Every child is on a different learning journey. So why should every child receive the same teaching from the same teacher? To find a better way forward, Claremont College became early pioneers of ‘co-teaching’. A model that brings two or more educators together in every learning space to support each child’s individual needs.
Our teachers researched and refined our co-teaching practice, to keep improving outcomes for children. That’s why every Claremont learning space brings multiple teachers together, so your child is guided by the team to improve outcomes.
Comprised of three to four educators (including classroom teachers, learning enrichment teachers and teaching and learning assistants), our teams work together to provide a tailored, holistic response to each child’s educational and emotional needs. By sharing their unique expertise and combining their diverse perspectives, our collaborative teaching teams are able to ensure that all students are seen, every child is supported, and no child is overlooked.
Our Classroom Teachers identify each child’s readiness level and tailor learning experiences to match. Students are often grouped based on their point of need, interests, and learner profiles, allowing for personalised learning. Teachers implement tiered tasks, providing common content with varying levels of support, challenge, and complexity. Regular monitoring and assessment ensure that each student’s progress is closely tracked.
Our learning enrichment teachers collaborate with our classroom teachers. They focus on small groups of students who require either support or extension in English and Mathematics. These teachers assist with curriculum planning, deliver intensive reading interventions, conduct assessments and screenings, and help evaluate lessons and student outcomes.
Our Teaching and Learning Assistants support both Classroom and Learning Enrichment Teachers by helping students develop independent learning skills and take ownership of their tasks. They also deliver targeted reading interventions to small groups in collaboration with Learning Enrichment Teachers.
When a child is capable of more, they shouldn’t be expected to wait for the class to catch up. That’s why we provide high achieving children with the opportunities they need to enhance their education beyond age expectations. Our teachers actively curate the curriculum to suit each child’s talents. By giving exceptionally capable children the challenges they’re hungry for, we ensure they stay inspired, engaged and excited about what comes next.
If your child is ready, our acceleration programs let them progress through the curriculum at a pace that matches their ability, not their age.
For curious children, going faster isn’t always going further. Our enrichment programs allow gifted learners to go deeper, stretching far beyond the standard curriculum.
Problem-based learning (K–6)
Students tackle real-world problem-solving, often focusing on environmental issues. This program helps them develop collaboration, self-direction and genuine motivation.
Excelsior (Years 3–6)
For children who race ahead in Spelling Mastery, Excelsior classes offer real-world language and literature challenges designed to spark creative thinking.
Some children need challenges to thrive. Provisions give them exactly that. Chosen by teachers or the students themselves, these include:
Gifted learners don’t just need acceleration, they also need to be stretched; and in every direction. Our teachers use ‘curriculum differentiation’ so exceptional children are challenged by what they learn, how they learn, what they create, and where they learn it.
Differentiated content
Differentiated thinking
Differentiated creation
Differentiated environments
Thinking and learning dispositions are integral to our research-informed practices for every grade. We integrate these into our practices so that our students develop future-ready skills to become confident and independent learners prepared for life long success.
Reference: CJ Simister, Future-Smart
The instinct, sense of balance and humour to deal positively with failure; to recognise that everyone stumbles but that successful people deal better with this; to use difficulties as learning experiences and opportunities for a new direction.
A willingness to be independently-minded, to think ahead and work things out for oneself; to be resourceful, to organise oneself well and not rely on others to be told what to do.
The capacity to work productively with other people, to pool talents and build collective solutions; to know when to seek help from and when to support other people; to judge effectively when to speak up and when to compromise.
An intrinsic motivation to take responsibility for shaping one’s own future and the drive to put in the effort required to do so; a desire to aim high and set clear goals combined with a willingness to be strategic and practical in determining how these goals will be achieved.
An eagerness to ask questions and to explore beyond what is merely required; to be investigative; to discover, to learn and understand new things.
The determination to stick with it when situations are challenging and to recognise the importance of intellectual struggle, a willingness to seek alternative ways of doing things when one comes up against an obstacle.
An inclination to review, to ponder and to consider methods and approaches that have been tried; to analyse both successes and failures with a view to making the most of one’s potential.
The willingness to be careful, accurate and thorough, to pay attention to detail and avoid needless mistakes, to concentrate well and become absorbed in what one is doing; an ability to regulate behaviour when short-term instincts conflict with longer-term goals.
A willingness to listen to others, to value and to try to understand their position, feelings and points of view. (Simister)
The ‘stop and think’ factor: a desire to avoid gullibility, to use reason and to think critically; the self-control required to assess options carefully and think about the value of ideas and information before deciding who and what to believe and what to do in different situations. (Simister)
The courage to take a chance rather than to choose the easy option; to try new challenges and push oneself to develop new skills, even when success may not be guaranteed.
A belief in one’s own capabilities and the sense of responsibility and confidence to take control and deal positively with a range of situations; the ability to remain calm and composed and to communicate to others with fluency, clarity, expression and persuasiveness.
A readiness to be open-minded, to recognise alternative perspectives and welcome novel ideas and viewpoints; to adjust one’s beliefs and change one’s mind in the light of new evidence and arguments.
The inclination to visualise; to make connections; to be creative with one’s thoughts rather than to think within conventional boundaries; to think laterally to generate novel ideas and solve tricky problems.
To deliver the NSW syllabus we use a variety of teaching methods to ensure all students can learn and thrive.
Explicit Teaching is used to make learning clear, explicit and purposeful. Teachers model new skills, provide guided practice and check understanding before students apply their learning independently. This approach builds strong foundations, mastery and confidence, while allowing teachers to respond quickly to individual learning needs.
Daily Review strengthens learning by revisiting key knowledge and skills regularly. Through short, focused activities, students consolidate previous learning, build fluency and develop confidence, helping knowledge become secure.
Learning comes to life through engaging, hands-on experiences that inspire students to explore, create and think critically. Through practical investigations, STEM challenges, robotics, Mathematics and Creative Arts, students apply their learning in meaningful ways, develop confidence and build the problem-solving skills needed for success in an ever-changing world.
We teach students to think deeply in all learning areas, ask questions and become aware of how they learn. Through purposeful learning experiences, students learn to plan, monitor and reflect on their thinking, develop effective strategies and build the confidence to approach challenges independently.
At Claremont College, we provide learning experiences informed by the work of James Nottingham and Lev Vygotsky, stretching students beyond what they can do independently while providing the support they need to succeed. Students are encouraged to persist through challenge and see mistakes as valuable opportunities to learn, build resilience and grow in confidence.
Learn more about Claremont and our commitment to nurturing a lifelong love of learning in every child.
