School Profile

The Profile of Red Cliffs Primary School

Red Cliffs Primary School is located 16 kilometres south of Mildura, close to the centre of the Red Cliffs township. Our students are drawn from Red Cliffs, the surrounding area and from Mildura. The school enrolment at the time of the census in 2021 was 174 students.

Red Cliffs Primary School was established in 1924. It is one of 21 schools in the Sunraysia area of the North-Western Victoria Region. It is the largest primary school in Red Cliffs.

Red Cliffs Primary School has 21.30 EFT staff –1 Principal; 1 Leading Teacher; 1 Learning Specialist; 11 Teachers; 1 full time Student Welfare Officer and 8 part time Education Support Staff. A groundsman is employed for one day each week. The school employs a speech pathologist for one day per week to work with students in need.

The school’s SFO Index is 0.6671. The SFOE Index is 0.5969.

Our timetable is structured to ensure uninterrupted literacy and numeracy teaching and learning blocks.

Red Cliffs Primary School offers a comprehensive education for its Prep-Year 6 students. Our key curriculum foci are Literacy and Numeracy, but we provide a comprehensive curriculum including science, art and Filipino specialist subjects across all year levels.

Red Cliffs Primary School understands that for all children to learn to read, write and spell successfully they need to be taught using evidence-based instruction. There needs to be a focus on the development of the five essential skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. We use InitiaLit - a synthetic phonics program - in our Prep-2 grades, which teaches children the alphabetic principle explicitly and systematically. Children learn to automatically identify letter-sound correspondences and blend them together to fluently and independently read words, then sentences, and eventually books. InitiaLit also provides explicit instruction and differentiated activities to develop oral language vocabulary and reading comprehension, as well as spelling and writing. This is complemented by our intervention program for Prep, Grade 1 & 2, ‘MiniLit Sage’. Evidence-based instruction continues throughout Grades 3-6 with teachers using the Sound Waves spelling program to support systematic and explicit instruction in both reading and spelling. Reading instruction also has a more specific focus on fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. This is complemented by our intervention program, ‘Reading Tutor Program’, for grade 3-6 students, where required.

Our school operates a 1:1 netbook program for all students in grade 3-6. Infant students have dedicated individual access to iPads. All students have access to an extensive computer lab. Interactive flat-screen LCD Smart Boards are an integral part of all classrooms and specialist areas.

Red Cliffs Primary School provides its students with an open, friendly, safe, attractive and stimulating learning environment.

School facilities include a BER Administration area and three infant classrooms. The original school building consists of four classrooms and two shared learning space areas, the computer lab, teacher office spaces and the multi-purpose room. Two Mod5 buildings house our library and two additional classrooms. Specialist facilities include the well-resourced science room and art room.

The school grounds are extensive and well maintained, providing our students with a football oval, Tiger Turf netball/basketball courts, extensive hard surface areas and a sensory garden. Three separate playground areas provide safe play areas for all students. Shade sails and large verandas provide cool areas for students to play and relax in.

Professional learning is embedded in staff, unit and leadership meetings. All teachers utilise the Explicit Instruction Workshop model for key teaching and learning.

The development of high-level speaking and listening skills remains a priority. Friendly, sincere communication with others is a goal for all.

We aim to develop a successful partnership between students, parents and staff to help all students realise their potential. Students are encouraged to "Do Better Today than Yesterday", take pride in their work, show respect for fellow students, staff and parents and develop self-discipline practices, which foster self-esteem, self-confidence and tolerance.

Our school values - Expectations, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility - are explicitly taught to all students as a core element of our School Wide Positive Behaviours program.

The development of the whole child is an ongoing focus. Our classrooms are calm and focused. High expectations for student attitude, behaviour and achievement are explicitly articulated to the entire school community.

Our VISION is to provide a rich curriculum that meets the needs of all students in a supportive and genuinely inclusive environment. The school seeks to develop motivated, creative and independent learners who demonstrate strong social values and whose leadership, confidence, resilience and self-esteem is evident when interacting with the school and the wider community.

Our students enjoy extensive opportunities to be involved in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. Visiting performers are welcomed to our school regularly and local excursions are enjoyed by all students. Senior students are encouraged to participate in interschool and representative sporting events as well as having the opportunity to participate in our Eisteddfod dance group. The Grade 5/6 excursion to Melbourne/Ballarat in alternate years is the pinnacle of our sequenced Grade P-6 camps and experience program.

Parents are encouraged and welcomed to support the school through involvement with school council, parents club and helping in the classrooms and local excursions. Our school enjoys a positive and supportive relationship with our parent body and wider school community.