From the Head of Lindfield K-6
We want our students to begin their lifetime of learning with a sense of wonder and a spirit of inquiry.
The Head of the Preparatory Schools Mr Benjamin Barrington-Higgs is Head of Lindfield and Wyvern Campuses. Mr Barrington-Higgs is a passionate educator who has worked in state, independent and international school contexts. Before Newington, he led Yayasan Pendidikan Jayawijaya School, in West Papua. He is an accredited PYP workshop leader who has previously worked at All Saints’ College, Bathurst; Cranbrook School, Sydney; Jakarta International School and as a lecturer in Primary Education at Charles Sturt University. Mr Barrington-Higgs has a wife and three children. His two sons currently attend the Stanmore campus. Mr Barrington-Higgs tells us about the importance of student engagement and how the Primary Years Programme (PYP) at Lindfield is striving to engage students in meaningful learning experiences that inspire and challenge boys of all ages.
Unique Learning Experiences
There is a clear focus on purposeful teaching that is responsive to the learning needs of every student. Lindfield teachers focus on differentiated instruction to make the curriculum inclusive and accessible to all boys regardless of learning needs. By providing boys with purposeful and responsive teaching, and a stimulating learning environment, we can ensure that our boys get the most out of their learning.
Sense of Community
The key to our students' success is fostering the home-school partnership with clear and continuous communication. We aim to provide an energetic, positive and vibrant school environment where people want to teach and learn. We want our students to begin their lifetime of learning with a sense of wonder and a spirit of inquiry.
Student Engagement
So how do we engage our students?
It is vital for teachers to build positive relationships and provide a nurturing school community to help students achieve their full potential. An unwavering commitment to each student’s intellectual potential ensures that high expectations are set and met.
Each student deserves to work at the edge of their competence, to be challenged and stretched so that they can grow in different ways.
Along with being challenged, relevance is a key factor in student engagement. The PYP framework focuses on inquiry and action, which promotes learning experiences that are relevant to individuals and communities. When students are engaged in inquiries that are meaningful, they can connect with the concepts they are learning about and apply what they have learned to their own lives.
Building Blocks of Learning
Newington's tradition of individuality, excellence and community is a trademark of our students; it is the cornerstone on which our school was built and the heritage for its future. Boys leaving their primary years take their place in the wider community of the College with confidence, knowing that those years provided the foundations on which to build a successful and satisfying future.
