Junior School
(Reception - Year 6)

Our specialist subjects during include Music, Art, Dance, Health and Physical Education,  Technologies (Digital and Design), Humanities and Social Sciences and Library studies. Subjects such as the Humanities and Social Sciences (History, Geography, Science, Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business) are taught through an integrated learning and inquiry approach. An integrated curriculum is one that transcends the boundaries imposed by traditional subject groupings. It allows students to move across disciplines as they learn about their world.

Chinese continues from junior primary, with students from Year 3 on accessing three lessons in Chinese per fortnight. Additional languages, German and Japanese, are introduced from Year 5 when students may choose the language they wish to continue into the Middle School.

The Rock & Water program is delivered to Junior School students from Year 3 as part of the curriculum. Founded on a psycho-physical framework, this program teaches the general capability of personal and social capability and focuses on the development of mindfulness, reflection, self-awareness, social awareness, respect, and respect to others.

The support of Pulteney’s Inclusive Learning team complements the extensive range of learning opportunities at Pulteney, providing diverse academic enrichment and support for students across the full range of academic and social abilities and at all ages. We diagnose the learning needs and strengths of each student to identify those with a particular talent or passion that could be explored in depth, and to identify those who require new challenges to extend their classroom learning, and those who may benefit from additional support.

A collaborative and inclusive approach underpins the work of Pulteney’s Inclusive Learning team. These dedicated teachers and education support workers achieve significant results, both with students who require extension and enrichment and students with learning challenges, ongoing health issues or social and emotional needs.

Working with the family and classroom teacher, support is tailored to the individual student and may be short or long term, individual or in small groups, based on their level of identified need, developmental progress and ongoing progress to create the best possible opportunities for successful learning.

Technology is embedded within the curriculum at Pulteney and is integral to everyday learning. Students are supplied with a School owned and based iPad to support their learning, and in the latter years in Junior School also have access to laptop computers to use on a daily basis and across the many subjects available. iPads are utilised daily to access information and to supplement and enrich learning activities across the many subjects available. Students also have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of evolving technologies from web applications to leading-edge software and innovative tools.

We have specialist technologies teachers, and digital and design literacy is integrated into the curriculum and co-taught by our teachers. Cyber safety is a key aspect of the children’s learning and is taught within.

Students are encouraged to use technology independently to support their learning experiences, however we are also steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that online learning happens in developmentally appropriate and purposeful ways.

Learning in the Junior School is organised and dynamic with students engaged in a myriad of activities in and beyond the classroom. Opportunities abound, with more than 20 different team and individual sports, performing arts including music and drama, a diverse range of dance styles, debating, coding, robotics, sustainability activities and visual arts.

To learn more about Pulteney’s Sport opportunities, click here.

To explore our Performing Arts opportunities, click here.

Pulteney’s outdoor education program for Junior School students provides off campus opportunities that are embedded in personal growth, helping each child learn the skills of collaboration, as they connect with their peers outside of the classroom.

Camps:

• Year 3 – Woodhouse, Adelaide Hills, South Australia (1 night)
• Year 4 – Douglas Scrub, McLaren Value, South Australia (2 nights)
• Year 5 – Victor Harbor, South Australia (2 nights)
• Year 6 – Canberra, ACT (2 nights)

Find out more about outdoor and Experiential Education at Pulteney.

In our Junior School, our leadership program helps cultivate values such as responsibility, commitment, self-discipline and compassion. As the leaders in the Junior School, Year 6 students can take on a leadership role for a Semester, be it in Community Service, House Leadership or the Student Representative Council. This leadership program aims to inspire, motivate and empower each student to make a positive contribution as leaders of the Junior School and within the community.

At Pulteney, we place a strong emphasis on the environment as provocation for deep learning with both the indoor and outdoor environment providing a rich stimulus for creative and critical thinking and personal and social capability .

Our award-winning Nature Play sits at the heart of what is affectionately known as ‘Kurrajong’ for students in Reception to Year 2. This incredible playground is a natural wonderland for children, and offers a range of learning opportunities to engage with the natural environment and to negotiate challenges through play.

The learning design and facilities in the junior primary areas have been developed and designed specifically for children from ELC to Year 2. Here, a range of innovative learning spaces allows teachers to implement indoor and outdoor learning where appropriate, and flexible inquiry areas cater for small and larger group explorations. These facilities include a dedicated purpose-built library, languages room and Technologies room.

Meanwhile, classrooms for students in Years 3 to 6 sit within the North Eastern side of the campus. During these years, students enjoy their own exclusive resource centre,  Technologies room, Science lab,  languages and music rooms and playground. Students also enjoy access to the Parklands for recess and lunch, as well as access to outdoor education.