Dear parents, carers and families
Every term we warmly welcome new students and families to our school community. We enjoy getting to know you and your children as they settle into our school and into life in a new country. We care for all students and nurture their interests and abilities. We use our collective knowledge, skills and experience to support student learning. The school has highly qualified and experienced staff, and we are very proud of their commitment to each student’s wellbeing and learning.
Our school creates a safe and supportive learning environment and makes opportunities for students to learn together and be a part of their community. We work with parents to nurture each student to be successful and achieve their best. We provide information to parents about the schooling system in Victoria and support parents and students in moving to their next school. Parents are also invited into the school to see what learning looks like in our classrooms and to join with us in supporting every student to learn.
We look forward to meeting new families and enrolling your child in our school and to celebrating their achievements in learning as they settle into a new society.
Mairead Hannan
Principal
Blackburn English Language School (ELS) is part of the New Arrival Program (NAP) and provides intensive English language programs to primary and secondary aged newly arrived students from language backgrounds other than English (LBoTE).
Blackburn ELS provides:
Blackburn ELS delivers intensive English language programs to newly arrived students across the North-eastern Victoria Region (NEVR). The school provides an environment that encourages students from a range of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to become confident and active participants in the wider Australian community.
The school operates across three locations, two metropolitan and one regional. The main site, Whitehorse, is located in Burwood East, the Maroondah Campus is in Croydon North and the Wodonga campus is in the north-east of the state in Wodonga. Each site attracts newly-arrived students from their respective geographical areas.
Each year the Annual Report provides principals and school councils with an opportunity to share the year’s achievement and progress with the school community. Please find the Blackburn ELS 2023 Annual Report below.
(pdf download)
The School Strategic Plan provides an overview of the school’s plans and areas being prioritised over a four year period, in this case 2022-2026 . The Annual Implementation Plan provides a more detailed perspective of priorities for individual years, and fits within the overarching Schools Strategic Plan.
Please find the Blackburn ELS School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan below.
Blackburn English Language School School Strategic Plan Blackburn English Language School Annual Implementation Plan
(pdf download)
Settlement of newly arrived students from wide-ranging cultural, linguistic and educational backgrounds is the major planning focus in the school. Resources are targeted to support the development and delivery of a stimulating learning environment in which all students are expected to reach their potential. Student learning is focussed on English language achievement and preparation for the academic, behavioural and social challenges of mainstream schools. The school acknowledges that student engagement is influenced by a wide range of factors and, given that newly arrived students are unfamiliar with the Australian education system and have varied needs and vulnerabilities, provides a comprehensive and high quality approach to student welfare.
Click here to access our School Policies
Our beliefs as a school are based on the following core values:
Explicit focus on:
Explicit focus on:
Explicit focus on: