Our Strategic Priorities

Rossbourne’s purpose is to enhance the life chances of its students by putting them at the centre of learning, and creating opportunities to develop independence, social connection, resilience, and respectful relationships.

Our mission is to nurture our students as they develop self-worth and confidence. To empower them to realise their strengths so they will build foundations for personal achievements and define their own success while they make a positive contribution to our community.

Supporting and enhancing student and staff wellbeing is of paramount importance and a priority for Rossbourne School. Maintaining a safe and supportive environment is fundamental to achieving this endeavour and drives our approach to developing student learning resources, activities and curriculum. Staff are supported in a culture of respect, inclusion and open communication, recognised and valued by their peers, management and the governing body. Rossbourne is committed to supporting and facilitating the Child Safety Standards as directed by Ministerial Order 1359.

Students at the centre of our learning programs will be supported by a structured and sequenced approach to teaching and learning. This ensures that programs are effectively differentiated to support learning and personal development needs and authentically assess to determine student progress. Students will benefit from evidenced-based teaching methodologies and families will be supported to engage in planning the transition from Rossbourne to post-secondary pathways, provided with further opportunities following graduation.

Staff are at the centre of delivering our learning programs and are committed to professionally supporting students using evidence-based teaching and wellbeing practices. Staff are expected to engage in professional learning and maintain professional currency. They are supported to achieve this via management support and interest, using individual Professional Development Plans to outline strategies and pathways for development. Rossbourne will facilitate training, mentorship and peer collaboration to support professional growth and career advancement.

Communication and building sound relationships with our stakeholders and engaging in networks are important to Rossbourne’s ongoing development. To enhance the experiences of Rossbourne students, connections with the school’s alumni and past parents are fostered. Support for our students can be achieved through establishing partnership relations with alternative and tertiary education providers and aligned external organisations.

We must be future-focused in our approach to the relationship between technology and learning to ensure that Rossbourne students are educated in a contemporary manner.  Teaching through technology will deliver experiential opportunities for students as they develop the skills essential for successful functioning in future social and work settings. Utilising technology that will better prepare our students for their future is essential to enhance the life chances of our students. Protecting our cyber infrastructure and equipment is vital and requires us to judiciously choose external providers to support our technology goals and afford us a safe level of protection.

Being environmentally thoughtful and creating responsible policies that reduce our carbon footprint is not only in the best interest of our community but especially in the best interest of our students, who will be most affected by environmental sustainability outcomes.

Rossbourne will build the capacity, resources and knowledge to support the broader neurodiverse movement by engaging with other organisations to advance support and the provision of services for neurodiverse people and their families.

We aim to enhance learning, teaching and support strategies for neurodiverse students. As a Centre of Excellence, Rossbourne will engage in research, specifically focused on teaching, learning and wellbeing initiatives that best support the development of neurodiverse students. This will require partnerships, resources and training with tertiary institutions and careful documentation of our culture, practices and structures so we can evaluate the efficacy of our programs. A Centre of Excellence and commensurate expertise will facilitate the ability to support other schools via a training and professional development outreach program.

Good governance with genuine transparency and accountability is pivotal to the professional performance of Rossbourne School and its ability to deliver high-quality support, educational services and care to our community. To ensure good governance, Rossbourne must maintain its cohesive and purpose-driven approach, supported by strong governance arrangements where roles and responsibilities are clear and well understood; empowering people to deliver our vision and mission.