School – Cambridge PS

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School Profile

OUR VISION
Growth Through Learning

OUR MISSION STATEMENT
At Cambridge Primary School, our mission is to nurture lifelong learners who actively contribute to cultivating a positive, inclusive, and thriving school and community environment.

Cambridge PS stands as a contemporary school, with approximately 700 students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Established in 1992, our school is proud of its dedication to achieving outstanding educational outcomes while prioritising the wellbeing and safety of both students, staff, and the broader community.

We are committed to providing a culture of high expectations and focus on strong learning growth for every student. Our learning environments prepare our students for a globalised world. Given that many of our students are already bilingual, they are poised to make significant contributions to the increasingly interconnected global landscape.

The dedicated staff at Cambridge PS are deeply engaged in continuous professional development. While we recognise the paramount importance of a rigorous focus on teaching, learning and wellbeing, we also acknowledge the need for students to have a breadth of experiences that facilitate holistic development. Our students benefit from a diverse array of extracurricular opportunities, including sports, robotics, chess, engaging camps, excursions & incursions.

Cambridge PS hosts Breakfast Club mornings three times a term in the gymnasium foyer. This initiative, facilitated by staff, parent volunteers, and wider community members, provides students with a nutritious start to the day in the company of their peers, fostering a sense of community and wellbeing.

At Cambridge PS, we offer straight grades (non-composite) at every year level from Prep to Year 6. Our daily schedule comprises three main learning sessions, with a focus on English, Mathematics, and supporting the inquiry-based curriculum. We are committed to providing cutting-edge eLearning facilities that enrich student learning experiences. As a 1-1 Apple iPad (BYOD) school, each student in Years 1-6 has access to their own device across all curriculum areas.

Beyond academic instruction, our passionate staff are actively involved in creating an engaging and challenging learning and wellbeing environment for our students. Specialist teachers provide opportunities for students to excel in various disciplines, including LOTE (Italian), Physical Education, STEM, and Visual Arts.

Cambridge PS has a dynamic student leadership program empowering students to take an active role in decision making processes and community events. We encourage our students to be able to communicate ideas and opinions that have the power to influence change. We are providing opportunities for our students to collaborate and make decisions with adults around what and how they learn, which will lead to improved educational outcomes. This initiative forms part of our Leadership Development program, empowering students to have a voice in school decision-making processes and represent our school community at various events, including R UOK, NAIDOC week, ANZAC Day, Harmony Day, and Remembrance Day.

From the Principal

Allow me to extend a warm welcome to each one of you. It is such an honour and privilege to be the Principal of Cambridge Primary School and lead such an exceptional and remarkable community. At Cambridge Primary School, our mission is to nurture lifelong learners who actively contribute to the creation of a positive, inclusive, and thriving school culture.

Our commitment at Cambridge Primary School is to the continuous improvement of every student, teacher, and school leader. We place students’ wellbeing and learning at the forefront, ensuring they have the support and resources necessary to reach their fullest potential. As Principal, I am dedicated to ensuring Cambridge Primary School remains a forward-thinking professional learning community, focused on preparing our students for success in the 21st century.

Our core values: RESPECT, INTEGRITY, SELF–RESILIENCE, EXCELLENCE – guide us in all that we do. We foster an environment where compassion, honesty, perseverance, and a pursuit of excellence are celebrated and encouraged.

Education is a life-long journey, and together, we will continue to learn and inspire – students, teachers, and parents alike – at Cambridge Primary School. Most importantly, a strong partnership between families and the school is essential for the success of our students, and I encourage you to engage with us in every way possible. I am excited about the achievements that await us as we work together to support our students and look forward to celebrating our collective successes in the years to come.

Jane Budd
Principal, Cambridge PS

Student Leadership

Cambridge PS has an active student leadership team. It consists of School Captains, House Captains and a team of Junior School Councillors who are nominated by their peers from across Years 4, 5 and 6.

Junior School Councillors work with nominated staff members to implement school improvement projects and raise awareness of various social justice projects. They develop leadership skills to become responsible role models.

Our student leadership team is led by our School Captains from Year 6. At the end of Year 5, students prepare and present a speech to their peers, Principal and Assistant Principals explaining how they plan to best represent their peers and school community. They will also explain how they will contribute to the achievement of our school’s vision, mission, values and goals.

The School Captains at Cambridge PS work collaboratively with the Principal and Assistant Principals to conduct school assemblies and also play an important role in representing the school community at events such as Enrolment Week, Prep Transition and School Council.

Cambridge PS has four Houses – Carruthers (Blue), Westmill (Yellow), Dowling (Red) and Barber (Green). House Captains are voted by their peers each year to participate in an active interview process that assesses their physical, leadership and teamwork abilities. The House Captains assist the Physical Education teachers in all aspects of the sport, health and physical education program, including setting up for interschool sports, the athletics carnival, breaktime borrowing, the mini Olympics and Footy Day.

School Strategic Plans

2022-2026 School Strategic Plan

2018-2022 School Strategic Plan

Annual Reports

2024 Annual Report to The School Community

2023 Annual Report to The School Community
2023 Annual Implementation Plan

2022 Annual Report to The School Community
2022 Annual Implementation Plan

2021 Annual Report to The School Community
2021 Annual Implementation Plan

2020 Annual Report to The School Community
2020 Annual Implementation Plan

Enrolments

If you wish to enrol your child at Cambridge PS, it is preferable that all enrolment queries for 2025 & 2026 please be emailed attention to the school Enrolments Officer:

ATTN: Judy Shaw
E: [email protected]
T: 03 9748 9011

Once contact has been made, the school Enrolments Officer can forward all relevant enrolment forms/information to you.

Please also see the Victorian Government ‘Starting School’ webpage, which contains information for families on how to enrol their child in a Victorian government school and outlines the timeframes for submitting Foundation (Prep) enrolment applications for the future school year.

Designated Neighbourhood School

Cambridge PS is a Designated Neighbourhood School. Enrolment is open to families whose permanent residential address (at the time of seeking enrolment) resides within the area of the designated neighbourhood school (referred to as a ‘school zone’) boundary as shown on the map below. If your child lives at multiple addresses, their permanent residential address is the address at which they spend most of their weekdays.

To check if your permanent residential address falls within the Cambridge PS school zone:

Visit the following website: www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au
Type in your residential address
Select the year the student will be enrolling
Select the correct school type

Enrolment Process

Enrolment applications are open year round. To be eligible to enrol for Prep, children must have turned 5 years of age by April 30th in the year of enrolment/commencement at the school.

To allow for planning and preparation for the following academic year, parents/carers are asked to submit enrolment applications by the 30th September. This is especially important for parents enrolling their child into Prep, as it will allow teachers to liaise with kindergarten teachers or childcare staff.
We understand that it may not be possible to submit an enrolment application prior to the end of September and wish to reassure parents that enrolments will remain open after this date. However, children who are enrolled later in the year may miss out on attending some or all our planned transition program sessions depending on how late the application is submitted to the school.

Cambridge PS collects information as part of the enrolment process to support children when they start school. To verify this information, the school may ask for supporting documentation.
Schools must collect evidence to confirm a student’s name, date of birth, address, residency status, care arrangements and medical or health-related needs.

The below checklist details what documents parents/carers must provide when enrolling their child in a Victorian government school:
Enrolment Documentation Checklist for Parents and Carers

Parents/Carers living within the Cambridge PS school zone who wish to enrol their child may be asked to complete a 100-point residential address check. Documents should show the same parent/carer name and residential address as recorded on the enrolment form to verify your child’s permanent residential address.

100-POINT RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS DOCUMENTS

1. One of the following (40 points):

Council rates notice OR
Lease agreement through a registered real estate agent of rental board bond receipt OR
Exchanged contract of sale

2. Any of the following (20 points each):

Centrelink payment statement showing residential address
Electoral roll statement

3. Any of the following (15 points each):

Electricity or gas bill showing the service address*
Water bill showing the service address*
Telephone or internet bill showing the service address*
Driver’s license or government issued ID showing current residential address*
Home building or home contents insurance showing the service address
Motor vehicle registration or compulsory third party insurance policy showing home address

* up to 3 months old

School Tours

Cambridge PS are currently opening places for 2026 Prep enrolment tours. Please use the following link to secure a place: https://forms.gle/1p3mFEppxzTNZJwJ6

Tours will be taking place on the dates below:
Tuesday, 1st April 2025 – 2:30pm
Tuesday, 29th April 2025 – 5:30pm
Tuesday, 20th May 2025 – 2:30pm

Please note that all tours will contain the same information, so there is no requirement to attend more than one.

Transition Program

PREP
Cambridge PS holds a transition program during November and December each year for Prep students commencing at the school in the following calendar year. Parents/carers of enrolling Prep students will be invited to attend several sessions and we strongly encourage parents/carers to bring their child along to each session.
Sessions run for approximately 90 minutes, and during this time children will be able to meet the Prep teachers and other Prep students enrolling at the school, spending some time in the classroom engaging in fun activities.
Starting primary school can be a very daunting experience, and children who attend Prep transition tend to settle into school more easily.

YEAR 1-6
Students enrolling into years 1-6 in the following calendar year will be invited to attend the State-wide Transition Day, usually held in early December each year.

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Curriculum

At Cambridge PS, we pride ourselves on our excellent achievements in literacy and our passion for learning. We, as teachers, work together in Professional Learning Communities to develop our knowledge and skills as leaders of literacy learning. We work in teams to plan our literacy program and then work together to assess the achievements of our students. This constant focus on the learning that is happening in our school allows us to refine our lessons and differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of every student. Importance is placed on all staff working together to keep abreast of best practices and current research in teaching of literacy.

Our teachers understand what it takes to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully navigate the curriculum as 21st Century learners and fully participate and contribute to an ever-changing, global community.

Literacy and numeracy are key life skills that enable students to learn and thrive in all curriculum areas. Success in these foundational areas at Cambridge PS will benefit students for the rest of their lives. To ensure our students gain the fundamental skills needed in their reading journey a research-based phonics program (MSL) is delivered for 25 minutes a day in Prep to Year 2 classrooms.

The Victorian Curriculum 2.0 ensures that students are better equipped to deal with our changing world. The curriculum includes a strong focus on the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy, personal and social skills and new areas of learning.

L.O.T.E

At Cambridge PS, our LOTE program helps students to develop an understanding of the Italian language and culture.

Students will practice pronouncing words and short sentences with others and will gain confidence with unfamiliar Italian words.

The students will learn to count in Italian, basic greetings, colours, animals and much more. The LOTE classroom is an engaging space with displays, posters and student work that are ever changing with the students interests and topics.

Physical & Health Education

At Cambridge PS we believe in making sure that all of our community members, and in particular our students, are active and healthy citizens. We place a strong emphasis on physical and health education and our students are exposed to this via weekly Physical Education lessons delivered by specialist teachers.

Students at Cambridge PS engage in whole school events such as our annual Cross Country, Athletics Carnival and our Mini Olympics day.

As a school we are involved with inter-school sporting events that are organised by School Sport Victoria. This involves both Winter and Summer sports such as T-Ball, Volleyball, Football, Cricket, Netball and Basketball.

Carruthers – Blue
Barber – Green
Dowling – Red
Westmill – Yellow

STEM

At Cambridge PS, our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program is focused on science, design technology, digital technology, and the 21st-century skills of critical and creative thinking. We also offer a STEM Extension program for selected junior (Year 1 – 3) and senior (Year 4 – 6) students. Students participate in STEM each week with each session being designed by specialist STEM teachers with industry expertise.

The Science units of study are Biological, Chemical, Physical, and Earth and Space Sciences. Students explore coding, stop motion, spreadsheets, and other digital technology platforms. Through these topic areas and activities, students develop their skills in researching, designing, constructing, investigating, and reflecting. Students are regularly involved in hands-on learning where they plan, create, experiment and problem-solve with materials to connect their new understanding and skills to the world around them.

Visual Art

Visual Art is a vital component in the development of the whole child. The Visual Art program at Cambridge PS aims to provide students with the skills, techniques and processes needed to design and create a wide variety of artworks. Students have the opportunity to build upon their skills and knowledge while being immersed in the Visual Arts of different times, countries and cultures, as well as indigenous, traditional and contemporary Australian Art. Students are encouraged to share and discuss their own work and that of their peers. Tasks are often open ended, encouraging student choice, experimentation and creative thinking.

Prep – Year 6 students participate in weekly art sessions, organised by a specialist Visual Art teacher, for one semester each year.

Extra-Curricular Programs

Excursions/Incursions
Camp Program (Year 4 and Year 6)
Cybersafety (Years 2 – 6)
Interschool Sports (Year 6)
Personal Development; Knowing and Growing (Years 5 & 6)
Respectful Relationships
School Nursing program (Wyndham City Council) (Prep)
Student Leadership (Years 4 – 6)
Special Breakfast Club events
Chess
Education and Book Week
Music Bus

1:1 BYOD Apple iPad

From 2027, the Victorian Government is introducing changes to the use of digital devices for students from Prep to Year 6.

Under the new guidelines, schools:

will no longer invite families to purchase or bring their own digital devices to use at school for Prep to Year 6
will follow new recommended digital device times, including minimal device time for Prep to Year 2; and a maximum of 90 minutes per day for years 3 to 6.

These changes are intended to support families by reducing cost-of-living pressures. They will also support students by reducing screen-time which can reduce the risk of eye strain, sedentary behaviour, and reduced peer interaction. These reforms complement Victoria’s nation-leading mobile phone restrictions, ensuring an integrated approach to addressing digital distraction and the inappropriate use of technology.

Although these changes do not take effect until the 2027 school year, Cambridge PS are still currently in the planning phase as to what type of device program will operate in 2026. At this stage, Cambridge PS recommend families do not purchase a new or replacement device going forward.

Child Safe

Cambridge PS is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This will be the primary focus of our care and decision-making.

Cambridge PS strives to equip and empower life long learning that contribute collaboratively to build a positive, inclusive and successful school and community. Our four values of Respect, Integrity, Self-Resilience, and Excellence are taught explicitly within the classroom and across school settings and guide the decisions and behaviours of all members of our school community, including relation to child safety:

Respect – show care and concern for others
Integrity – be safe, honest, true, fair and considerate, take responsibility for your actions
Self-resilience – bouncing back from setback and having a growth mindset
Excellence – aiming high to be the very best we can

Cambridge PS has zero tolerance for child abuse.

We are committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Our child safe policies, procedures, strategies and practices will be inclusive of the needs of all children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, students in out of home care, LGBTI students and children who are vulnerable.

Every person involved in Cambridge PS has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.

CHILD SAFETY PRINCIPLES

In its planning, decision-making and operations, Cambridge PS will:

Take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety
Value and empower children to participate in decisions which affect their lives
Foster a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to children
Respect diversity in cultures and child rearing practices while keeping child safety paramount
Provide written guidance on appropriate conduct and behaviour towards children
Engage only the most suitable people to work with children and have high quality staff and volunteer supervision and professional development
Ensure children know who to talk with if they are worried or are feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to raise such concerns
Report suspected abuse, neglect or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities
Share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety and wellbeing of children is at risk
Value the input of and communicate regularly with families and carers