Carey Baptist Grammar School

Schools are primarily about young people, and especially about helping them become the best they can be. We offer our girls and boys every opportunity to grow into communicative, creative, critically-thinking, curious and community-minded young adults. Carey students are offered flexible pathways to achieve their goals and develop clear strategies to achieve them. We expect our students to think, problem-solve, reflect and respond to the meaningful feedback they receive.

We also believe passionately in co-education and maintain a 50:50 balance of girls and boys across the whole school. We actively foster an environment in which healthy, respectful friendships are built. At Carey, we also believe that the quality of the education your children receive can never exceed the quality of our staff, and the Carey staff is outstanding. They are passionate about education, highly qualified and enthusiastic people who have the best interests of our students at heart in everything they do, whether it is a part of our academic program, co-curricular activities or caring for student wellbeing.

Carey was founded in 1923 with the support of the Baptist Union of Victoria, initially as a day and boarding school for boys. Our school is named in honour of Revd. Dr William Carey, a Baptist missionary and self-taught language scholar who dedicated much of his life to humanitarian work in India in the 18th Century. His life of service, faith and commitment to learning are central to the core of the School’s philosophy today.

Each child in the ELC is valued for who they are. We welcome the differences in development, personality and ability that every child brings, and we recognise that families and parenting styles are as different as the children themselves. We work with families to ensure trust, open communication and consistency in approach. It is important to us that every child in our care begins his or her schooling with confidence.

Our ELC program offers many exciting and different experiences for the children but, most importantly, they are also given the freedom and encouragement to explore their own interests and curiosity. Teachers closely observe and document each child’s development, learning and play, creating a lasting record of each student’s educational journey throughout the year: physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. Our ELC students enjoy their own purpose-built, separate section within the School. This allows for the future years of schooling to be anticipated with enthusiasm and for older students to visit the Centre for special performances, reading or sports activities.

At Carey, we nurture the whole person. In our Junior Schools, we offer a broad range of activities and personal development programs to promote wellbeing, creativity and confidence. Students also engage in community service, leadership and social justice programs, learning the importance of respect, understanding, inclusion and a strong moral compass. Learning is also fun at Carey for the students and their teachers and extends beyond the boundaries of the School in excursions and activities that explore the world.

At this important time in the social and intellectual development of young adolescents, we have tailored the physical and educational environment to meet their particular needs. Our co-educational environment also develops a strong sense of respect, trust and friendship between girls and boys.

The Middle School’s motto is ‘Challenge and Choice’. Our teaching and learning environment offers an exceptionally broad range of study options that will motivate and encourage every student. We cater for all levels of ability and allow students to explore their own specific interests. Our focus on ‘real world learning’ also takes students well beyond the boundaries of our campus, particularly through interdisciplinary units.

All students in Middle School use notebook computers to support their learning, and our purpose-built classrooms allow teachers and students extraordinary flexibility. Classrooms in Middle School offer a variety of seating options and table styles from high stools and benches to couches as well as large screen displays, interactive mobile touchscreen TVs and retractable walls so that teachers and students can arrange spaces to suit their learning and teaching needs.

The transitions from Junior School and to Senior School are managed carefully and sensitively for our Year 7 and Year 9 before their first or last day arrives they will already feel a part of their new Carey environment. Our Middle School is separate but not isolated from our Junior and Senior Schools, allowing for cross-age activities with both younger and older students.

In all areas of our program, we are mindful of students’ wellbeing with our House system providing the core of our pastoral program. In the Middle School, students are divided into cross-age Mentor Groups, with the same House Mentor moving through the Middle School with their group. In addition, many Year 7 classes are held in home rooms to enhance the sense of security and stability.

We help the young men and women in Years 10, 11 and 12 to prepare for tertiary study and life beyond secondary school, providing an environment that is specifically designed to help them to become self-directed, lifelong learners. Our Year 12 classes regularly achieve results that place Carey in the top schools of the State, and a large percentage of our students receive offers to top local and international universities.

We also understand that life is about more than academic success. The wellbeing of each of our students is of paramount importance at Carey and our House system ensures that each student’s welfare is carefully monitored. Students belong to small Mentor groups and are supported by a dedicated pastoral care team of counsellors, psychologists, chaplains, career advisers and learning skills specialists. Leadership opportunities, community service projects and our broad range of co-curricular activities and sports enrich the experience of Senior School. Every step of the way we provide guidance and support to students and their families.