An Award-Winning Foundation for Your Child's Future
At Matthew Flinders Anglican College, our Primary School provides a welcoming, healthy and creative learning environment for your child to confidently begin their schooling journey.
Our expert teaching and leadership team – led by our Head of Primary, Mr Jason Locke – is dedicated to empowering students from Prep to Year 6 with a robust and creative foundation for learning.
Why Choose Flinders Primary?
Nationally Recognised Academic Excellence
Flinders' commitment to excellence in learning and life is recognised on the national stage.
- Top-Ranked Academic Results: Ranked the No. 1 NAPLAN school on the Sunshine Coast and in the Top 20 schools in Queensland (2025).
- 5-Star Rating: Named one of only 35 schools nationwide to receive the 5-Star Best School in Australia award by The Educator (2025).
- Primary School of the Year: Proud winner of the Primary School of the Year (Non-Government) at the Australian Education Awards (2023).
Shining as an Excellence Awardee in 2026
Building on our national success, Flinders is proud to be shortlisted as an Excellence Awardee in the 2026 Australian Education Awards in three prestigious categories:
- Best Professional Learning Program
- Best Primary School of the Year (Non-Government)
- Best Secondary School of the Year (Non-Government)
Our Approach
Commitment to Smooth Transitions and Caring Relationships
Our Primary staff is skilled in guiding families through the major milestone of starting school. We understand that students learn best when immersed in a caring, values-rich, high-aspiration environment, supported by educators with an unwavering belief in each child's potential.
At Flinders, we proudly build strong relationships and support a smooth transition for children and families as they commence their exciting education journey in our Primary School.
Want to learn more?
Book your personalised campus tour with our friendly Admissions Team here
Vision
Our aim at Flinders Primary is to Educate for Excellence in Learning and Life.
We nurture and develop each student’s confidence, character, fortitude in endeavour, commitment to personal improvement and sense of belonging.
With these skills and character traits, students are equipped
to be active, engaged learners who strive
to develop their personal best.
Holistic Wellbeing
Nurturing Kind, Confident and Resilient Learners
At Flinders Primary School, we believe a child’s emotional and social wellbeing is just as important as their academic success. Our rainforest-fringed Sunshine Coast campus offers a supportive environment that celebrates curiosity, encourages accountability and challenges students to grow their learning dispositions and character.
Our comprehensive, age-appropriate wellbeing curriculum and outdoor education program is guided by the Flinders Wellbeing Framework to ensure every child has the support they need to thrive.
The Pillars of Our Pastoral Care at Flinders
Our core values aren't just words on a wall; they are explored daily through dedicated pastoral care and weekly wellbeing lessons:
- Respect: Fostering mutual respect for oneself, others, and the environment.
- Compassion: Cultivating a culture of kindness, empathy, and community care.
- Courage: Encouraging students to embrace new challenges and grow from setbacks.
- Integrity: Teaching responsibility, accountability, and doing the right thing.
A Strong Start in Junior Primary (Prep to Year 3)
At Flinders, we believe in the power of a strong start. From your child’s very first day of Prep, our focus is on creating capable, confident and deeply engaged learners.
We don't just teach curriculum; we cultivate positive learning dispositions. By teaching students to value effort, persistence, calculated risk-taking and personal responsibility, we empower them to achieve their personal best from the very beginning.
Read more
Junior Primary students at Flinders develop a high level of competence with surface or foundational skills, knowledge, understanding and competency across all subject areas, with a particular focus on literacy and numeracy.
A firm foundation relies on educators who engage in evidence-based strategies, including explicit teaching, feedback and practise. This foundation at Flinders enables our students to use their knowledge and skills to think more critically, creatively and confidently across a range of topics and subjects.
What's more, our youngest students are given diverse and extensive co-curricular opportunities through the Flinders Find My Spark program. This program is full of opportunities to try new hobbies, develop important skills, and build friendships while learning and having fun!
Building Competency and Enterprise in Senior Primary (Year 4 to Year 6)
Students at Flinders Senior Primary enjoy a seamless transition from the Junior Primary.
This positive transition is achieved through a sense of continuity, care and connectedness in both curriculum and pastoral care.
Students in Senior Primary are ready and eager to extend their learning. They are challenged in a supportive learning environment and given opportunities to deepen their understanding and competency in order to apply this to more complex problems and contexts.
Read more
Students inquire into rich topics and concepts and have opportunities to develop their ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, to make informed decisions about local, national and global issues and create innovative solutions to respond creatively to current and future needs.
Senior Primary students are also encouraged to develop citizenship and ethical learning through their service to our College community. A range of leadership opportunities are experienced
When our Senior Primary students leave at the end of Year 6 we ensure their smooth transition to Flinders Middle School, knowing they depart as responsible, resilient and independent learners ready to embrace secondary education.
Discover our Curriculum
Matthew Flinders Anglican College supports students to achieve excellence by offering a rigorous and responsive academic program. Families looking for a primary school on the Sunshine Coast with a focus on literacy and numeracy can rely on our strong whole-school approach, which has delivered outstanding results. Flinders proudly tops the Sunshine Coast in NAPLAN results across our Primary School and Secondary School communities.
SIGNATURE CURRICULUM PROGRAMS: Our students are able to access academic enrichment through our signature Flinders curriculum programs, shared below.
SUBJECT FOCUS AREAS at Flinders Primary include English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Modern Languages (French and Japanese), Health and Physical Education, Music, Visual Art, Religious and Values Education, and Digital and Design Technology.
ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT: There are also opportunities to engage in additional enrichment activities and extension programs on offer in the wider community, such as through the ICASS competitions and Maths Olympiad.
Signature Curriculum Programs
Flinders Primary School
Our innovative signature programs are designed to have a clear and positive impact on our students' academic attainment, learning engagement and personal development.
Underpinned by Self-Determination Theory and the Science of Learning research and evidence, these
Flinders Primary School programs enable our students to achieve excellence in learning and life.
LEARNER POWERS
Our Learner Powers program focuses on building five dispositions for students to become engaged, successful and confident learners: Collaborative, Innovative, Reflective, Resilient and Self-Motivated. Students become aware of what these dispositions entail, identify their strengths and areas for growth, set goals, take responsibility for their learning and celebrate their achievements, which all contributes to building a strong sense of agency as learners.
READY FOR…
Our Ready For… approach provides differentiation in Literacy and Numeracy to ensure students engage with the right level of personal challenge to support ongoing achievement and progress. This approach also enables smaller class sizes, resulting in more individual instruction. English and Mathematics Specialists teachers challenge students in their ‘Ready For Application’ classes to apply their knowledge to more abstract and complex learning tasks and concepts.
IMPACT
Our Impact program empowers students to integrate Humanities, Science and Technologies subjects from the Australian Curriculum while using human-centred design thinking. Students learn to empathise, ideate and prototype innovative solutions to cultural, social and environmental issues. Richly integrated emerging technologies assist in supporting a spirit of entrepreneurialism and social justice so that students can make a positive impact in the world.
WONDER
Held in the Wonderarium, our Wonder Lessons promote insatiable curiosity, creativity, innovation, wonder and awe in our students. These lessons invite students to explore artefacts, provocations and novel ideas, and engage in questioning, researching, problem-seeking and problem-solving, and designing and pitching ideas. Wonder Lessons support our students to develop the skills, knowledge and dispositions to embrace our Impact program.
FLINDERS WELLBEING
As part of our Flinders Wellbeing Framework, our Primary Wellbeing program guides our students’ social and emotional learning and puts into practice our College values. Students learn through Religious And Values (RAVE) lessons, Chapel services and the award-winning Grow Your Mind wellbeing program, based on four pillars of research: positive psychology; social and emotional learning; public health; and neuroscience. Students build skills and strategies to support brain health, emotional regulation, friendships and teamwork, a sense of belonging, resilience, character and gratitude.
FIND MY SPARK AND PLAY & PROSPER
The Find My Spark and the Play & Prosper co-curricular programs enable our staff to share their passions and interests with students and support the development of positive social and emotional skills beyond the classroom. Find My Spark features cultural, sporting, musical and lifestyle activities to support students to excel in learning and life. Play & Prosper enables students to engage in more structured play during lunchtimes to develop skills in collaboration, healthy friendships, resilience, conflict resolution and other key social and emotional competencies.
Design for Impact Summit
View the short video below of our Design for Impact Summit, a two-day design thinking immersion experience for Year 5 students
as part of our Flinders Primary Impact Program.
Co-curricular Opportunities in Primary
Beyond the classroom, our Sunshine Coast Primary School co-curricular program offers the Find My Spark and the Play & Prosper initiatives.
Find My Spark features cultural, sporting, musical and lifestyle activities to support students to excel in learning and life.
Play & Prosper enables students to engage in more structured play during lunchtimes to develop skills in collaboration, healthy friendships, resilience, conflict resolution and other key social and emotional competencies.
Both programs enable our staff to share their passions and interests with students and support the development of social and emotional skills.
QUALITY AND DEDICATED TEACHING
Our College provides a committed and passionate team of educators to support your child in Primary School. Our Flinders Primary team includes classroom teachers, specialist Maths and English teachers, teacher aides and the leadership team, including our Head of Primary, Mr Jason Locke; Head of Junior Primary; Head of Senior Primary; Head of Teaching and Learning; Head of Emerging Technologies and Innovation; as well as the College Principal, Ms Michelle Carroll.
Our teaching approach and curriculum programs are informed by such philosophies as:
- strong focus on literacy and numeracy
- evidence-based practice, with a commitment to the Science of Learning
- emerging technology and innovation
- real-world learning
- design thinking and entrepreneurialism
- personalised and holistic learning
- effort dispositions for learning
- ethical learning
- student wellbeing.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology plays an important role in teaching and learning at Flinders.
Flinders is certified as an Apple Distinguished School (2022-2027) for its outstanding use of Apple technology.
Primary students learn how to become masterful and safe users of technology through a 1:1 device allocation across a curated collection of age-appropriate educational platforms and software. Specialist staff work with classroom teachers to integrate technology into the classroom in impactful ways that engage, inspire and support achievement across subjects. The use of Apple Pencils across several year levels allows students new ways to learn and create in the classroom.
LEADERSHIP
One of our key goals at Flinders is to develop students with the potential to lead and contribute to a better world. Leaders enact our College values and inspire all students to do the same. Our students lead through action, not through title, and encourage effective leadership skills to be embraced.
In Senior Primary, our students progress from class leadership roles (such as the Staff and Student Council and Round Square Ambassadors) towards the Year 6 leadership roles of School Captain, Sports House Captain and Music Ensemble Captain.
Students may develop leadership skills through the experience of:
- being a buddy to a new student through our Flinders Friends Program;
- helping to fundraise for a charity through our Student and Staff Council community service program;
- leading a team or helping out at a carnival on the sporting field; and
- through participating in one of our many co-curricular activities.
ACHIEVEMENT
The ethos of our College is to encourage and recognise student achievement and personal effort across a wide range of activities. Awards and certificates celebrating excellence, high achievement, endeavour and service are presented to students at various events and assemblies during the year.
