ABOUT BALFOUR SCHOOL

Balfour School is a small, rural, family orientated school located in Northern Southland. We benefit from making the most of the natural world and local environment and use geographical and agricultural features in our learning programmes.

 

Beaches, native bush, lakes and snow covered mountains are all just a short drive away and we enjoy school camps exploring, snow skiing, tramping, fishing, boating and learning about the history of Otago and Southland. 

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We are caretakers for our local Glenure Reserve in the Hokonui Hills and we take care to nurture and learn from this special area.

 

We are well resourced and supported by our amazing whanau and community through a variety of fun, family events such as trail rides and hikes in and around our local farms.

 

Our Board of Trustees and Home and School Committee are committed to support the funding of our school to ensure small class sizes, adequate Teacher Aid support and up to date resources. 

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With an extra Teacher funded by the school we have five classes that range from Year 0-6 with our largest  currently at 23 children. We generally have between 75-100 pupils. Each one receives a quality, multifaceted programme from our dedicated Teaching Staff. The focus is on core subjects but our resourceful Teachers plan inquiry units inspiring curiosity and extending learning outside the classroom.

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Our grounds are something special with a variety of manmade and natural areas of play and include a huge field and swimming pool. We have an orchard, vege garden and propagation shed to extend children's learning experiences.

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We are an ‘Incredible Years’ school and believe that nurturing positive relationships with students, whanau and community builds connections that promote academic growth. Our school values are embedded in our learning programmes and we recognise and celebrate the diverse cultures in our school.