Building a parent-school partnership at NBCS 

Schools play a vital role in nurturing the development of young people so that they are equipped with knowledge, character, and skills for life. Yet the world around us is becoming increasingly complex, and so too, the role of schools. Expectations reach well beyond literacy and numeracy and include character formation, health education, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. There is a weight of expectation as schools and families navigate this complexity and how best to respond to it.  

With good schools across the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore, families have a range of choices. This can fuel a competitive mindset and amplify pressures on schools — pressures shaped by public perception, curriculum changes, and funding challenges. While many of these factors are outside our control, one thing that remains firmly within our influence is the health of our school community.  

There is an opportunity for us at NBCS to be counter cultural. We can intentionally build a thriving hub of connection and partnership. This stands in contrast to a transactional, or consumer-driven view of education. When parents approach school life with a mindset of “what will this school do for my child?” rather than “how can we work together to equip my child for a life well-lived?”, expectations can make success harder to achieve. When we foster genuine partnership, it builds alignment and trust and together we can navigate challenges more effectively together.  

At NBCS Primary, we have been actively investing in this kind of partnership through initiatives including the Hope Parent Project, Amazing Me and Friendology parent seminars, and ongoing collaboration around a Phone Wise policy to support digital wellbeing. These are just some of the ways we are helping to strengthen the parent-school relationship.  

Julie Smith 
Head of Primary, NBCS