Our Junior School curriculum is based on the belief that the key to successful learning is instilling confidence in our students as learners. Our primary school trained teaching staff help our girls to take risks, develop resilience and collaborate with others, all in small, single-cell classrooms that provide a sense of community and belonging.
We provide a holistic learning environment where every girl knows their value. The teacher-student relationship is central to our success – within the classroom, through pastoral care, and through a wide range of co-curricular activities.
Being part of the larger St Margaret’s College community has many benefits for our Junior School girls, including access to specialist teachers and facilities. The forming of partnerships with our older girls allow our students to learn, respect and look up to their “big sisters”, giving them direction, aspirations and inspiration both in class and in pursuit of their co-curricular interests.
Our programme
We offer a balanced education that embraces all areas of the New Zealand primary school curriculum. All students benefit from Structured Literacy, an approach based on scientific research that enables girls to confidently crack the code of reading. Mathematics programmes are targeted to individual needs, enabling girls to become confident and to meet their potential. Both structured literacy and mathematics are taught drawing on scientific data into how the brain learns best. Two learning support teachers, one focused in Year 1-3 and one on Year 4-6, provide fully qualified learning support specialist teaching to those girls identified as learning differently.
We provide a range of programmes that includes Education Outside the Classroom in and around Christchurch, sports, performing arts, kapa haka, languages, computational thinking, and opportunities to learn speech and drama and musical instruments with itinerant teachers.
Strong pastoral care is provided by the girls’ homeroom teacher, supported by the Head of Junior School. Friendology, a programme focused on healthy friendships, is embedded throughout the Junior School, and we were the first school in New Zealand to offer this award-winning wellbeing programme. A weekly session with our Chaplain enables the girls to begin exploring spirituality, in addition to attending Chapel each week.
Learning is the foundation of all other achievements and is at the core of our Junior School programmes. Our “REDS” values – responsible citizens, effective communicators, dynamic thinkers and self managers – are woven through all aspects of our students’ day.
The Leck Centre for Learning Enhancement offers a supportive learning environment for students who are identified as learning differently. Our students benefit from two learning support teachers solely focused on the New Zealand primary curriculum.
