Setting the right foundations

Helena College believes that learning should be fun, engaging and memorable, with all students able to experience success. A beneficial education shows children how to become independent learners, able to drive their own learning through inquiry, curiosity and passion. 

The Western Australian Curriculum determines what our students learn. The way our students learn is through an inquiry-based approach to student learning, and teaching for conceptual understanding. This includes explicit teaching of knowledge and skills. Teachers create lessons with a focus on inquiry and choice for students about their learning, where appropriate. Projects, learning activities and experiences, and creating connections to overarching concepts all form part of the approach. We aim to provide transparency for students and parents about a student’s performance, including specific feedback about their learning.  Find out more. 

Early Learning Centre

At our Darlington Campus, students in Kindergarten and Pre-primary benefit from small class sizes, specialised teaching staff and a purpose-built Early Learning Centre (ELC). Everything is designed to bring out the best in each individual child.

Learning is underpinned by the Western Australian Curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework, which focuses on the concepts of 'Belonging, Being and Becoming'.

The two class teachers work collaboratively to give the students a greater range of experiences. The Kindergarten and Pre-primary students play together outdoors in our ‘big back yard’, which scaffolds their social and emotional development. Students are also involved in combined events throughout the year, building relationships between students, teachers and families.

We recognise that it is through play that young children construct meaning and define themselves as members of a learning community, and it is this that enables ELC students to enter Year 1 confident in their ability to learn, make friends and enjoy school.

Years 1 to 5

All learning programs at Helena College provide opportunities for academic, physical, social and emotional development, combining the Western Australian Curriculum with both inquiry-based and explicit teaching through the Helena College Teaching and Learning Framework. 

In our Junior School, students are taught by classroom and specialist teachers, assisted by education assistants (when required). Teaching staff carefully plan and deliver student learning programs, assess student progress and report student achievements to parents. Learning opportunities are enriched by the use of online and physical resources, incursions and excursions, cross-curricular activities, and interactions with other classes and year groups.  

Specialist Learning Areas

All Junior School students are taught by specialist teachers for learning areas such as Technologies (computer studies), Health & Physical Education, Languages, Library Studies and Performing Arts. In addition, the Darlington Campus has an onsite psychologist, who will work with students on Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  Child Safety is embedded into both the Health curriculum, SEL and day to day life at Helena. Our unique Camps Program provides further opportunities to further enhance wellbeing and personal development, along with reinforcing a variety of learning areas, skills and physical activities in a challenging (and fun!) way. 

Language Learning

In 2023, Helena College launched Auslan as our additional language - a wonderful development for the College. Learning a language is more than just memorising words and phrases, it helps students build communication skills and learn about other cultures. Auslan is accepted by the Federal Government as a community language, with a distinct culture, recognised by shared history, social life and sense of identity. Almost 20,000 Australian's use Auslan in their homes every day, and is the first language for many Deaf Australians. The course will include Deaf history, as well as share the stories and profiles of everyday Deaf Australians.