Building Personal Capacity
We recognise that success is more than just an academic mark; it includes the ability to manage yourself, your relationships and future learning.
At St Andrew’s, ‘Personal Capacity’ is used to describe the development of personal and social capabilities that stem from the experiences and opportunities provided by the College. We seek to develop young people who have the skills and capabilities that will allow them to thrive and have a positive impact on the future. We see personal capacity as the knowledge, skills, and personal and social capabilities that promote effective management of self, relationships, and learning. When combined with student empowerment and ownership of learning (learner agency), it forms a potent combination that assists students to achieve their full potential, be successful in their chosen pathway and equipped to handle a world of change. The College believes in the value of participation and encourages students to be open to challenges that move them away from their comfort zone.
To build the personal capacity of our students we provide a wide range of experiences and opportunities. These include school camps, competitions, Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunities, extension and enrichment, co-curricular activities, post-school programs and our Global and Service-Learning opportunities — each contributing to the holistic development of our students.
The key to student success is our staff, who bring about personal capacity building opportunities in a structured and gradual way and provide constant support to students to assist them to become lifelong learners.
Personal CapacityTranscript
Personal Capacity is the knowledge, skills and capabilities that promote effective management of self, relationships and learning. This enables us to find purpose and move confidently into our futures.
The key to tracking and celebrating the growth of Secondary students is our Personal Capacity Transcript (PCT). This transcript features a learner statement, credits earned from 8 categories, showcased learning and achievements linked to a QR code and subjects studied that year. This is all designed to capture and articulate a broad range of evidenced capabilities and achievements that showcase the learner's broader involvement, strengths and learning.
The Personal Capacity Transcript captures student learning and growth for a specific Calendar year before resetting, except for Years 11 and 12, which is a two-year period. All Secondary students provide evidence and self-reflections on their involvement, learning and growth from activities inside and outside the College. Once the evidence for one of the credit outcomes is submitted, these are 'endorsed' by their Mentor Teacher through a coaching conversation. The result is a graph that gives a 360-degree view of the involvement and learning of the student.
The PCT is a 'live' document that can be viewed and printed off at any time but will be specifically produced and sent home twice a year. It can be used for job applications, university entry portfolios and celebrating the learning that takes place due to each child’s unique gifts and passions.
Find out more below about each of these areas.
