Living and Learning

At Salisbury, each girl has a tailored programme that they work through with our team.

Guiding principles are woven into all aspects of wider school life; Māori perspectives, empowering students, learning for sustainability and respecting diversity.

For every girl that comes to Salisbury there is a dedicated school and boarding place for them to learn at their own pace and in their own way.

One Campus

Academic, social, and living and life skills programmes form a core part of everyday learning at Salisbury.

In addition to our core curriculum, our extensive enrichment programme provides unique opportunities for each student to be involved in community initiatives. Our ‘one campus’ philosophy means that together, teaching and boarding staff support the girls to learn and grow at a pace so success is experienced and areas of high interest are nurtured.

Being Social

Students make real friends at Salisbury, sometimes for the first time.

They learn social skills that will position them well for life beyond school and are taught how to use leisure and recreation time productively.

They also have the opportunity to participate in work experience, which helps them to think about their future.

Individualised Learning

A ‘people first’ philosophy (Te whānau o Salisbury) is deeply embedded at Salisbury - our students’ needs are at the forefront of everything.

All students have an Individual Plan (IP) These are tailored and collaborative plans that ensure the individual needs of each student are met, that barriers to learning are addressed, and that steps towards successful transition are well planned for.

Students have a key voice within the development of their own learning plans as empowered young women who direct and drive their own learning. We pride ourselves on goals that are meaningful, relevant and achieveable.

We work alongside families at every stage of our planning, capturing a future vision that steers teaching and learning.

Positive Behaviour

A positive approach towards behaviour extends across the campus with our team skilled in conflict resolution and restorative behaviour approaches.

At Salisbury, students learn strategies for building and maintaining positive, caring and respectful relationships and how to ‘put things right’ when challenges arise.

The ‘Salisbury Way’ is one in which girls and young women develop a positive image of themselves as caring and contributing citizens. We work to weave a range of programmes and initiatives throughout the campus that foster a positive school climate and promote a philosophy of inclusion and kindness. Reflective thought and action is developed in our students supporting them to make good choices and manage themselves as respectful community members.

Safety is also considered a very important life skill where key learning emphasis is placed at Salisbury. Programmes such as Keeping Ourselves Safe, Mates and Dates, and Teen Power teach the girls practical strategies towards risk awareness and positive assertiveness. We work with our local Police Youth Aid Officer who provides advice and support, and the girls have access to counselling and a psychologist if required.

Settling In

A positive start at Salisbury sees students feel secure so they settle in easily.

Transitioning into and out of Salisbury School is a collaborative process with the student, their family, their local school, their referrer, and Salisbury. The key people in a student’s life have valuable insight to help with individualised planning and preparation for a smooth transition.

Salisbury welcomes all families with daughters at the school to be active participants in their girl’s education. Particularly important is the transference of skills learnt at Salisbury being successfully embedded in homes and in local community schools. We work hard to ensure the Salisbury community stretches far and wide and is inclusive of all girls’ families, community support agencies and agencies nationally.

There are multiple opportunities for parents to be engaged with the school on the school premises. End of term assemblies, graduations, and key event days such as Special Olympics are some of these events. Given the widespread geographical basis across New Zealand of our parent body, we work hard to develop and maintain relationships with parents through phone conferences, zoom, email, etc. Individual Planning meetings provide a formal opportunity each term to review progress and consider individualised plans in a collaborative and cohesive manner. Each girl at Salisbury has an individual ‘e-Portfolio’ online where regular news, achievements, and events are shared with families.

Our priority is to establish trusting relationships, to meet with the family and the student in the home and in school settings, and for all parties to develop an in-depth understanding of 24/7 specialist residential education. Click here to read more about transition.

Graduating

Salisbury graduates aspire to be independent, confident, and connected members of the community.

Right through students’ time with us, we help families and schools with transitional planning to ensure that each student continues to thrive after they leave Salisbury.

Transition pathways are forefront of the planning we undertake with each girl and the wider team that surrounds her. We work hard to ensure these are pathways of success that enable the strengths gained at Salisbury to be carried forward and further extended.