Our School

Phil Anthony

Principal

Keysborough Gardens Primary School

Keysborough Gardens Primary School officially opened its doors on the 28th January 2020. Enrolments for 2022 have steadily increased to 350 students, with a class structure of 16 classes. Our estimated long term projected enrolment is around 550- 600 students.

The school is located on a landscaped 2.2 hectare site in Keysborough South, approximately 27 km south-east of Melbourne and 7km inland from Port Phillip Bay. In an area once made up of market gardens and semi-rural properties, Keysborough South is now undergoing significant residential growth.

Keysborough Gardens Primary School serves a steadily growing and culturally diverse community, with many of the residents born overseas.

The two levels of the main building contain a variety of flexible collaborative learning spaces, explicit instruction glassed rooms, presentation spaces, quiet reading or small group nooks, specialist art, science and creative activities labs, games and construction/storytelling settings and toilets.

The Performing Arts and Physical Education building is a well-equipped self-contained sports stadium and performing arts facility. It contains a large gym, a Performing Arts room, a Chinese Mandarin teaching space, the school canteen, toilets, staff offices and service spaces. It also houses our Before & After School Care program.

The grounds include sports courts, outdoor learning areas, an ampi-theatre, grassed playing field and several playing areas. Shade sails have recently been installed at the rear of the school.

The school class structure will continue to adapt to enrolment growth. In 2023 straight classes are offered in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2, with composite classes in 3/4 and in 5/6. Whilst home groups will be formed at all levels, a differentiated program caters for individual learning needs.

A full range of specialist programs is provided: Physical Education, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Mandarin. A Learning Enhancement/Individual Needs program is provided with a growing number of extra-curricular enrichment programs completing the comprehensive curriculum provision.

The staffing profile is built upon the principles of a highly effective Professional Learning Community, recruiting educators with a range of teaching experience, backgrounds and expertise.

Leaders and teachers at Keysborough Gardens PS demonstrate a passion for collaborative planning and teaching. They thrive on a culture of collaboration and have a positive mindset. They enjoy the challenges that come with being part of a new school, and appreciate their vital role in overall school improvement.

Leaders and teachers at Keysborough Gardens PS are also dedicated to the social, emotional as well as academic growth of every student. Underpinning everything they do is an ability to remain focussed on student learning growth as well as their own growth as high quality teachers.

Education Support staff are an integral to the success of the school in many varied ways, in both administration and within the learning spaces.

The core values of Kindness, Empathy, Gratitude, Respect and Excellence guide the daily interactions of all members of the Keysborough Gardens school community.

At Keysborough Gardens we:

Model and demonstrate kindness and take every opportunity to help others who may be in need.

Show Empathy by considering and understanding how someone else is feeling, by “putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes.”

Demonstrate Gratitude by appreciating, valuing and acknowledging the people and things we have in our life.

Respect ourselves, our school and each other, and understand that our attitudes and behaviours have an impact on the people around us.

Strive for Excellence, by trying our hardest and doing our personal best. Individually. Collectively.

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Our Beginnings

Keysborough Gardens Primary School was one of 10 new schools developed under the Growth Area Schools Project (GASP) by the Victorian School Building Authority for the Victorian Department of Education. These schools were designed to bring new communities together ensuring learning pathways from early childhood to graduate and post graduate studies.

In 2015 residents began lobbying for a local school to be built. It was announced in April 2018 that a new school would be built on a 2.5 hectare site commencing operation in January 2020.

During 2018 community workshops were held to discuss how the school and the broader community might interact with each other. Principal forums were held to discuss learners and learning, diversity, community, wellbeing, sustainability and technology.

Building commenced in late 2018 with a vertical school design chosen. The two-storey main building comprises of reception, staff offices, meeting rooms and Library, plus, teaching spaces with explicit instruction spaces, collaborative learning spaces, presentation spaces and quiet reading nooks. The second storey contains additional explicit instruction spaces, collaborative learning spaces, construction story telling areas and quiet reading nooks, as well as art, science and creative lab areas.

Designed to support after hours community use as well as school activities, the Performing Arts and Physical Education (PAPE) building contains a well-equipped sports and performing arts facility. The building includes a gym, music room, foyer/informal learning area, canteen and toilets.

Founding Principal

Phil Anthony

2019 - 2021

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Mr Phil Anthony commenced as the founding Principal of Keysborough Gardens Primary School in July 2019 and opened the school in January, 2020.

Phil was instrumental in laying strong foundations and creating a caring, supportive and innovative learning environment.

Thank you Phil for your vision, dedication and passion that has led to the establishment of our wonderful school.

Thank you for your many years of work with the Department of Education and for your service as our Founding School Principal 2019-2021.

Our Beginnings

State of the Art Learning Spaces

MAIN BUILDING

Our main building houses reception, staff offices, meeting rooms, our library and Prep and Year One Learning spaces.

Level One includes Year Three and Four, Year Five and Six, Visual Arts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

The whole environment offers great flexibility to best support our students and their needs.

General Learning Spaces

Our learning spaces are flexibly designed to create collaborative learning environments. Each learning community zone includes a small number of enclosed spaces and collaborative spaces. These wonderful spaces allow for many learning opportunities to occur throughout the day such as direct explicit teaching and demonstration, storytelling and inquiry, construction, play based learning, discussion, performance, quiet reflection or individual research, creative activities, assemblies or gatherings.

PORTABLE BUILDING

Our brand new two-storey portable building is the learning space for our Year Two students.

PERFORMING ARTS & PHYSICAL EDUCATION BUILDINGS

The PAPE building facilitates interaction between the school and broader community. It is used during and after school hours by various community groups. Adaptable interior spaces and strong outdoor connections cater for large and small groups.