Executive Principal  

A School with the Bible

It may or may not be known to you, that in the country from where I descend (The Netherlands), there was a time when Christian schools were given a name with a subtitle added: A School with the Bible. Interestingly, one of the Australian John Calvin Schools that I served during my career in Christian education, maintained that tradition and is still known by the name: Albany John Calvin School … a School with the Bible. 

Whilst Leighland Christian School doesn’t have this subtitle as part of its name, it could have. For we are a School with the Bible. A School with the Bible is a loaded subtitle in that it is saying that God’s Word informs and is embedded in all our activity. I hope that sits comfortably with everyone. It does with me in that I have seen over the years that, if correctly applied, it is a real blessing for all concerned. 

Schooling is composed of three main elements, namely culture, teaching and learning, and curriculum. How do these three elements derive their direction from God’s Word and what does that mean in terms of outcomes?

School culture has to do with the behaviour and conduct of those involved, in particular students and staff. What’s important is for schools to have a culture where students are appropriately nurtured and held to account, and where learning is central. This is a truly biblical concept in that this reflects God’s calling to parents and those who act in the place of parents (staff). God calls for adults to love the children entrusted to them and to nurture and encourage them, as well as hold them to high standards of conduct. In and through the sound exercise of adult responsibility, children can learn well. In fact, God’s Word calls them to be the best learners they can be. God gave the first inhabitants of the world the charge to learn about his world and to be busy with it. That is the charge that comes to all of us, even our children and it is exercised in their schooling too. 

In relation to teaching and learning we learn from God’s Word that he created people with the capacity to learn and that there are similarities in the way people learn but also differences. People have received different dispositions and capacities and the teaching and learning practices at school need to reflect that. It’s why Leighland is strong on personalized learning. All children are supported in their learning, mindful of how they as individuals have been created by God to learn. 

In relation to curriculum, we are mindful that the full scope of the school’s curriculum encompasses God’s creation and his governance of it. That’s why we are very comfortable with the Australian curriculum because it gives opportunity to explore the reality of the world our students live in, as created by God. As an addition to the Australian curriculum, we consider that the subject of Christian Living is valuable in that it helps students take what they learn from the Bible to other areas of their learning and to all areas of life to reflect the sovereignty of God and the truth of his revelation. That shapes them well for life beyond school too. 

Much more can be said, but this is enough to gain appreciation for having the Bible, God’s Word, as the main pillar on which Leighland activity rests, and how that positively impacts the lives and the learning of all those who attend. 

Leighland Christian School … a School with the Bible. 

Alwyn Terpstra

Executive Principal