Specialist programs

Kitchen garden program

O’Sullivan Beach Primary School has embraced the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, which plays a vital role in the school’s educational framework. This program engages students from Reception to Year 6 in hands-on activities where they learn to grow, harvest, prepare, and share fresh, seasonal produce. The initiative not only fosters a love for gardening and healthy eating but also integrates practical life skills into the curriculum, enhancing literacy and numeracy through related activities.

The school’s kitchen garden has gained recognition for its outstanding contributions to the community and has received multiple awards at the Royal Adelaide Show, highlighting its success in promoting sustainable practices and food education. Students actively participate in maintaining the garden, which serves as a living classroom, reinforcing the school’s values of cooperation, achievement, respect, and empathy.

In addition to enriching the students’ learning experiences, the program strengthens community ties by involving families and local groups, making O’Sullivan Beach Primary School a hub for culinary and environmental education in the region.

Visual Arts / Performing Arts

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts program at O’Sullivan Beach Primary School inspires creativity, builds confidence, and nurtures self-expression in every student. Students learn in, through, and about visual arts practices across a wide range of forms — including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, and digital arts. Through the interrelated practices of making and responding, students develop practical skills, explore the visual arts elements, and build a critical understanding of how artists use artworks to engage audiences and communicate meaning.

Cultural responsiveness is central to our program. Students explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art practices and connections to Kaurna Country through collaborative projects with our Aboriginal Community Education Officer. Each year, students also have the opportunity to create work for real audiences — entering local and national art competitions, benefiting from excursions to major galleries and cultural institutions, and showcasing their work as part of the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival, for which our school hosts a registered public exhibition of student artwork.

O’Sullivan Beach Primary has a proud history of engaging with professional arts organisations, including hosting an Artist in Residence program in partnership with Carclew, South Australia’s leading organisation for young people in the arts. Nurturing partnerships with professional arts organisations and creating opportunities for students to engage with practising artists is a deliberate and ongoing part of how we enrich the Visual Arts experience at OSBS.

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts program at O’Sullivan Beach Primary School integrates Music, Drama, and Dance to provide students with a rich, connected arts education aligned with the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. Music is taught using the Orff Schulwerk approach — a child-centred method that combines music, movement, and language to develop musicianship inclusively and joyfully, placing student creativity at the centre regardless of prior experience.

Our school choir welcomes upper primary students to develop their voices and ensemble skills, with the opportunity to perform at the SA Primary Schools Music Festival at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Drama builds communication skills, emotional intelligence, and confidence through role-play, improvisation, and performance. In Dance, students explore movement as expression and storytelling — including through Wakakirri, Australia’s national Story-Dance festival, where students create and perform an original Story-Dance on a professional stage. Students across the school also experience live performance through Musica Viva incursions, bringing world-class musicians directly into our school.

The Performing Arts program culminates in an end of year concert and school production, celebrating the creativity, effort, and growth of every student and bringing our whole school community together.

Health, Physical Education and Cultural Studies

O’Sullivan Beach Primary School offers a comprehensive Health and Physical Education (PE) program designed to foster students’ physical, social, and emotional well-being. The program emphasises the importance of active living and equips students with the skills necessary to make informed decisions about their health and safety.

• Holistic Development: The PE curriculum focuses not only on physical skills but also on building resilience and fostering positive relationships among students. Activities are structured to engage all students, promoting cooperation and teamwork, with integration of Aboriginal games like Buroinjin (similar to touch football) and Kolap (keep-away ball game) that teach traditional values of respect and collaboration.
• Connection to Country: Students learn about the deep connection between physical well-being and the land through Aboriginal perspectives. The program incorporates Kaurna knowledge of the local environment, with outdoor activities that help students understand how traditional movement patterns were influenced by the natural world and seasonal changes on Kaurna Country.
• Variety of Activities: Students participate in a diverse range of physical activities, including sports games and fitness techniques, which are designed to enhance their movement skills and overall fitness. Traditional Aboriginal movement practices such as tracking, hunting techniques, and dance sequences are integrated to provide cultural context to physical development.
• Leadership Opportunities: Older students have the chance to take on leadership roles, such as planning and organizing school events like Sports Day, which encourages community spirit and student involvement. Aboriginal leadership concepts are incorporated, with local Elders occasionally invited to share knowledge about traditional games and their cultural significance.
• Integration with Other Programs: The PE program is complemented by initiatives like the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program, which teaches students about nutrition and sustainability through hands-on gardening and cooking experiences. This is enriched with knowledge of traditional Kaurna food sources, bush tucker identification, and sustainable harvesting practices that have been used for thousands of years.
• Cultural Stories and Movement: The curriculum incorporates Aboriginal Dreaming stories that relate to physical movement, teaching students how traditional narratives can guide understanding of the body and its relationship to the environment.
• Supportive Environment: The school employs specialist PE teachers who create a dynamic learning atmosphere, ensuring that all students, regardless of their skill level, can participate and thrive. Cultural safety principles are embedded in teaching practices, honoring Aboriginal perspectives and encouraging all students to respect diverse cultural approaches to physical activity.

Through these initiatives, O’Sullivan Beach Primary School promotes a culture of health, activity, and community engagement, preparing students for a healthy lifestyle beyond their school years, while fostering respect and understanding for Australia’s First Nations cultures and their ongoing contribution to health and physical education practices.