SYDNEY BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

'Sydney Boys High School' is a secondary school in City of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It regularly ranks highly amongst schools in the state of New South Wales in terms of academic results.
Sydney Boys High School, operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, was the highest achiever in the HSC of all boys' schools in New South Wales in 2006 according to a list published by the Sydney Morning Herald. The school has 1,140 students, from years 7 to 12, and is a selective school catering for the academically gifted. The school was previously known as 'The Sydney High School', due to its position as the only government High School in the early history of New South Wales.
Sydney Boys High School's sister school is its neighbour at Moore Park: Sydney Girls High School. The school is a member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (GPS).

Contents

Fame

History

Departments

Enrolment policy

Notable alumni

Sports

Demographics

Student welfare

See also

External links

Fame

The school is one of the oldest government-funded high schools in New South Wales, and the oldest such school which did not have an attached primary school.
High is renowned for its academic success, especially in the Higher School Certificate, in 2006, according to Sydney Morning Herald listings, ranking in 3rd, below Baulkham Hills and James Ruse. In particular, it earned a reputation as the finest New South Wales public school at debating, having now won the Hume Barbour and Karl Cramp trophies more times than any other school. Sydney High has also been the GPS champion for both Chess and Debating on several occasions as well as Rifle Shooting. It has educated many high profile and influential individuals who have proceeded to reach the top of their chosen fields at a global level. The school has also established itself a long standing tradition of sporting achievement in both the GPS and CHS competitions. The school colours of Sydney Boys High are sky blue and chocolate brown; shown most strikingly on the school's striped rugby jersey.

History

The school was established in 1883 as two single sex schools sharing a single building with girls and boys on separate floors. In 1906, the school became a member of the Athletics Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales. In this association, "public school" has the meaning as used in the UK, i.e. a private school. Sydney Boys High School, however, is the only publicly funded school to be a member. The school is well known for producing a number of prominent alumni, known as "Old Boys", with many active ex-student organisations including the Sydney High School Old Boys Union, the High Club and High Rugby Friends.
High is the oldest public secondary school in NSW to offer education until matriculation to university. It was originally located on Castlereagh Street in the City of Sydney. Later, it moved to Mary Ann Street, Ultimo. In 1928, the school moved to its current location at Moore Park, on the fringe of the inner city. This site was designed by George McRae, who also designed the Queen Victoria Building. (This site was previously the Moore Park Zoo). Each year (from Year 7) is divided into six houses: Eedy, Fairland, Rubie, McKay, Saxby, Torrington. These houses are named after Old Boys who have given significant service to the school.
In the 2006 film Superman Returns, the school had a cameo in a scene where Lois Lane picks up her son after school. The school is often used by the nearby Fox Studios as an offsite filming ground.
The school's Volleyball team has also acquired many awards, including state CHS champions from 2005-2007, making it the second longest winning streak in the competition's history.

Departments

The school is made up of eleven departments (also known as ''faculties''), each teaching one or a variety of related Board of Studies–endorsed subjects. The departments are:

★ English (Subjects: English, Drama.)

★ Mathematics (Subjects: Mathematics)

★ Science (Subjects: Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics)

★ Creative Arts (Subjects: Visual Arts, Architecture, Photography, Music). ''Note: The Creative Arts department is split into two subdepartments operating under different regulations and in different parts of the school. One is the Visual Arts subdepartment, the other is the Music subdepartment.''

★ Social Sciences (Subjects: Geography, Commerce, Business Studies, Legal Studies, Economics, Studies of Religion)

★ Languages other than English (LOTE) (Subjects: French, German, Chinese, Latin, Classical Greek, Hebrew)

★ Personal development, Health and Physical Education

★ Industrial arts (Subjects: Design & Technology, Technical Drawing, Engineering, Software Design)

★ History (Subjects: History, Wars through the Ages, Empires, Ancient History, Modern History, History Extension)

★ Welfare (Subjects: Character Education)

★ Careers

Enrolment policy

Sydney Boys High School accepts one hundred and eighty students in year 7, all of whom have passed an academic ability test in year 6 conducted by the NSW Department of Education. There is also scope for entry in year 9 onwards, and a reserve list system for those who have not been offered a place in previous years. In the Senior years, a further 30 students are interviewed and granted admission to the school on the basis of academic ability (determined by school reports and ability in national competitions) and extra curricular activities. These two components are weighed equally, and some preference may be given to persons with a family placement claim, if the committee feels it is justified. Enrolement policy is determined by the Sydney Boys High School Counil and the Department of Education. The Parents and Citizens, Old Boys and Teachers have voting powers on the Council.

Notable alumni

For former students of SBHS who have achieved distinction or notability in various fields see '''List of Old Boys of Sydney Boys High School'''

Sports

Sydney Boys High is the sole state-run member of the GPS (Great Public Schools). It has a wide range of sports offered to its students, one factor distinguishing it from other government schools. Notable differences include the school's possession of rowing facilities, the Outterside Centre at Abbotsford including a dormitory, boat sheds and two pontoons. Along with the sheds at Abbotsford, the school has playing–fields in Centennial Park punctuated by the Fairland pavilion and fenced cricket ground, McKay Oval. Sydney Boys High also has facilities at the ANZAC Rifle Range, managed by the Sydney High School Rifle Club Inc. Almost all sports offered are played against other schools of the GPS. Sydney Boys High also has a volleyball team that is ranked quite highly, winning both CHS and GPS in 2006 and coming 3rd in the Nationals at Melbourne.
GPS sports offered in summer include:

★ Tennis

★ Rowing

★ Basketball

★ Cricket

★ Swimming

★ Rifle Shooting

★ Sailing
GPS sports offered in winter include:

★ Athletics

★ Cross Country

★ Fencing

★ Rugby Union

★ Rifle Shooting

★ Football

★ Volleyball
Non-GPS sports:

★ Table Tennis

★ Softball

Demographics

Sydney Boys High School is a culturally diverse school, catering for boys of any ethnicity who qualify for entry. Currently the school has large Chinese, Sub-Continental and Caucasian populations with boys of all ethnic backgrounds engaging in the school's co-curricular activities. Some special communities exist, such as the Christian, Jewish and Islamic societies.
While there has been some discussion in the past about policies that may alter the schools current demographic no plans currently exist to actively do so. The current administrations policy is to support any student who, through their own merit, gains entry to the school. The Old Boys, Parents and Teachers support this policy. Sydney High's demographic has been changing in recent years, with a notable decline in students from East Asian backgrounds and a sharp decline in boys from a non English speaking background.

Student welfare

The student welfare at Sydney Boys High is concerned with fostering attitudes of mutual respect and confident participation among the staff, students and parents who form the school community.
Examples of strategies implemented by the welfare branch of the school to promote a sense of self-acceptance and recognition of life are evident in campaigns including the Anti-Homophobia publicity campaign, Exoday events and the implementation of education concerning bullying into the mandatory Yr 7 community and Yr 8 resilience syllabuses.

See also

★ List of Government schools in New South Wales

★ List of selective high schools in New South Wales

★ Sydney High School Rifle Club

★ History of Sydney High School

External links

★ Sydney Boys High School

★ Sydney High School Old Boys Union Inc.

★ The Sydney High School Foundation Inc.

★ Parents & Citizens Association

★ NSW Department of Education and Training: Sydney Boys High School

★ Sydney Boys High School Debating

★ Sydney High School Rifle Club

★ Sydney Boys High Cricket

★ Sydney Boys High Basketball

★ Sydney Boys High Rugby