By every measure Mosman Prep is “A Thriving School Community”
‘The best schools are neither educational institutions nor consumer-centric learning providers but authentic communities of learning, serving and belonging’ - McCrindle Research
Recently I attended a conference at which a keynote address was given by a McCrindle Research representative. The address centred around their ‘Building Thriving School Communities Report’, addressing trends shaping the future of education.
According to McCrindle, never has education been more accessible and flexible, but also more vulnerable.
Social change has led to less support networks in the community meaning schools are even more critical in supporting students, parents and staff. Increased mental health pressures on children, including lack of interpersonal skills and resilience, uncertainty of the future, and our boys growing up faster than they need to, are some of the key concerns.
It is sobering to reflect on the fact that 85% of the jobs our boys will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet. Their career pathway will look very different to ours:
2025 – Study-Work-Retire
2030 – Study-Work-Study-Work-Study-Work-Semi retire
Lifelong learning will become even more critical, driven by automation (robotics, smarter software), globalisation (outsourcing, digital platforms), and demographics (aging population). Foundational literacies (eg. numeracy, technology), competencies (eg. collaboration and creativity), and character qualities (eg. adaptability and resilience) will become even more critical.
Parents are primarily concerned with:
- character formation and values alignment
- a supportive community
- holistic education
- education outcomes.
Parents believe characteristics of strong school communities include:
- feel that they belong in the school community
- believe teachers effectively cater for individual learning styles and needs
- believe strong partnerships are built between staff, parents and students to achieve positive student outcomes.
The four identified qualities of high performing schools according to McCrindle are:
- build a school community where people feel like they belong
- provide a quality ‘future focused’ learning environment
- invest in teachers to provide a quality learning experience
- build partnerships between staff, parents, and students to achieve positive student outcomes.
As I listened to the McCrindle presentation, I was extremely affirmed in all that we are doing at Mosman Prep. I was also challenged to ensure we remain a leading educator of boys, and a school known to be consistently exceptional, “igniting a love of learning and life as we prepare them to thrive both now and in the future.”
For our boys …….
SUCCESS IS THE TARGET, guided by our Strategic Direction: Towards 2028
Our approach to Wellbeing recognises that every child wants to succeed. As educators and adults, it is our responsibility to develop the skills they need to achieve success, whether those skills relate to the academic or social and emotional domains.
Supported by our School Values, our wellbeing framework aims to promote honourable character and positive and productive relationships within an inclusive learning community. We believe a healthy community is a serving community, where we find joy in living a life beyond just ourselves.
SECURITY IS THEIR NEED
Our approach to Learning has a wellbeing foundation which supports our boys to feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. We are committed to evidence-based boys’ education pedagogy, and the use of data to inform targeted teaching and learning.
SCHOOLING (LEARNING/SCHOLARSHIP) IS THEIR RIGHT
Explicit Teaching, involving teacher-led instruction, clear objectives, small chunks of learning, worked examples of success, and opportunities for practice and reflection is critical. It sits alongside Integration and Investigation which connects learning and develops future proofing skills helping our boys to become more adaptive, flexible, creative and critical thinkers, and confident communicators and collaborators.
At a time when Australian research identifies that boys are three times more likely than girls to be quietly disengaged in their learning and twice as likely to be below the national minimum standard in writing, we recognise the importance of:
- strong student/teacher relationships
- education that is relevant and purposeful with clear learning intentions and appropriate scaffolding
- meaningful movement and hands-on manipulation
- freedom to express themselves in the Arts
- opportunities to discover their authentic voice and develop their emotional vocabulary
- developing strong social, emotional, and character foundations.
“An education built on a foundation of relationship, trust and respect, allows our boys to engage freely in learning, to make mistakes, to have a voice, to achieve mastery, and to develop their confidence, independence, and ultimately ownership of their ‘learning journey’.”
The early years are the all-important formative years, where the critical foundations for successful social and cognitive growth are laid. Through our wide range of rich evidence-based learning experiences, supported by specialist educators, outstanding teacher to student ratio, and a strong partnership with parents, we are committed to ensuring students are developing attributes that will inspire their learning journey and prepare them to embrace the future.
Peter Grimes | Headmaster
