School context
Bethany Christian School is located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, in the suburb of Paralowie. It has an enrolment of 540 students from Foundation to year 6 and approximately 65 students in the Early Learning Centre which provides a ‘4 year old’ program for one year prior to school. 49% of students have English as an additional language and 37% of students are in the lowest distribution of Socio-Educational Advantage according the ‘My School’ website which is supported by the number of Individual Learning Plans required.
Bethany Christian School’s vision is to excel in Christian education and character, inspiring greatness, while serving communities and impacting nations. At Bethany Christian School they have a strong focus on core values which include Compassion, Integrity, Respect, Perseverance, Service, and Responsibility.
Challenge
Bethany Christian School needed to address a significant number of students who experienced considerable difficulties with language learning. The challenge of working with children who have a limited experience with the English language and the high number of students requiring adjustments for learning, provoked school leadership to commence their Early Learning Centre in 2017, to provide more support to families and to further engage with allied health support. The ability to express and reflect on learning requires a confidence with language along with experiences that support self-awareness, a safe environment to take learning risks, and a connectedness to the learning community.
Actions taken
The school implemented a clear strategy to support the assessment of students to understand the individual learning profile with the help of allied health professionals. They also implemented a whole of school strategy to use language intervention programs to give the practice and exposure to English to build skills for reading and writing. This has taken a very measured and specific approach. At the same time, they recognise that students are humans who only flourish when they are valued and connected and known.
The school aims for every individual to discover their identity and purpose throughout the Curriculum and in relationship as they learn together. The development of ‘students as agents’ poster is displayed throughout the school and reminds all that purpose, responsibility, and reflection, are three essential elements for moral, creative, economic, and political agency. Charles Leadbeater helped Bethany Christian School to develop this and other resources that support their thinking. The importance of design through our work with Professor Yong Zhao and ‘NoTosh’ enabled the school to create a resource called ‘Design with Brilliance’ which provided staff and students with a clear design thinking process. They have used this for creating whole school events, project work, class inquiry and for staff and students for co-creation.
Bethany Christian School has also explored new models for mapping student learning that are broader than traditional assessments to help find genuine ways to value and understand the learning that is taking place. They are currently shaping student badges with an action research project to give language and clarity to students in year 4. These badges are developed along with students to set specific goals for the development of skills, dispositions, and character qualities for learning within the context of their classroom. These badges are more than an individual achievement, they are celebrated with the class as they reflect and encourage one another in their growth.
Bethany Christian School provides additional support through their Diverse Learning and Wellbeing teams. These teams support their learning community through a collaborative approach and include teachers, a counsellor, a social worker, a registered nurse and a school chaplain.
Student leadership is a focus for all students in year 5 who learn together through a program they have created and are then given responsibility to serve others in formal and responsive ways in the following year.
The school works in partnership with their families, Aid Indonesia, and Base Church, to enable students and staff to be involved in supporting Hope Village which includes a school and children's home in Indonesia, as well as providing opportunities for generosity within our local community. they send volunteer teams of staff to Indonesia each July to provide teacher training and school support each year.
Outcomes
Bethany Christian School is a learning community who have now continued to demonstrate consistent results performing significantly above similar schools in grammar and spelling. Their co-created community events have been enjoyed as significant celebrations of learning with students creating products and experiences for others. Students are reflecting on their learning with more confidence and have shown the ability to map and express their learning growth.
There are very high levels of student engagement in creating opportunities for other students through lunchtime clubs and activities. Students are also using specific skills in things like lighting and video to serve school weekly chapel times in their school.
Bethany Christian School sees students designing solutions to school problems and taking initiative to lead and serve.
Bethany is a community that believes that young people are capable and given specific teaching, measured practice, a safe and connected community and opportunities to demonstrate their brilliance, young people will learn and grow and become people who will know their identity and purpose.