Sutherland Shire Christian School

Shire Christian School

A Firm Foundation
Address
16 Allies Road
Barden Ridge, New South Wales, 2234
Australia
Coordinates 34°02′11″S 151°00′34″E / 34.036311°S 151.009526°E / -34.036311; 151.009526Coordinates: 34°02′11″S 151°00′34″E / 34.036311°S 151.009526°E / -34.036311; 151.009526
Information
Type Independent Parent Controlled, Co-educational, Day school
Denomination Non-Denominational Christian
Established 1977 (Association 1969)
Chairman Mr John Ishak
Principal Mr Brett Hartley
Staff 62[1]
Years offered K-12
Enrolment 778[1] (2010)
Campus type Suburban
Colour(s) Navy Blue, Red and White             
Song Blessed is the Man (Psalm 1)
Website www.sscs.nsw.edu.au

Shire Christian School is a non-denominational, Protestant, parent-controlled private school for co-educational students located in Sydney, Australia. The school was founded in 1977 by a group of local parents who felt a calling to provide their children with an environment in which to gain an education taught from a Christian perspective. They believed that these features were not to be seen in a public state school; because of this the school upholds a strong Christian ethos that influences most parts of school life. In 2015 the school jumped nearly 200 places and ranked 65th in the State in HSC results.[2][3]

The school consists of one large campus in the southern suburb of Barden Ridge in Sydney, and this campus facilitates the two sections of the school:

In 2016 the school's name was changed to Shire Christian School.

Establishment

The School Association was formally founded in 1969 by several Christian families who wished to have a Christian environment for their children to grow and mature in.[4] The school officially began in 1977 under the name Sutherland Shire Christian School and the Sutherland Shire Christian School Association Ltd was created two years later in 1979.

School classes were originally housed in several locations (such as local church halls) before the purchase of several hectares of farm land in the southern New South Wales of Barden Ridge, in 1981, where the school has continued to develop since.

Student enrolment summary:

Year 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2005
Students 11 263 564 722 752 804

Junior School

Top view of S.S.C.S.

The Junior School's curriculum is based around six main subject areas:

  1. English
  2. Mathematics
  3. Science and Technology
  4. Human Society & Its Environment
  5. Creative & Practical Arts
  6. Physical Education, Health & Personal Development

High School

Electives

The school offers a wide range of electives at Stage 5 (Yrs 9 and 10) and Stage 6 (Yrs 11 and 12), including extension classes depending upon demand.[5] Students are also able to participate in courses through external providers such as TAFE and language courses offered by the Open High School.

HSC Results

In 2015 the school moved nearly 200 places and ranked 65th in the State in HSC results, making it one of the highest ranking schools in the area in that year.[2][3] In recent years many final year students have been nominated and selected for the various HSC showcase events.[6]

Facilities and grounds

Location

The school is located in the suburban area of Barden Ridge on Allies Road near Lucas Heights Public School. The school has a scenic bushland setting providing not only shade for students but also a bush playground for junior students.

Facilities

The school has an abundance of facilities on its campus. These include a gymnasium, tennis and basketball courts and cricket nets to cater for all types of students needs and interests. Woodwork and metalwork rooms exist for students, along with a textiles room, a home economics room and several music rooms with recording studio rooms and an array of musical instruments. Two large libraries cater to both the Primary and Secondary schools. A more recent addition is the Tiered Learning Centre (TLC) and refurbished science laboratories.

Sport

Shire Christian School is a competitor in many inter-school competitions and participates strongly in Swimming, Athletic and Cross-Country competitions.

The arts

Main cast of As You Like It

The school runs an annual drama performance made up of predominantly senior students and several members of drama classes throughout the school grades. These productions are supported by the entire school community through involvement in costuming, lighting, set design and direction. Recent productions have involved students from the junior school.

The Music Department also stages several smaller performance evenings as part of the peripatetic program alongside the two major musical evenings, the Primary Infants Performance Evening (PIPE) and For One Night Only (High School).

Extracurricular

There are several extracurricular clubs which run throughout the school each year. These include a sound and lighting team, debating team, a public speaking team, a concert band, junior and senior choirs, junior and senior guitar ensembles and the VIBE string ensemble.

Principals

Period Details
1977 – 2001 Mr Geoffrey Lainson
2001 – 2003 Mr Stephen Renn
2003 Mr John Myer [acting]
2004 – 2005 Mr Mark Lewis
2005 – 2008 Mr David Stonestreet
2008 – 2010 Mr Andrew Middleton
2010 – 2014 Mrs Nicola Taylor
2015 – present Mr Brett Hartley

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 "Sutherland Shire Christian School profile". My School website. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/3577116/hsc-results-2015-sutherland-shire-christian-school-rockets-up-top-100-rankings/?cs=25
  3. 1 2 http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/hsc-results-2015-biggest-climbs-of-the-top-100-schools-20151216-glp8os.html
  4. ↑ http://www.sscs.nsw.edu.au/sscs/history.html
  5. ↑ http://www.sscs.nsw.edu.au/sscs/secondary-school-courses.html
  6. ↑ Sutherland Shire Christian School, Annual Report 2014 (2015)
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