to improved student outcomes, health and wellbeing. We want all students to achieve and grow as learners, and to generate their own course for lifelong learning. Students at West are empowered to take ownership of their learning, to make purposeful contributions to their learning environments, and to tackle issues arising in the world around them.
Teachers ensure students take responsibility for their learning. Children constantly reflect on their learning and negotiate individual goals with their teachers. We create a safe learning environment, built on trust and respect, which empowers students to share their thoughts and opinions.
At West, students know they have the power to “take action” and influence change. They know they have a “Voice” and they know we genuinely listen to them. Our school has many processes to encourage and respond to student perspectives and feedback. They respectfully provide feedback to teachers and work collaboratively to reflect on, and improve, teaching and learning across the whole school.
We promote school-wide, student leadership and actively develop leadership skills in all students. There are regular opportunities for them to practise these skills because we truly value student input and leadership throughout the entire education process. We have a combination of formal and informal opportunities.
We offer a rigorous Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum, as mandated by the Victorian Education Department. Our programs meet the needs of all children. Children who experience challenges are provided with extra support from skilled, intervention teachers. High achieving students are challenged in the classroom and also offered a variety of other extension opportunities. Students, parents and teachers co create Learning Plans to ensure this process is collaborative, transparent and thorough.
Students have specialist teachers for The Arts, Music, Physical Education and Digital Technology. These well-resourced programs provide weekly opportunities to engage in stimulating curriculum as well as core subjects. Students from Grade One to Six learn an additional language, which is Chinese.