A message from the Principal of Pender’s Grove Primary School

At Pender’s Grove we believe that learning is innate and lifelong. We foster a safe, positive, supportive and equitable learning environment that respects the richness of our diverse community. We work with our students throughout their time at Pender’s to develop their understandings of our school values:

Respect, Integrity, Curiosity & Determination

The school offers a dynamic approach to learning that enables students to participate in and adapt to a rapidly changing world. At Pender’s Grove the teaching and learning caters for students’ individual needs and abilities whilst providing a sound foundation for Secondary School. The school offers a wide range of programs with a clear focus on explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy as well as a range of experiences in Science and Inquiry learning, the environment and the Arts.

The school goals are:

For all students at Pender’s Grove PS to be literate, numerate and curious.
For all students to be motivated and engaged in their learning.
For all students to feel safe and supported at school and within the learning environment.

At Pender’s Grove we pride ourselves on being a supportive community of learners who work together to deliver the best possible education for the children that attend our school. We pride ourselves on being an exception in the local area as regards the size of our school and the benefits that come with being big enough that our students do not miss out on the programs offered at a larger school and small enough that we can make sure that connectedness and relationships are always a focus!

As a smaller school we are often asked about how classes work effectively with composite grades. At Pender’s our preference for Foundation classes is for these to be Foundation students only but older students are sometimes in a class made up of two year levels eg. 1/2, 3/4, 5/6. The Victorian curriculum is written as a continuum so students in the one group are quite likely to be working on tasks at different levels. Teachers group students in their class (or sometimes with a neighbouring class) according to need so even in a school with straight grades students are still working on tasks that are different according to what a student needs to learn. We find this is even easier to do when there are two grade levels working in the same room.

​Four benefits of a small school community include:

• Teachers have greater capacity to tailor learning to individual children
• Students are known by all teachers and support staff
• Relationship between students, staff and families is enhanced, engaged and effective.
• It’s safe to give things a try and make mistakes.
  ^Source: John Hattie (December 2017) visiblelearningplus.com

Please enjoy exploring our website and do not hesitate to contact us with questions or to arrange a visit.

We have a tremendous sense of community here at Pender’s and we want you and your child to feel as connected to the school and love it as much as we all do.

Douglas Lunt
Principal of Pender’s Grove Primary