Our Approach

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.

(Jn 10:10)

Education plays a critical role in the transmission of culture. The Catholic School has the responsibility of transmitting culture in the light of faith and of integrating faith and culture in the life of the young person. Its aim and purpose clearly are to assist the Church in its mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

Catholic schooling repeatedly emphasises the need for an educational philosophy built on the foundation of a Catholic understanding of the human person. “The person of each individual human being is at the heart of Christ’s teaching: this is why the promotion of the human person is the goal of the Catholic school”.

The Catholic Church recognises parents as the first educators of their children. It affirms that Catholic schooling is a partnership with the home and the parish, the pre-eminent places of catechesis.

The formation of the whole person recognises the innate dignity of the child and young person who is educated in the Catholic school. They “are the ones most receptive to the gift of God” and in “their openness and trust, they offer us a glimpse of what it is to be open to God”.

Catholic teaching supports all in the Catholic educating community in affirming the students’ inherent goodness in the image of God, developing their gifts to the fullest, and forming them as missionary disciples of Jesus. It calls on curriculum and pedagogies in which the learners are active participants who are engaging their whole person (“head, heart and hands”) in a systematic and critical synthesis of culture and faith, and of faith and life.

The Catholic school is committed to the education of the whole person since in Jesus Christ all human values find their fulfilment and unity: “herein lies the specific Catholic character of the school”.

At St Joseph’s College we intend this to be apparent in the way we develop our Catholic Identity, Teaching & Learning and Pastoral Care & Wellbeing programs in order to develop actively engaged learners; relating, engaging, inquiring, persevering, challenging, reflecting and learning from each other.

The growth mindset culture of St Joseph’s College supports all students as they strive to grow into the very best version of themselves that they can be. This is achieved by ensuring that every student at St Joseph’s College has access to a relevant, inspiring and engaging learning pathway.

St Joseph’s College has an irreplaceable role in handing on the faith from generation to generation as well as for the purpose of evangelisation. Situated within a secular society our Catholic School is charged with forming individuals to take their place in that society as responsible citizens and effective Christian witnesses.