{"id":116583,"date":"2026-07-24T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/?p=116583"},"modified":"2026-07-24T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:00:00","slug":"where-belonging-inspires-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Where belonging inspires learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Walk through the gates of Ballina Coast High School and one thing quickly becomes apparent: this is a school built on relationships.<\/p>\n

There is a genuine sense that students are known, listened to and encouraged to play an active role in shaping their education. It is an approach that reflects the school’s vision of Empowering Learners. Shaping Excellent Humans. and one that is transforming the way young people experience secondary school.<\/p>\n

At Ballina Coast High School, learning extends far beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to pursue their passions, challenge themselves and connect their learning with the real world through authentic projects, industry partnerships and community engagement.<\/p>\n

\"\"
ABOVE: Students at Ballina Coast High School benefit from a supportive learning environment that focuses on wellbeing, connection and individual success. RIGHT: Ballina Coast High School’s innovative approach to education empowers students to develop confidence, build relationships and prepare for life beyond the classroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whether working alongside architects to redesign learning spaces, exploring emerging technologies, participating in leadership opportunities or following personalised learning pathways, students are given the confidence to think differently and contribute meaningfully.<\/p>\n

The school’s philosophy is grounded in a simple belief: students thrive academically when they are personally invested in their learning. That investment grows through trusted relationships, a strong sense of belonging and opportunities to discover passion in both what they learn and how they learn it.<\/p>\n

This commitment is reflected in every aspect of school life. Innovative programs such as FLEX encourage students and teachers to connect through shared interests, while diverse pathways including the Big Picture Academy, Excel2Accelerate Academy, the Targeted Sports Program and the Talented Arts Program enable students to pursue their individual strengths and aspirations.<\/p>\n

At the same time, a strong wellbeing culture ensures every student is supported to grow with confidence, resilience and purpose.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ballina Coast High School’s innovative approach to education empowers students to develop confidence, build relationships and prepare for life beyond the classroom. Photo: Ballina Coast High School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

As a comprehensive public secondary school, Ballina Coast High School celebrates the diversity of its community and is committed to ensuring every student feels valued and included. Strong partnerships with families, local businesses, universities and community organisations further enrich learning, creating opportunities that prepare students for life beyond school.<\/p>\n

This innovative approach has earned recognition at both state and national levels, including an Innovation in Learning Design Excellence Award at the Australian Education Awards. More importantly, it continues to shape a school culture where young people are empowered to lead, inspired to learn and equipped to make a positive contribution to their communities.<\/p>\n

For families seeking a school where academic success is matched by genuine care, opportunity and innovation, Ballina Coast High School is creating an environment where students don’t simply prepare for the future \u2013 they help shape it.<\/p>\n

\/\/SPONSORED CONTENT<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walk through the gates of Ballina Coast High School and one thing quickly becomes apparent: this is a school built on relationships. There is a genuine sense that students are known, listened to and encouraged to play an active role in shaping their education. It is an approach that reflects the school’s vision of Empowering […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":116584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_section_post":"","home_featured_section_post":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-116583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhere belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ballina Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Angus Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@angussmithh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Angus Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Angus Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b\"},\"headline\":\"Where belonging inspires learning\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":494,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/\",\"name\":\"Where belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Ballina Coast High School students are encouraged to pursue their passions through innovative learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. Photos: Ballina Coast High School.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ballina Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ballina Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/BallinaTimes.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/BallinaTimes.png\",\"width\":697,\"height\":98,\"caption\":\"Ballina Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b\",\"name\":\"Angus Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Angus Smith\"},\"description\":\"Angus Smith is editor of the Times News Group\u2019s Northern Rivers publications, overseeing editorial direction for the Byron Coast Times, Lismore Times, Tweed Coast Times and Ballina Times.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/angussmithh\",\"angel\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/author\\\/angussmith\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Where belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times","description":"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Where belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times","og_description":"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/","og_site_name":"Ballina Times","article_published_time":"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Angus Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@angussmithh","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Angus Smith","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/"},"author":{"name":"Angus Smith","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/person\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b"},"headline":"Where belonging inspires learning","datePublished":"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/"},"wordCount":494,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/","name":"Where belonging inspires learning - Ballina Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-23T18:00:00+00:00","description":"Discover how Ballina Coast High School empowers students through innovative learning, strong wellbeing programs, and community connection.","inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/where-belonging-inspires-learning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/07\/TNG-22-july-14.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Ballina Coast High School students are encouraged to pursue their passions through innovative learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. Photos: Ballina Coast High School."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/","name":"Ballina Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization","name":"Ballina Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/BallinaTimes.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/BallinaTimes.png","width":697,"height":98,"caption":"Ballina Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/person\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b","name":"Angus Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Angus Smith"},"description":"Angus Smith is editor of the Times News Group\u2019s Northern Rivers publications, overseeing editorial direction for the Byron Coast Times, Lismore Times, Tweed Coast Times and Ballina Times.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/angussmithh","angel"],"url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/author\/angussmith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116583"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=116583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}