Paddington Public School

Established in May 1856, Paddington Public School is one of the State's oldest schools on its original site. Situated on Oxford St, we are close to the CBD, yet only a short walk away from Centennial Park, which is regularly used by the school for sporting and environmental activities. There are currently 280 students enrolled, thirty per cent of whom are from non-English speaking backgrounds, representing 30 different nationalities. Paddington Public School has a focus on student wellbeing embedding social and emotional learning into everyday practice. We believe that all students can be successful and happy learners. Our aim is to foster an engaged, supportive and diverse learning community, where every student has the opportunity to discover their potential and achieve their personal best, through quality teaching and learning practices. We have outstanding teachers with a wealth of knowledge and experience who are dedicated to ongoing professional learning and best practice. The quality of our teaching is reflected in our high standards of achievement in national tests. Differentiating the curriculum in literacy and numeracy to meet the needs of all students is a priority, as is the successful implementation of the new NSW English and Mathematics syllabus documents for the Australian Curriculum. We are a 21st century school with a range of technologies to support learning and student engagement in all classrooms, including interactive white boards and laptops in all classrooms as well as a computer lab with multiple sets of IPADS and desktop Apple MAC computers. The students participate in a diverse range of activities to enhance and enrich learning. These include inter-school sport competitions (PSSA) and non-competitive sporting options such as swimming, basketball, tennis, and skill development. French is taught during school time as our language other than English. There is a focus on creative and performing arts activities including music, drama, dance, junior, intermediate and senior bands, choir and art lessons. After hours programs include Italian, Greek, Mandarin, Spanish, Martial Arts, Art Class, Chess, Choir and Drama. The before and after school care centre is a popular and well organised service provided on site. The school plays a large role in the community by providing space for after school activities, church and meditation groups and of course the Paddington Markets which are held each Saturday in the school grounds. A family oriented school, with strong community connections and a focus on student learning and achievement, Paddington Public School is a school of opportunity and excellence.