Clayfield College

Clayfield College is one of Australia’s leading schools, providing a tradition of quality education. The College has a proud history of offering a Christian learning environment in which students are encouraged, nurtured and inspired to achieve personal excellence. Clayfield College welcomes students from all over Australia and the world, catering for girls from Pre-Prep to Year 12 and boys from Pre-Prep to Year 6. The College is also a Boarding School for girls, caring for students from Years 5 - 12, on a daily, casual, weekly or term basis.

The College is located in the beautiful inner-northern Brisbane suburb of Clayfield, only six and a half kilometres from the central business district and served well by public transport. The Citytrain network is situated close by and we are centrally located to buses, both Brisbane City Council and private bus lines. The College is only five kilometres from the Domestic and International airports as well as the Gateway arterial road that links the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

Our aim at Clayfield College is to challenge our students academically through enquiry and engagement, whilst nurturing an intellectual curiosity of the world around them. We offer a stimulating academic curriculum, and comprehensive co-curricular opportunities for our students to pursue their interest in sport, the arts, and service leadership.

The College has a strong academic focus, where our students are encouraged to set and achieve personal academic goals. Through our extension learning programs, we offer a broad range of activities that foster essential enquiry skills, such as problem solving, creative thinking, flexibility and tenacity. Our relatively small class sizes also ensure that more attention is given to each individual student. But, more importantly, learning is for life, not just for school. Our Pastoral Care Program focuses on a holistic approach which encourages our students to develop commitment, self-discipline, self-motivation and a sense of social responsibility. We encourage our students to be happy, laugh often, work hard and give back to the community.

Clayfield College was officially founded on the 9^th February 1931, with just nine students and five teachers. In the subsequent years, Clayfield College has continued to grow and succeed through the dedication and hard work of our Principals: Miss Nancy Ashburn, Miss Ida Kennedy OAM, Mrs Carolyn Hauff AM, Mr Brian Savins and Ms Melissa Powell. Our current Principal, Mrs Kathy Bishop, continues to strengthen our future endeavours and strategic focus.

Clayfield College offers a stimulating curriculum that incorporates innovative learning experiences, and an understanding and acceptance of individual skills and talents. Our aim is to provide every child with an outstanding teaching and learning environment by supporting the diversity of our learners with contemporary teaching styles. Our Teaching and Learning Programs inspire our students to achieve their academic potential through a range of learning experiences that engage, excite and challenge them.

In Pre-Prep, the students’ learning program is developed around the Working with the Early Years' Learning Framework and The Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines. These documents form the foundation of pedagogy and inform teaching decisions. To assist children with their development of identity, all students wear a uniform to ensure they feel a part of the school. Children are also able to make choices and decisions about their learning and their involvement and participation in the program. The program is influenced by constructivist theory as well as the Reggio Emilio approach and the children are supported by a teacher and teacher-aide.

Students in Prep - Year 6 follow the Australian Curriculum, which outlines curriculum content and the learning expected at points in the students’ schooling through the specification of achievement standards. We implement the Australian Curriculum general capabilities; literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical understanding, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding, and the three cross-curriculum priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia and Sustainability. These have been embedded, where relevant and appropriate, in each learning area.

The Primary School curriculum is student-centred rather than subject-centred. We recognise that students learn differently from each other, and strategies and programs implemented in classrooms reflect that reality. Whilst the amount of curriculum time for each subject is nominally allocated, teachers are encouraged to integrate subjects where possible, without losing the integrity or academic rigour of any subject. Literacy and numeracy development are main concerns of the curriculum and taught across all learning areas in Prep - Year 6. An inquiry-based approach is encouraged in subjects. Primary School teachers embrace a number of age relevant pedagogies in their teaching, including inquiry, collaboration, active and experiential learning, differentiation (recognition of learning styles), choice, and authentic and reflective assessment, while embracing a Positive Growth Mindset.

Clayfield College offers a rigorous academic environment, where learning is a continuum from Pre-Prep to Year 12. Working with the Australian Curriculum, all students from Years 7 to 9 study the core areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities. Other subjects, which are core in Years 7 and 8 become electives in Year 9. The range of elective subjects offered is broad and encompasses the Arts (Drama, Music and Visual Art), Languages (Chinese, Japanese and Spanish), Contemporary Business, Technology (Interactive Multimedia Technology and Food Technology) and Health and Physical education.

The Senior School curriculum is structured to meet the needs of students aiming for Tertiary Entrance as well as those wishing to pursue other post-school pathways. Pathways are also available for Special Needs and Gifted and Talented students. The College Library (the Nancy Ashburn Learning Resource Centre) remains open until 6:00pm Mondays to Thursdays to provide students with a space and resources for homework and study.