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outdoor classroom junior school
New Strategic Plan charts a bright future for The York School
The York School has launched a new Strategic Plan called Embrace Curiosity. As we look to celebrate our 60th anniversary in 2025, this plan outlines our ambitious goals for York’s next chapter. Our vision is to be a premier destination for top learners and educators in the Greater Toronto Area.
“The York School is no longer that small school in a church basement. We’ve grown and evolved. As we embark on a really exciting period in our history, this plan refreshes our mission and values, and identifies the ways we’re going to take the phenomenal learning experiences we’re known for to the next level,” says Head of School Struan Robertson.
We’re grateful to the engaged members of The York School community – our students, staff, alumni, families, volunteers and our Board of Directors – who partnered with us to develop this plan.
Watch this short video to learn more.
Read the full Strategic Plan, Embrace Curiosity.
Read a Q & A with Struan Robertson, our Head of School.
1. The Strategic Plan was developed in partnership with members of The York School community. How did you consult with them?
1. The Strategic Plan was developed in partnership with members of The York School community. How did you consult with them?
Over the past two years, we conducted focus groups with our students, staff, alumni and parents. These conversations were part of a comprehensive review we undertook as part of our accreditation for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) and the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS). During these discussions, we asked our community what The York School is doing really well and where we can grow. We’re a data driven school so we used the feedback from our stakeholders to form the foundation of our Strategic Plan.
2. Why did you decide to refresh the school’s Mission and Values?
Our previous Mission and Values were established in 2007 and the phrases we used were inspired by the IBO. Our school has grown and developed significantly in the past 16 years – and we’ll be celebrating our 60th anniversary in 2025 – so it was important to describe our Mission and Values in language that reflects the evolution of our school and conveys the qualities that make us unique.
3. The Strategic Plan is called Embrace Curiosity. The word curious also appears in the Mission and Values. Why is curiosity so important to The York School?
Curiosity is needed for great learning and great teaching. It’s why kids want to know more and it’s what captures their attention when a question or concept is presented. Curiosity also plays a role in lifelong learning. We want everyone in our community to be curious. As an incoming family, you'll want to learn more about our school. As a new employee, you’ll be curious about our culture. As an alumni, you'll want to know what's going on at the school, who's still here and what’s changed. So I think curiosity connects all the members of our community.
4. Pursuit of Operational Excellence is one of York’s foundational pillars. What is one of the ways the school plans to achieve operational excellence?
In 1965, The York School began as a Montessori school in a church basement. Today, we have more than 750 students on two modern, urban campuses. As we continue to grow, we need to enhance the facilities at both schools. We will begin with a major project that will enhance the student learning experience by opening up unused spaces at our Junior School. We’ll follow that with a bigger and bolder renovation on our Middle/Senior School campus.
