Schools play a vital role in preparing young people for the future and our staff remain deeply engaged in current and emerging educational research about how best to design the most effective teaching and learning approaches.

Work by the academic executive has been ongoing over the last two years and has resulted in further development of the educational framework, Inspire.

Inspire captures the spirit of learning at Westbourne from Kindergarten through to Year 12 and provides scope for a future pedagogical structure that will include the introduction of a middle school. 

Character and agency are central to the learning philosophy, which is framed by the school values of courage, community, creativity, and scholarship. The model of learning at Westbourne is defined through the eight domains of the learner profile and underpinned by CARE – our wellbeing program.

The first stage of Westbourne’s fifteen year Masterplan commences at the beginning of 2024. This stage includes the Middle School Project which is the construction of a major learning facility and the introduction of a new pedagogical framework – Amici, Junior School, Middle School, and Senior School. ‘Inspire’ articulates the new structure which is proposed for implementation to coincide with the completion of the Middle School building. We will keep the community updated, as we progress.

The current structure remains in place until that time however the underpinning philosophies of ‘Inspire’ will continue to guide teaching and learning at Westbourne.

Amici ELC

Each child’s natural curiosity is nurtured by exploring their ideas, individually and collaboratively, to enable them to extend their thinking and make sense of the world around them. The educational project of Reggio Emilia inspires this pedagogical approach. Central to this approach are the school’s values and beliefs about children as learners and active community members.

Prep to Year 6

Through a variety of targeted, meaningful, open-ended and differentiated learning experiences, students become more independent, articulate, confident and reflective learners. They are encouraged to work collaboratively and to make their learning visible. Making learning visible means reflecting, documenting and collaborating to develop deeper understanding and to create and frame a collective body of knowledge that informs future learning.

Transitioning from Williamstown and Winjeel to Verdon, our junior school offers a broad, balanced and innovative curriculum which is academically challenging and focuses on the development of fundamental skills, understanding and knowledge in the core learning areas with a particular emphasis on literacy and numeracy. The upper primary years are characterised by a program which builds on each year through the development of more science, technology and creative arts-based inquiry.

Years 7 to 9

As students progress from Year 7 to Year 9, learning takes a deeper focus.  Opportunities to experiment, try new subjects as well as developing the skills, flexibility, personal responsibility and independence required to work towards the specialisation in the senior years are embedded into the program.
Our core curriculum and electives give students the foundations of essential learning and the flexibility to develop and nurture specialised academic interests.

Years 10 to 12

Students in Years 10 – 12 are ready to think about where they are headed for their final years of study at school. They will know their strengths, interests and preferences and begin to specialise with support from a tailored academic program within the VCE.
The skills and independent learning habits they have developed in the preceding years help to prepare them for this more formal academic study and life beyond school.

Visit our enrolments page