Abbotsford Primary School is an internationally recognised Chinese/English Bilingual School, located in the diverse and vibrant inner suburb of Abbotsford.

Our bilingual program was founded in 1984 and we hold great pride in our pioneering and expertise in running the Chinese/English bilingual program in Australia. The current principal, Stanley Wang, is not only a bilingual Chinese/English speaker himself, but also a specialist in bilingual education with extensive experience in teacher training.

→ Our Principal

Our school's vision is that "All students of Abbotsford Primary School will be kind local citizens and caring global thinkers." We achieve this by offering a world-class, holistic, Chinese/English bilingual education that is informed by global best practice and tailor-made for Abbotsford’s local context.

As a bilingual school with a multicultural makeup, we place particular importance in:

• Equip students with the capabilities to navigate seamlessly across linguistic and socio-cultural borders (“Learning about diversity”)
• Empower students to be leaders of their own learning (“Diversity in learning”)
• Inspire students to build and maintain global connections (“Globally informed”)
• Instil a culture of empathy and mutual respect for all students to embrace their unique identity (“Locally rooted”)

→ Our Vision, Mission, Objectives and Values

Academically, being a bilingual school, our students undertake 50% of their learning in Chinese and 50% of their learning in English. Under the Abbotsford Bilingual Model, core subjects including Maths and Integrated Studies are taught in both Chinese and English to ensure that students have the experience and opportunity to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in both languages.

Specialist subjects, including Science, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Vietnamese and Digital Technologies are taught in one language consistently throughout the year. The design of this model takes into account best practices in bilingual education around the world and our unique local context. Through our carefully crafted learning program, students develop a passion for languages and the cognitive flexibility to apply literacy skills across various academic disciplines.

→ The Abbotsford Bilingual Model

At Abbotsford Primary School, we place utmost importance on developing a three-way partnership between teachers, students and parents to ensure that every student has opportunities for success. We are recognised for our commitment to developing the whole child, given our strategic positioning of the school as both a centre for learning and a centre for wellbeing. Our structured approach to student wellbeing is captured by the Abbotsford Wellbeing Model, which features both in-class curricula, in-school support and community services which are available to our parents and students.

→ The Abbotsford Wellbeing Model

Abbotsford Primary School attracts both students from the local area and beyond, including international students from overseas. Currently, 70% of our student population come from outside of our school zone, with families committed to bilingual education coming from as far as Blackburn, Thomastown, Airport West and Middle Brighton. Demographically, 95% of our students come from non-Chinese-speaking backgrounds. We are honoured to be the school of choice for students and families from more than 20 cultural backgrounds and our community-orientation and inclusive environment allow for such diversity to flourish. Confirmtion of enrolment for entry in the following year begin in February each year, and we accept Expression of Interest for future enrolments up to 6 years in advance.

→ Enrolments 

Abbotsford Primary School places great emphasis on our engagement with both our parent community and the broader community. Parents have a range of ways to be involved in school activities, including running for School Council, contributing to a Sub-Committee, helping out with events, as well as supporting the operations of the school and our language immersion environment through a structured volunteering program. The school also undertakes various projects as a form of social responsibility, including webinars to promote bilingual education, support for community events, and fundraising for relevant social causes.

→ Newsletters & Social Responsibility

In 2019, our beautiful heritage-listed building (c1877) also received a total interior refurbishment, which means students now have access to state-of-the-art facilities as they embark on their learning journey with us!

→ Virtual Tour

Want to know more?

Phone: +61 3 9428 5977

Email: abbotsford.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Address: 20 Lithgow St, Abbotsford, Vic 3067, Australia

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