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Form of workBalmoral K-12 Community College is situated in the rural township of Balmoral, located in the Southern Grampians Shire in the Western District of Victoria, 328km west of Melbourne, with Hamilton 70kms to the south and Horsham 75kms to the north. The school buildings and grounds are attractive and well maintained.
The College has good links to the local community and our students and staff are often involved in projects and activities around the town and the Southern Grampians Shire, where our College is located, but also the West Wimmera Shire and Horsham Rural City. Where possible, partnerships between the school and the various service and sporting organisations and committees within the town are created and maintained; this includes the Lions Club, RSL, Balmoral Bush Nursing Centre, Harrow Bush Nurse Centre, Balmoral Men¿s Shed and the Harrow Balmoral Football Netball Club. The School Council members are strong supporters of the College and our improvement efforts.
The township of Balmoral has a population of approximately 200 people. Students are predominantly from farming families, hence the large majority of students travel to school by bus from the surrounding districts. The school is serviced by five school buses, transporting 4-year-old Kinder children up to Year 12 school students. The Student Family Occupations index is 0.3876, which falls in the (low-medium range).
The 2023 enrolment was 83. There is a Kindergarten on site that delivers both 3 and 4 Yr. Old programs, each operating for 15 hours per week. The 2024 Kindergarten enrolment is 18 students.
The Kindergarten has very strong links with the school; it is very much considered an integral part of the K-12 College. The transition program from Kindergarten to Foundation is excellent, with the transition program beginning in Term 2.
Balmoral K-12 Community College aims to meet all School Strategic Plan goals and targets. Meeting these goals will support students to be literate, numerate and engaged learners. Our SSP focus is to: - improve literacy outcomes for all students - improve numeracy outcomes for all students - improve student engagement in learning. The College is committed to strengthen and refine the Professional Learning Community process to inform planning and to evaluate teaching practices. We are focused on literacy and numeracy improvement to ensure that we have a guaranteed and viable curriculum.
In 2024 the Principal is supported by a Lead Teacher, one Learning Specialist, a Business Manager and 20 other full and part-time teaching and Education Support staff. The College has eight Teacher Houses. The properties are provided by the Department to assist rural schools in attracting new teaching staff to the community.
In the kinder and primary school, we offer play-based and bush learning experiences. We are committed to using evidence-based practices and have a structured literacy block embedded in F-2. Our next piece of work is focusing on building this into Years 3 ¿ 10 classes. Specialist subjects in Art, Music, Physical Education are offered throughout the year levels. The school offers VCE, VM and VETiS pathways, or a combined pathway at Senior level to best meet student interests and needs, post-schooling. In 2024 we have three Year 12s and two Year 11s who are studying a range of VCE subjects including Media Studies, Art Making and Exhibiting, Visual Communication, English, Modern History, Physics and Accounting. Senior students also travel to Hamilton complete VET courses in Early Childhood, Agriculture, Game programming and 3D Animation.
The school vision is 'Balmoral K-12 Community College strives for a respectful, nurturing and inspiring learning environment that fosters community and connection to place'. Our College values are Respect, Nurture, Inspire. Students have access to a range of support services and intervention programs. The small number of students at the College allows close attention to being responsive to student needs and interests. The school is committed to implementing the Berry Street Model and Respectful Relationships to ensure that students are feeling safe, grounded, and ready to learn.
Balmoral K-12 Community College is well resourced, and staff feel that they are supported to operate effectively in their roles. Balmoral K-12 Community College considers the safety of children as being of paramount importance. Our school has a zero tolerance of Child abuse. Every person involved in the Balmoral K-12 Community College has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role he/she plays individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people are at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.
