School’s wonderful secret
Sparking curiosity a key lesson
LEARNING has evolved outside of the classroom at one of the Gold Coast’s best NAPLAN schools.
All Saints Anglican School at Merrimac has long been home to some of the Gold Coast’s most academically gifted students, but behind the success is a special approach to education.
The school, which spans prep to Year 12, has stepped away from the desks of typical classrooms and into a holistic learning philosophy based on fuelling curiosity.
The library has been converted into a futuristic education centre, equipped with interactive walls, sound spaces, a filmmaking studio and even a virtual autopsy table.
Principal Patrick Wallas, who has a habit of greeting each of the 1700 students by name, said he wanted to ensure kids were given the ability to “wonder”.
“Our culture is about the human factor, to help the child thrive. A balance is what the soul needs,” he said. “That is the secret, really.” The school achieved one of the highest average scores on the Gold Coast for NAPLAN, with an average primary result of 492.9 and high school result of 600.8.
“I believe there is a place for standardised testing, but the most important thing in schools like ours can’t be measured,” Mr Wallas said.
The idea for the Wondercentre, which even comes with a two-storey slide, was sparked during a conversation between Mr Wallas and director of learning culture Jason Wainwright.
“We had a conversation about looking beyond and getting students to wonder again,” Mr Wallas said.
“That is such an important part of learning.”
Mr Wainwright said he always pushed the boundaries.
“The wonder project is about crafted talks, getting them to think beyond the here and now,” he said.
“We wanted to build a
classroom like the inside of someone’s brain.”
Every centimetre of the space is planned, from the positioning of posters to the labelled pipes of the interior.
“Learning should be fun – this is a temple of that philosophy,” Mr Wainwright said.