Eskdale Primary School is committed to the protection of all children from all forms of child abuse and we demonstrate our commitment through the implementation of a comprehensive Child Safe Program. The program is designed to keep all children safe and is endorsed by our School Council and community.
At Eskdale Primary School, we have a zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to the protection of all children from all forms of abuse. We are clear about our behavioural expectations of every person in our community.
All allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and in line with our School’s policies. We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously. The school is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks and all staff undertake Mandatory Reporting training.
We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers, and are committed to the safety of children from all backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
Eskdale Primary school is in the remote Mitta Valley of North East Victoria and is an essential hub of the community. The community relies on the school for social cohesion, connectedness and social contact for its children. We provide authentic values-driven leadership to the school community.
Over half of our student enrolments come from a very viable farming background and the majority of students are bussed to school. A recent significant change that is occurring with family employment is the trend for one or more of the parents/guardians to travel out of the valley to the regional centre of Albury / Wodonga for employment. The partners of the farmers are also seeking employment, particularly part-time both within the Mitta Valley and beyond. The school has recently introduced Out Of School Hours Care to cater for this shift in employment and to better meet the needs of families in the valley.
The staffing profile has remained very stable over a long period in time, and staff has worked collaboratively to improve curriculum delivery using Quality Learning as a common philosophy which then culminated in a Hume Regional Award for innovative curriculum development in small schools. Expertise within our school is also valued by the Tallangatta cluster, for example, our Early Years and Technology Program has been showcased to cluster staff wanting to improve their teaching skills. Opportunities are also provided for students to experience some diverse curriculum that is not normally available in a rural and remote location, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program, private Music tuition and a hobbies program are examples of this.
Community involvement within the school is extremely supportive. We have been fortunate to have had, and continue to have the support of the entire Eskdale community. Our school logo “Community Working Together” exists because of the support our school receives from the community. We value volunteers and love working with them, recognising and celebrating their expertise and skills. Volunteers are welcome in our classrooms on a rostered weekly basis and are essential for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. We also have access to partnerships with the progress association and the activity centre. Our parent and volunteer base continues to maintain the school buildings and surrounds which includes a community swimming pool, cricket nets and tennis courts. Our grounds are a show piece, which the wider community is extremely proud.
For the past decade, Eskdale Primary school has been formally a part of the Tallangatta Cluster whose vision is to build a Seamless P-12 Educational community across the nine sites of the cluster. This has been evident in shared planning, shared Professional Development and shared activities involving students across the cluster schools. It has also led to alignment of goals and priorities through cluster strategic planning and increased efficiencies in administrative practices by drawing on common needs and developing responses to Department of Education initiatives that are applicable across the cluster.
At Eskdale Primary School Quality Learning has provided a common philosophy and desire to continuously improve our pedagogy. Teaching staff have attended and contributed to Quality Learning conferences held both locally and nationally. The school strongly develops and promotes essential skills in Literacy and Numeracy. It is our belief that these skills are fundamental life skills which are core to the development of active, engaged citizens of the future. Student voice has also played a large part in the planning for integrated studies units and special programs. The focus of school life is strongly centred on providing a safe and caring environment where every individual student is valued, encouraged and supported to “progress socially and academically at his/her optimum rate’’. The characteristic that guides the teaching and learning in the school is the successful relationships between students, parents and staff. Students are challenged to aim high. Complementing this we strive to be a school community in which learners value their heritage and culture and are positive, independent thinkers who are self-motivated and have a love of learning. We aim to foster the development of each learner and their self-esteem in an environment that is caring, provides academic rigour and supports and promotes independent, critical thinking.