The St Leonard’s College Primary School includes McMillan House, which is the Junior School (ELC to Year 4) and the Years 5 and 6 program, an award-winning model catered specifically for this age and stage.
The programs in McMillan House follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). Expertly designed for children aged 3 to 12, the PYP is a curriculum framework, which prepares students for the intellectual and emotional challenges of further education and employment on the global stage. The programme incorporates local and global issues into the curriculum, asking students to look at six related, transdisciplinary themes and to consider the links between them. These units of enquiry foster academic, social and emotional growth, and focus on international-mindedness and the development of strong personal values. Importantly, the PYP values independence, initiative and self-motivation, encouraging every student to take responsibility for their learning. The IB PYP is also taught in our Early Learning Centre and shares many of the fundamental principles of the Reggio approach, facilitating a smooth transition for children into the Junior School.
In a modern learning facility, the Junior School cultivates intelligence, innovation and an international perspective, producing responsible and compassionate leaders who place the welfare of others before their own and who are willing to embrace the challenges of our century as opportunities to make a difference. The college believes that every child should be a capable, competent and active participant in their own learning journey.
A variety of specialist staff are involved in McMillan House, including dedicated music, art and physical education teachers, school counsellor, learning enhancement teachers, a specialist language teacher (Chinese), along with experienced storytellers/library technicians who foster and develop a love of reading. The St Leonard’s College Professional Learning Programs are informed by the world's leading educational bodies, such as Harvard University and University of London. St Leonard's College is also the only Australian school invited to engage in the OECD 2030 project — The Future of Education.
Assemblies, playground games, cross-age tutoring and special whole-college activities mean that the children and staff in McMillan House are known to each other and a happy learning environment is created. We foster a strong sense of community and establish supportive parenting partnerships to ensure the optimal development of each child in all aspects of their being.
The upper primary years of schooling are an important stage as students look for new challenges, eager to learn more about the world around them and their place in it. Children at this age have a real thirst for knowledge, driven by the wealth of information available to them instantly and at any time online. We understand that the life of an 11-year-old now is very different to that of their parents and teachers at the same age, and that the old ways of teaching are unable to meet modern year 5 and 6 students’ potential abilities and understandings. That’s why we have developed a unique program for learners at this stage, designed to present them with the challenges they seek and instil in them a love of learning that will stay with them throughout their secondary education and beyond.
Our Year 5 and 6 students enjoy their own Year 5 and 6 building, and have dedicated, specialist educators across all subjects; they learn Mathematics from a mathematician and Science from a scientist. The curriculum covers English, Science, Mathematics, Humanities, Critical Thinking, languages, Digital Technology, Physical Education, Art and Music, all taught by specialist teachers and in specialist classrooms.
Our award-winning program provides students in Years 5 and 6 with a greater challenge, ensuring they remain engaged and excited in their learning and building in them the learning dispositions, confidence and critical thinking skills they will need to embrace their future.
