School Profile

Croydon Hills Primary School, established in 1988, is situated in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The school offers a holistic educational experience to 742 students.

The school places great emphasis on the provision of a friendly, safe, caring and supportive environment for students, staff and parents. The community views education as a shared responsibility. The co-operative partnership between the school and home is a highly valued feature of the school.

The school is highly regarded in the local and wider community. Whole-school approaches to health and wellbeing, curriculum development and assessment are embedded across the school. Social-emotional skills and concepts are developed via Positive Education and Restorative Practices. In English, teachers use a Reader’s and Writer’s workshop model and approach consistent with 6+1 Traits of Writing and SMART Spelling. Early years literacy is anchored by the Science of Language and Reading. In Mathematics the school uses an open-ended problem-solving approach that was developed in consultation with Rob Vingerhoets. 

The school values student voice and agency. The students are represented by a Year Six Student Leadership team consisting of four School Captains, and two captains for each of Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Science, Eco (Environment), Positive Education (Wellbeing), Global Education and Sport. The Junior School Council is the formal student body of the school with representatives from each class meeting weekly with a focus on 'leading change' and 'being the voice of the students'. Two JSC representatives report to the School Council each month sharing updates on their meetings and student-led projects.  

Our specialist programs of Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Indonesian and Science provide students with high-quality programs as well as many enrichment activities. Our Learning Enhancement team coordinates our literacy support program and has input into the individual educational plans which are created for students with learning needs or those who require extension. Our Student Wellbeing team supports student well-being and families. They provide individual, small group support as well as support and advice to parents.

The school’s extracurricular programs provide a broad range of educational opportunities for students. Students can engage in Choir, Rock Band, Art Club, Interschool Sport, Eco Club (Environment), Instrumental Music lessons, School Production, Wakakirri and Stage Struck. The school has a long-term strategy to help develop students with a global perspective and intercultural understanding. The school respects our indigenous heritage. School art adorns the school grounds. Typically these have an indigenous or cultural focus.

The school is well resourced with digital technology. Croydon Hills Primary School is proudly a digitally rich environment with each classroom equipped with Apple TVs, MacMinis, Chromebooks, and iPads. The school has a fully equipped computer lab with 26 HPs. Year Five and Six students engage in a school-managed 1:1 take-home device program which proves to be invaluable when extending learning home via the use of Google Classroom. 

Both the physical environment and the learning programs are organised to facilitate four collaborative learning communities. In 2024 the school has six Prep classes, ten Junior classes (5 x Year One and 5 x Year Two), eight Middle classes (4 x Year Three and 4 x Four) and eight Senior (4 year Five and 4 year Six) classes. Junior, Middle and Senior school students engage in eight units of study over a two-year cycle. Prep students complete four units in their Prep year. These units are aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and delivered pedagogically through an inquiry approach. The school has a focus on the Humanities, Health, Science and Global Education through these units.

Geographically the school is zoned to naturally support each of the four learning levels. The school’s three-hectare site houses a broad range of buildings and facilities. The school is equipped with: 

• thirty-three dedicated classrooms (including one school-owned)
• a visual arts room
• a computer laboratory
• a science laboratory
• a library
• a Performing Arts Centre (the original school hall) 
• a dedicated language room (Indonesian)
• a dedicated Out of School Hours room 
• two multi-purpose rooms (school-owned)
• a competition size sports stadium
• four outdoor sports courts (two of which are covered in synthetic grass, one of which is covered by a waterproof shade shelter)
• a competition size cricket/football oval
• a junior sized soccer pitch
• a junior sized football oval
• a synthetic multi use sports field
• five playgrounds that are dedicated to the learning levels of the school
• a farm complete with vegetable gardens, chickens and a frog bog 
• a Japanese garden.

The school borders Yarrunga Reserve, a large reserve with walking trails throughout the reserve and wetlands, a large playground, BBQ area, BMX track, open tennis courts, fitness equipment and a community centre. The school draws upon this resource often, aligning it to the camps and sport programs. The school choir makes regular excursions down to the Yarrunga Community Centre to sing to the Yarrunga Retirees. 

The school has an active parent/carer community that seeks to involve parents in the school wherever possible. Parents/carers work alongside teachers in classrooms, attending excursions and camps and being part of parents groups including Croydon Hills Association of Parents (CHAPS) and Men of the Hills (MOTHS). CHAPS facilitates fundraising activities and events for the school including the biannual Fair, the biannual Trivia Night and the Colour Run. MOTHS are philosophically aligned to The Fathering Project and aim to support fathers and male role models engage in the school life. They organise the school’s annual school camp out on the oval, mini-golf events, bike rides and other community events.

The staff profile consists of: 

• Three Principal Class
• Five Learning Specialists who lead the building of practice excellence via a staff professional learning program consisting of collegiate coaching.
• 51 teachers
• 20 Educational Support Staff supporting our 21 students funded through Disability and Inclusion and the learning support program.
• 1 Full-Time & 1 part time Wellbeing Officers 
• 6 Administration staff including a First Aid Officer, a Canteen/Uniform Shop manager and a Library technician
• A full-time groundskeeper
• A team of 13 Out of School Hours Staff

The school’s trading operations: the Canteen, Uniform Shop and Out of School Hours Care programs are fully managed by the school.