- The school supports learning from Preschool through to Year 3, adding a grade annually.
- Maintains a high ratio of two teachers for every 24 students in the Primary School.
- The Preschool maintains a 2:16 ratio, significantly above mandated requirements.
- Located at 1 Rosemead Road, Hornsby, utilizing local facilities as extended classrooms.
Blue Gum Community School entered the landscape in 2022, presenting families in and around Hornsby with a new option for their children’s education – a small school that seamlessly supports children’s learning journey from Preschool (for 3 and 4 year olds) into Primary School… currently through to Year 3, and adding a new year level each year.
Four years down the track, Jill McLachlan, the school’s Principal, shares that the process of opening the school has been an exhausting but exhilarating roller-coaster ride.
“In a time of uncertainty, our school honours the complexity of the world in which our students are living and prepares them for that world. Learning is a meaningful exploration of their world, through real and engaging experiences, where deep thinking is normal, accompanied by wonder, curiosity and joy! It’s not just any place…”
What makes Blue Gum different?
Its educators’ strong belief that children come to school with strengths and a desire to make deep connections – with each other, with ideas, and with the wider community. Learning at Blue Gum is contextualised in research projects that welcome students’ different voices, questions and skills. Students develop deep understandings together, explore multiple perspectives and learn to respectfully listen to one another, in a shared search for meaning and knowledge.
Blue Gum’s Primary School features an intentional design: two teachers for every 24 students.
The Preschool (ages 3–5) maintains a 2:16 ratio, significantly above the mandated 2:20.
These exceptional ratios allow students to frequently venture beyond the school gates, utilising the broader community – from Hornsby Library to the Royal Botanic Gardens – as a “rich classroom.”
This exploration is anchored by a deep sense of community. In a complex world, Blue Gum prioritises teaching children to tackle challenges and negotiate solutions.
While academic success is nurtured, equal weight is given to social-emotional development.
Ultimately, the school’s impact is driven by the quality of its educators. As Jill notes, while the historic house and gardens are stunning, it is the dedicated team working alongside students that ensures an exceptional experience.
This collaborative environment encourages students to listen deeply, with one student reflecting, “listening to other people helps me figure out what I think and sometimes it even changes my mind.” At Blue Gum, the focus remains on who the students are and what the community is becoming together.
