The development of student learning and achievement goes beyond subject disciplines. We believe that effective learning requires diverse and engaging teacher strategies, a dynamic learning experience and a physical space where each child belongs; our Middle School reflects this and maximises the opportunity for student engagement and development as they make significant transitions in their development.
Young people in the middle years of their schooling are moving through one of life’s most complex times and our Middle School acknowledges the challenging and ever changing world in which they live. Amongst physiological, emotional and cognitive developments is the very real difference of moving from having most decisions about daily life made for them, to making most decisions in daily life for themselves.
The firm structure of the Middle School anticipates these developments and allows for guided decision-making to take place, even as an emphasis is placed on creative thinking and independent learning. In the Middle School at Cathedral, pastoral care and academic pursuit are interwoven.
It is our belief that you cannot properly teach a child unless you know them, so we spend time and effort getting to know the person, how they learn and what we can do to assist their further development. Since students learn most effectively when their emotional, social and physical needs are being met, it is essential that students are provided with a safe, supportive environment. Sitting between our Senior and Junior School models, students enjoy more teachers and more classroom settings than in Junior School, and fewer teachers and fewer classroom settings than the Senior School.
This model, in action from Year Six to Year Eight, means that students have their Homeroom teachers for at least two academic subjects as well as pastoral time throughout the week. In this way, they can learn the complexity of the later years, and the responsibility needed to negotiate them well, while they are monitored and guided by passionate middle years’ teachers.