Fitzroy Community School

At FCS, we are engaged with the style of schooling – not just the content of the classroom offerings. Our experience is that the ‘style’ in which children spend their formative years plays a significant role in determining the adult they will become.

We are thus concerned with and attentive to the culture of the primary school experience and the expectations, practices, and values that inform the daily lived experiences of the children in our care.

FCS in Essence

Our school is a community where students and their families both are, and feel, valued. As a school we believe that having a place where children are known and valued plays an important role in the emergence of grounded, confident, happy young people. The FCS experience is therefore one that is tailored to allow the daily experience of connection and to foster a sense of belonging.

FCS has deliberately considered and structured the school day so as to contribute toward its students growing into full, good and viable human beings with a deep love of learning. To this end, our school recognises children for what they are: physical, thinking and feeling beings. The school allows them the time and space to develop these given attributes and to learn to express them responsibly.

Recognition of one's right to think, to express one's thoughts and to be heard all play a role in the building of self-confidence. Conversely, allowing a time and space to develop and express one's opinions entails learning to give others the space and time to express theirs. This is the give and take of community, a give and take that is central to making and maintaining connections. Speaking, negotiating and listening skills (all embodying respect) are developed and practiced regularly; a practice that also leads to the discovery that sometimes those around us hold different beliefs and understandings to our own.

The art of conversation is a part of the FCS experience. In our polarised world, the importance of the truly civilised art of modifying one's opinion, in light of new information, has never been more important. Our experience is that an open, respectful exchange of ideas during the primary school years contributes to the emergence of adults with tolerant, enquiring dispositions.

FCS is a small, caring, connected community in which courage and empowerment flourish. The size of the school matters here as many children are lost simply due to the size of many modern schools.

FCS is proud to have contributed to the emergence of good, happy and academically able children for 50 years.

Life at FCS

The Hidden Curriculum

That Fitzroy Community School is different in kind, rather than in degree, may not be immediately evident. What often meets the eye of a visitors to the school, is happy children. The difference is subtle. But the difference becomes obvious through the child's development over time. Our past students demonstrate a love of learning and exude a faith in, and care for, their world. They use their unique qualities to advance their personal growth and for the good of others.

In choosing Fitzroy Community School or another school, the fundamental question is not really whether or not it is a nicer version of what is being offered down the road. The question is a much deeper one, about the effects of the structure of a school on the child – what the writer Ivan Illich calls the hidden curriculum.

Faye Berryman (founder)

A Day at FCS

The kitchen is the hub of the school, much like a family home. There is always a welcoming atmosphere, smells of food, pots of tea, and lots of conversation. At transition times, the kitchen swells with bodies, all looking to find out what is happening next and to fill up on a snack before heading to another class. Then the kitchen empties and everybody moves on to the next part of their day, fuelled with energy. It truly is the beating heart of the school.

The Biggies (Grades 5-6) are the school's student leaders. They look out for everyone, displaying the nurturing quality of an older sibling. The Biggies are often seen helping Tinies who need lunch, looking for lost clothes or books, washing dishes, making sandwiches or sharpening pencils. The Biggies, through taking ownership of the culture and feeling in the school, contribute to its supportive culture and the general good feeling. The list of their ongoing contributions is very long: they are seen settling disputes between younger children, reading a story or washing and drying a pile of dishes, playing in the sandpit or having a game of chess.

Camps and what comes out of camp experiences are prized at FCS. Children are encouraged to immerse themselves in their surroundings and to revel in countless childhood moments in nature and friendship. The children (and teachers) always return from a camp filled with stories of connection, learning and experiences that have stretched them. As these stories accumulate over a school year, every individual at FCS feels a unique sense of belonging to the school and one another.

FCS is a no-device school. This reflects our mission of raising community minded children with good inter-personal communication skills. Our sad observation is that the ongoing use of screens has a detrimental impact on the development of empathy. In a school that places a premium on raising good people, screens are necessarily assigned a minor role. In terms of skills acquisition, screens have a highly detrimental impact on most children’s ability to concentrate and remain focused.