This week I had the pleasure of giving potential families tours of the college. The same questions always come up, which I don’t mind answering of course, but it does beg the question, why is there such mystery surrounding IFS? First and foremost we are a college and as a college we must follow the NSW Board of Studies Curriculum. Our students follow the same mandatory curriculum as other colleges – our approach is a little different. The curriculum is prescriptive and there is much content and many skills that need to be covered. Where applicable, our teachers make connections to real world content and pose problems for students to solve, based on what they are learning.
Our open learning space is also a little confronting due to the fact there are no walls to separate the year groups. Yes it can be noisy, yes at times it can be chaotic, but a majority of the time, our students are working on their modules. In terms of behaviour management, it is amazing what happens with teenagers when given space, an element of freedom and responsibility for their own learning. Our students are developing the skills to manage this space and our teachers are constantly devising new strategies to guide them on their educational path.
In the younger classes our pupils experience a more thematic approach which is more conventional. Within this context, however, our primary students are being prepared for the transition to the high college space. At IFS, we have the luxury of this transition happening onsite and our pastoral care mentoring groups support this.
It is challenging and it is not suitable to every child and those students who are used to ‘hiding’ may struggle with being ‘seen’.
Add to this our fabulous football development program which runs for two hours each day. The benefit of physical activity in the morning has such a positive effect on our students they are generally ready to start the college day – remembering they are kids of course!
Our focus at IFS is developing positive relationships with our students and guiding them to be proactive in learning life skills. It’s also about teaching them to accept responsibility for themselves and assisting them in the choices they make. We support them to be the best they can be and to develop the positive attitude that will help them follow whichever path they choose.
We are fortunate at IFS, being an independent college, that we have more freedom and choice in how we best meet the needs of our students. It’s not a mystery – it’s what every college should have the opportunity to do.
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