From the Principal

Bonjour à tous, and Wanju

The term has been truncated by the late start, early easter finish and punctuated with events like the Athletics Carnival, Market Day and Between the Lines activities. In total 8 weeks and 3 days without including the days out for all the activity. Consequently, the teachers and students have worked very hard to get through the term’s work.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Parent/Teacher evening this week. There is never quite enough time, but I hope that you found the conversation and student feedback useful to support your young person to be academically successful. No doubt from the conversation that you had, you got an appreciation for how well our teachers know your child and the level of care and commitment that they have to their success. 

This is a very important consideration for our Year 10 students.  In Term 2, they will begin their journey of selecting their Senior School pathway. The first step is to consider which school they will attend. If your child is considering, either an ATAR pathway, or individual ATAR courses that they want to mix and match with VET and endorsed courses, the results and data shows that there is no better school in the Bunbury region than Bunbury Senior High School. 

In 2023, over 50% of our students found a pathway to university, 30% of our ATAR students scored an ATAR of 90 or more. That is unable to be matched regionally by any other school. We offered 17 ATAR courses – 14/17 of those courses had an average score above the state. Three of our teachers received recognition by School Curriculum and Standards Authority as being in the top 15% of teachers in the state. I don’t know how else to tell you that there is no better place regionally to reach your academic goal than at Bunbury Senior High School.

The enabling conditions are many: positive learning environment; focus on student wellbeing; high quality teachers who are engaged with professional bodies; teachers who know their students well and can cater to their needs; commitment from staff to provide extra support outside of the classroom. The list goes on. 

We are the number one ATAR school, this is true, but we also have the same level of support and pathway flexibility for all students. Nearly 25% of our Year 10 students leave school before they get to the end of Year 12. Our philosophy of building “educational currency” leads them to positive pathways. In 2023 4% went to full-time TAFE, 6% to an Apprenticeship, 4% to other full-time training and 10% to full-time employment. We have worked hard to have a senior school timetable that is flexible to mix and match VET certificates, ATAR courses and endorsed programs. In this way, students are collecting the best educational currency to be successful outside of school. 

The conversation that I am involved in with industry groups outside the school walls has shaped our timetable strategy. More and more, trades and further training require a depth of knowledge provided by ATAR classes. Hence, we have made it possible for students to mix in 1, 2 or 3 ATAR courses that they are strong in with a certificate course or endorsed program. Our advice to parents and students is to always attempt the highest-level class that you are capable of. The thinking that you are either a VET student or an ATAR student is now a thing of the past.

University pathways available at Bunbury SHS are i) a Full ATAR pathway, ii) ECU UniPrep with ATAR area of interest or CertIII, iii) CertIV with 1 or 2 ATAR courses, the flexibility is large.

Senior Schooling, as I mentioned in previous newsletters is under state government review. It is already complex to understand, but it is also ever-evolving. In Term 2, we will have parent information nights and will continue to keep you and your children informed about the process and with the information needed to make informed choices.

I wish the whole school community a safe and happy easter.  Please stay safe and have an enjoyable break.

 En Avant