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Since its establishment twenty-six years ago, The Essington School Darwin was unique in the Northern Territory education scene using the international Montessori education model in its preschool. This provided a solid early years education foundation built on in the primary and middle years with an accelerated Australian curriculum. To further enhance our Australian curriculum offering, we used international curricula to extend our students further. Nineteen years ago, when few Australian schools were looking internationally, The Essington School Darwin was a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS). This gave the school access to many accredited leading international schools and their curricula and pedagogy. When ECIS was restructured to create a separate group to service international schools in Australasia called the Council of International Schools (CIS), our school was a founding member. From 2013 we formalized our international curricula by being accredited by Cambridge Universities Cambridge Education branch to be a Cambridge International School. At the time, we were the sixth school in Australia to be accredited by Cambridge Education. The only Australian school accredited to offer their international programs from primary to senior secondary years. The value of delivering the Australian curriculum at a high level while enhancing it with international education curricula and programs is borne out in our student results on national and international assessments. Our students consistently 'Significantly Above' the Australian school average in most areas, which is an outstanding achievement. The school's seamless education model from Preschool to Year 12 is now delivering exceptional student outcomes in the Year 12 NT Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET) results. The new Essington School was officially opened in 1990 by Mrs. Margaret Muirhead, wife of the then NT Administrator. Wendy Darwin, a teacher at the school in its first fourteen years, remembers initiating a Montessori playgroup on Fridays and "before too long we had two sessions running." She recalled Dr. Vicki Mathews' visit from the United States to oversee her Montessori Practical Exams 1 and 2. The Essington School Darwin bases its philosophy on the Montessori Model of education. He has used this philosophy at the primary and secondary levels to develop its own 'Essington' education model. The school aims to encourage and foster academic excellence, self-esteem, independence, and healthy self-discipline habits. The Kindergarten and Preschool years are some of the most critical years of a child's learning. The Essington School Darwin provides a program based on the Montessori philosophy of education and focuses on the individual. The focus of these programs is the children's social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development. All children deserve the best possible start in life, from the early development of vital literacy and numeracy skills in preschool and primary years to middle school's crucial transition period. At The Essington School Darwin, all facets of education are introduced in the early stages of a child's development, including computers and related technology, performing and dramatic arts, languages (Indonesian), art, literacy and numeracy skills, music, and the development of gross and fine motor skills which extend natural abilities and fitness while maintaining natural physical vitality. The Early Learning Unit provides a stimulating environment for children within a Montessori based program based on individual progression. Children are valued as individuals about their emotional, social, and intellectual development, and learning programs have been designed with this in mind. As part of the more comprehensive Essington School, the Early Learning Unit can offer students the advantage of specialist teachers for subject areas. The Junior School is a warm, supportive environment where every child will feel welcome and safe. Classrooms are located on the same level, and specialist rooms are easily accessible for Information Technology, Music, Art, and Indonesian. There is an emphasis on the core subjects Mathematics, English, Science, and Humanities linking in the school-wide literacy and numeracy initiatives, including the 'First Steps' Literacy Program. Our teachers strive to ensure that each child works at a standard appropriate to their ability and find challenging and satisfying. A lower student-teacher ratio means greater individual attention for your child during their foundation years of schooling. In the Junior School, students are grouped on a two-year multilevel basis. The Middle School builds on the Junior School work. It uses multilevel education variations to develop a vital early secondary education based on a (core) curriculum with, where possible, an integrated approach to learning that incorporates the latest learning technologies. Students complete a course of study to Year 10, providing work and attendance requirements are met. View full school