John Calvin School Information

The John Calvin School is a school run by the Free Reformed School Association (Tas) Inc. It was set up to enable parents in the Free Reformed Church to carry out the promise they made at the baptism of their children "to instruct and have them instructed in the doctrine of salvation to the utmost of their power". Since all of creation is under the dominion of Christ, it follows that all aspects of education are likewise to be subject to His sovereign authority. Therefore, the John Calvin School is not just another private school with high standards of education and behaviour, nor is its curriculum identical to that of the state schools except for the addition of Biblical and Church History, a few prayers and some Psalm-singing. On the contrary, God's will, as it is revealed in the Bible and confessed in the doctrinal standards of the Free Reformed Church, permeates the whole curriculum. The school's aim is to assist the parents in the upbringing their children, by equipping the children with skills and knowledge for a God-honouring life of service in the church community and the community at large. We are encouraged and guided by bible passages like Psalm 78 in which we as God's people are reminded of our collective task to ".tell the next generation of the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord " so that they in their lives would honour God by keeping His commands. This vision was the vision of a group of migrant parents, who in the 50's decided to form an association with the aim of providing Reformed, Christian education for their children in Launceston. Although society has changed markedly since those early days, presenting new and different challenges for educators as time progressed, this vision is still embraced by all the school association members today. The school was opened in 1965 with an enrolment of 52 children and staffed by two full-time teachers. In 1977 a High school section was added to the Primary school.