Classrooms fill as Ballarat's youngest students begin school

PLAYGROUNDS, lunchboxes and first-day nerves marked the start of the school year this week, with tens of thousands of Victorian children beginning foundation.

For Ballarat student Frank Tyler, the excitement was all about the playground.

“I like those toadstools, because it’s like a pattern and I like patterns,” the St Patrick’s Primary School student said.

As Frank and his classmates stepped into their classrooms, parents watched on with a mix of excitement and emotion.

Frank’s mum, Madeline Slater, said her son had been eagerly anticipating the milestone.

All set: New foundation pupil Frank Tyler with St Patrick’s Primary School principal Ben Shields. Photo: CHRISTOPHER O’LEARY

“I’m really excited for him,” she said. “He’s ready.”

Ahead of his first official day on Thursday, Frank said he had been practising packing his lunch and helping his mum iron name labels onto his uniforms.

Asked what he was hoping to learn, he said: “Whatever the teacher says to learn about.”

St Patrick’s Primary School opened its doors to new pupils and their families earlier this week, welcoming 36 children starting their formal education journey.

“They are all super excited, and it looks like a really good dynamic of kids,” principal Ben Shields said. “Even today, as we see them in the playground, they’re excited and connected with each other and so are the parents.

“It’s not just about inducting the kids, it’s all about inducting the whole families, making a very family-centric school community experience for everyone, so kids have the best environment to learn in.”

Approval: Frank gets a hang of the mushroom steps at St Patrick’s Primary School in Ballarat. Photo: CHRISTOPHER O’LEARY

Mr Shields said education worked best when families and schools committed to the journey together, with trust playing a central role in helping children settle into their new surroundings.

“Work on trust together,” he said. “If we do that first, and work on lowering anxiety, lowering stress and making a really predictable school environment for everyone, then the academics come later on.

“Some are ready to go straight up and that’s great, we’ll accelerate from there, but at the same time we want to make sure everyone’s in a really calm, settled environment.”