Building a School

It's fair to say, it is not about the building that makes a difference in a new school but the actual metaphorical foundations. I am thankful now that our new school was not completed when opening and the fact that we won't be fully open until 2016 seems to have helped us realise that this takes time and that the foundations of our school will make (hopefully) for a solid institution with a team and community that share a vision.

Education is a human system not a mechanic one. It is about people. Teaching is a creative profession - they mentor, provoke, model, suggest. There is a need to talk about learning. Assessment needs to support learning not direct learning. Curiosity is the engine of learning. It is what drives the learning. In any system, culture is key to the success of any school. We are not about command and control but climate control. Hence our school vision "creating a climate of possibility"; used with permission from Sir Ken himself. We can not think this is anything other than organic.

Out of our vision have come our learning beliefs:

• Curiosity
• Thinking
• Growth Mindset
• Joy
• Collaboration

Under the vision beliefs and capacities, are all of our essence statements. All of which help us to plan relevant programmes for learning.

Dr. Julia Atkin: Expressing the essence of the NZ Curriculum from EDtalks on Vimeo.