Government schools and kids community participation programs around Kingscliff and Tweed Heads region
The Tweed Shire is an amazing place to raise children. From Tweed Heads in the north of the Shire, to the beachside town of Kingscliff, the coastal suburb of Casuarina and the southern settlements of Cabarita Beach, Hastings Point and Pottsville, there’s no shortage of picturesque spots to set up a home base.
It certainly is a busy part of the Northern Rivers region and knowing what types of schooling are available is an important factor in planning your child’s education. You may have something specific in mind in order to best meet their needs for learning, and only by researching your options will you be able to make the right choice. Following is a selection of educational facilities and programs across these popular coastal communities.
Early learning
Flying Start is a unique preschool in Kingscliff that focuses on helping transition children to formal schooling (kindergarten). Their year-long program includes elements such as play-based learning and the opportunity to think outside the box, challenge the status quo and be bound only by their imaginations. It’s about supporting children to develop a love of learning, while also being curious about the world around them. Flying Start also offers before and after school care, and school holiday programs.
For your preschoolers there is Pottsville Community Preschool for children aged three to five years old. It’s a not-for-profit centre and is nationally recognised for exceeding practice in early childhood education and teaching, while recognising that to learn, children need opportunities to make choices, explore, observe, problem-solve and imagine.
Kingscliff Mini School is a community preschool with an emphasis on outside play and creative exploration to encourage the natural curiosity and creativity of children. A wonderful introduction to school in an inspirational and supporting environment.
Beach Kids Early Learning is another fantastic daycare and preschool for children aged from infants to school-age. Located five minutes drive from Hastings Point, Beach Kids is family-owned and provides high-quality early childhood care and learning programs in an innovative, modern environment.
In Tweed Heads South, Erlibyrds offers every child the opportunity to experience their learning journey in a beautiful, intimate and personalised environment. They operate in a natural environment, promoting the beauty of the Tweed Coast and teach children sustainable living, with respect for the wider world around them.
Image source: Beach Kids Early Learning
Primary Schools
For school-age children, Pottsville Beach Public School is set in a natural bush environment with the beach on its doorstep. With a roll of over 600 students, the school is well equipped and resourced with air-conditioned classrooms, a large computer laboratory and library, extensive playing fields and a dedicated creative arts and music room.
St Ambrose Catholic Primary School in Pottsville is a private school with an emphasis on contemporary learning, creativity and embracing new technologies, mixed with tried-and-tested teaching methods. Classrooms and shared spaces are bright and colourful and have a connection to the outdoors to provide a stimulating learning environment.
St Anthony’s Primary School in Kingscliff is the area’s main Catholic school. It offers a supportive learning environment with the latest technology and dedicated music, drama and art programmes, with singing lessons also on offer. A great mix of modern and traditional learning.
Kingscliff Public School is a wonderful local primary school with stimulating learning programmes and a supportive community of parents. It’s set to benefit from extensive upgrades including new classrooms, a new library, an extended hall and canteen and new outdoor play spaces.
Bogangar Public School in Cabarita is a local primary with a strong emphasis on literacy, with additional student support where required. An active P&C provides a healthy canteen and uniform shop, as well as organising fundraising activities for the school.
Further north around Tweed Heads, you have Banora Point Primary School, Terranora Public School, South Tweed Heads Primary, Lindisfarne Grammar School, Pacific Coast Christian School, St James Catholic Primary School and St Josephs Catholic Primary School to choose from.
High schools
For high school education, Tweed Heads is home to the private schools of St Josephs Catholic College, Lindisfarne Anglican College and Pacific Coast Christian College. The Tweed River High School hosts agriculture studies, which is also popular among students, with the school raising its own cows, sheep and chickens.
Kingscliff High School is a co-ed, government-funded school of around 1100 students. Due to its proximity to the coastline, marine studies are a popular component of the curriculum, with many practical opportunities to gain a diving and/or boating licence.
Image source: Kingscliff High School
Further education
After finishing high school, young adults can access all the courses available at the TAFE NSW Kingscliff campus. There are a range of certificates and diplomas which can be achieved here, with exceptional amenities on offer – from a purpose-built bakery kitchen, wine cellar and refurbished restaurant, to a functioning hair and beauty salon, an automotive transport and logistics facility, a fully equipped gym and simulated hospital premises.
Southern Cross University has a campus at Bilinga, and many local students choose to go to university here. It offers a wide range of courses in healthcare, arts, business, law and IT on a modern, well-resourced campus, and is located in a beautiful setting close to the beach.
Extra-curricular activities
Getting creative is not only fun, but it also encourages the use of our imagination and builds on other cognitive developments – so why not get the kids enrolled in an art class at the Artory art school in Kingscliff? There’s no prerequisite for an established skill level in art, just a desire to learn, and if you think it would be something you’d like to have a go at, they offer art classes for adults, too.
For the pre-teens and teens in your life, the Cabarita Youth Service is a great community group to join. It provides multiple services to specifically meet the needs of local youth, by empowering them, ensuring families remain connected and that the community around them is strengthened by the activities they participate in. From school holiday programmes to regular events held by staff and volunteers, there’s always something going on here.
The Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre is another place to know and love, with its range of community-based activities, courses and social support groups to join. There’s a community garden onsite that is tended by volunteers, weekly toddler tunes and stories, and many other ways to get involved with this wonderful neighbourhood hub.
In Tweed Heads South, you’ll find the popular Kidz Biz play centre and there’s also Tabatinga Tweed Heads, located in the Seagulls Leagues Club, where you’ll find plenty of entertainment for children.
If you’re looking for schools and education providers who are not only able to provide your children with the skills to grow and develop, but who are also ingrained in the community around them, then you can’t go wrong with those located in the Tweed Shire – it’s what they do best.
Interested in learning what other schools and early learning centres are in the area? Check out our business directory.
