Why Christian Education?

Good education is about developing the discernment to make worthwhile and discriminating choices in life. LCS was established by parents who wanted to provide their children with a framework for making choices that was built upon a personal commitment to Christ and around the fundamental Christian principles and values - compassion and mercy, critical discernment, a concern for integrity and justice, the courage to pursue what is good and to resist what is harmful, a care and appreciation for God's world, and a commitment to a life of service for the betterment of the community and the world.

This is the framework of thinking that the school wants to develop as it prepares students for a technologically sophisticated but value-uncertain 21st century. From a Biblically-directed foundation which pictures the whole of life as being a response to God's love in Christ, LCS attempts to provide students with the intellectual, practical, moral and spiritual tools necessary to contribute enthusiastically and positively to the building of a more just, compassionate and peace-loving world.

LCS is a Christian community. The school sees itself as an extension of the Christian home, and the Christian church; a school that is in harmony with the values and attitudes that parents would want to encourage in their children. To that end, all teachers in the school must be practising, committed Christians. In every family associated with the school, too, at least one parent must be a practising Christian. The teaching staff commit themselves to being part of a learning community which attempts to develop a broad and challenging curriculum that is distinctively 'Christian' in its approach. Not in a contrived or 'forced' manner, but as an expression of a Christian community which sees all of life as a gift from God to be explored and enjoyed. The Bible is taken as the infallible source of truth. It also becomes the guide for all of life.

The school aims to prepare students for the world. The educational environment is open, inquisitve in its approach. The students come from a wide variety of Christian homes and from different social and ethnic backgrounds. Nearly all students completing Year 12 at LCS move on to university or some other tertiary institution and the experience of our graduates is that they are well prepared for their future places in society.

LCS has a warm, supportive, informal culture in which strong relationships are built among students, and among staff and students. It does not exhibit, then, the more extreme or rugged behaviours that are sometimes found in school settings. Students at LCS have the opportunity to develop and mature in a nurturing and generally happy community.

Nearly all the Protestant denominations are represented and we also have some Roman Catholic, families. The Biblical principles and theological understandings upon which the school stands might be described as representing the 'main-stream traditional' approach. The school has a broad theological appeal to a wide variety of Christian families.

The school is governed by a parent-control system. In practice, 'parent-control' means that the governance such as broad direction, policy setting, financial control and future planning of LCS rest with a Board of Directors elected by the Association of the school. The school is not controlled by any particular church or denomination but by the Board of the Parent Association of the day, acting in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of the Association (Constitution) which were drawn up when the school was established. Parent involvement in the school is strongly encouraged and many parents actively contribute their time and expertise to a variety of different activities which enhance the life of the school.

Membership of the school’s Association is maintained on the acceptance that the school will remain based on the Reformed Confessions - the Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Cathecism, Canons of Dordt, Belgic Confession) and the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The school focuses its attention upon those fundamental Christian foundations (primary doctrine) upon which we, as a community, all agree. Those theological issues (sometimes called secondary doctrine) upon which we disagree are discussed in the school only by way of explaining and understanding the attitudes of different Christians. On the rare occasion when it is thought that an issue could cause significant division, we exclude it from the school’s teaching arena and require students to consult their parents or pastor on the matter.