Bossley Park High School

Bossley Park High School (abbreviated as BPHS) is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Bossley Park, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Bossley Park High School
Location
Bossley Park,
Western Sydney, New South Wales

Australia
Coordinates33°52′13″S 150°52′30″E
Information
TypeGovernment-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school
MottoFocussing on Excellence and Achieving and Receiving
Established1988 (1988)
School districtCowpasture, Regional South
Educational authorityNew South Wales Department of Education
OversightNSW Education Standards Authority
PrincipalVera Chevell
Teaching staff55.4 FTE (2018)[1]
Years7-12
Enrolment1,445[1] (2018)
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)White and grey   
Websitebossleypk-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
[2]

Established in 1988, the school enrolled approximately 1,500 students in 2018, from Year 7 to Year 12, of whom one percent identified as Indigenous Australians and 82 percent were from a language background other than English.[1] The school is operated by the NSW Department of Education in accordance with a curriculum developed by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority; the principal is Vera Chevell.

The school's catchment area includes the rapidly developing suburbs of Bossley Park and Abbotsbury in western Sydney.[3] In 1999 it was revealed by The Sunday Telegraph that Bossley Park High School was the richest state high school[4] which had a bank balance of more A$7 million. In 2004, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed the school had more than $10 million in reserves.[5]

History

Bossley Park High School is built on land that was formerly producing fruits, vegetables, flowers and poultry products, a site of almost 7 hectares (17 acres).[6] Planning for the new school began in 1985 and White Industries Pty Ltd, was the company in charge for the construction. The contract price for the construction was almost $8 million, but, including the costs of the land and the furnishing of the buildings the final cost came to approximately $10 million.[6] The school was established in 1988 with a small year 7 enrolment of 125 students.

The inaugural principal was Brian Jux. His successor was Ian Parnaby who served for 12 years before retiring in 2013. Michelle Wood succeeded Parnaby as principal, with Vera Chevell the current principal.

Facilities

As part of the school's ongoing asset acquisition program, the library, all computer rooms, the drama room and staff rooms are air conditioned. The school is acclaimed with a quick adaptation to new technologies, putting it up to 5 years ahead of other public schools. The school has a sophisticated student computer system, and also has interactive whiteboards in a few of its classrooms.[7] The food labs were upgraded to industry standards to facilitate the vocational education and training course hospitality operations. A concrete court was laid so that students with physical disabilities had an area where they could play sports such as wheelchair rugby. In mid-2007, a shelter was built in order to shelter it from rain.

Further upgrades

In 2008 major renovations continued including three water tanks, holding 315,000 litres (69,000 imp gal; 83,000 US gal), buried on the school grounds to keep the oval in good condition. A shelter has been built over the basketball courts to catch the rain, which then flows into the tanks, to be used for irrigation. Project on a new performance center, to be completed by March 2010, would also be hooked up to the tanks. This is the start of the school's water and energy saving plans. The school aims to have solar power generators installed on the performance centre. It is estimated to cut down $3,000 per month on water bills.[8]

Multiculturalism

Bossley Park High, as a secondary school in a multicultural community has a high percentage of students from differing ethnicities. Approximately 80% of the student body comes from a non-English speaking background.[9] They include: Spanish, Italian, Assyrian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Chinese Dialects.

Sports

Bossley Park High has achieved success in sports. The school has a Talented Football Program for players interested in soccer, affiliated with the Sydney FC.[10] Bossley Park High has won the Bill Turner Cup three times. In 1992, they won against Oxley High, In 2002, they won against Lambton High[11] and in 2009, the school won the 31st Bill Turner Cup against Cavendish Road State High.

School houses

Students are organised into four houses based on their last names. They are:

  • Edina (green)
  • Gandangara (yellow)
  • Sartor (red)
  • Tarburton (blue)

Curriculum

School departments include English; Mathematics; Science; Home Economics; Languages including Italian, Spanish; Social Science; History; Performing Arts (CAPA) including Music, Photography, Visual Arts, and Drama; Industrial Arts (Design and Technology); Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education; and Careers.

Extracurricular activities

The school offers a range of extracurricular activities, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Tournament of Minds, Debating, Formal Committee, Soccer Program, Student Representative Council (SRC), Vocal group, Drama Ensemble, Glee Club, Maths Olympiad, Annual Apprenticeships Show, and Rock Ensemble.

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "Bossley Park High School, Bossley Park, NSW: School profile". My School. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. http://macarthur-chronicle-wollondilly.whereilive.com.au/news/story/cr-banasik-its-high-time-for-another-picton-high-school/
  3. "School Locator". New South Wales Department of Education and Training. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  4. "NSW: State schools hoard $230m in unused funding Pay-Per-View". Highbeam News. AAP General News. 18 December 1999. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  5. "Schools to justify $300m in the kitty". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 April 2004.
  6. "Bossley Park High School History". Bossley Park High School. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  7. "School head slams NSW netbook plan". The Australian. 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  8. "Well, naturally it runs". Fairfield Champion. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  9. SWSAHS Fairfield Area Health Service | Health With Schools | Fairfield Schools | Bossley Park HS Archived 29 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Bossley Park High School". Sydney FC Academy Football Schools. Sydney FC. n.d. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  11. https://int.soccerway.com/news/2002/September/12/2002-bill-turner-cup-grand-final/
  12. Dasey, Jason (11 June 2015). "A-League star Iain Ramsay prepares for Philippines debut in AFC World Cup qualifying". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
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