Holroyd High School

Holroyd High School is a secondary school located in western SydneyGreystanes, New South Wales.

The school houses an Intensive English Centre which provides a specialised program to non-English speaking migrants and refugees so that they can better participate in Australian society.

School Layout

Structurally, the schools consists of 5 blocks, a library, an IEC demountable, and a newly built gymnasium/hall.

A-Block - Maths, PDHPE, and science are taught in this block, and there is also a computer room. The school's main office is situated here, as is the principal's office, the conference room, the counsellor's room, and the school's foyer. A-block also contains a large, multi-purpose room upstairs, which is known as the Common Room and is suitable for meetings and workshops.

B-Block - B-block is oriented around practical subjects. It includes woodwork and metalwork workshops, two cooking rooms, a sewing room, art rooms, the music room, and one of the school's computer rooms. B-block also contains the maths, industrial arts, and home economics staff rooms.

C-Block - This block contains the canteen, changing rooms, and a concrete surface suitable to play sports such as basketball or dodgeball. There are no classrooms in this block.

D-Block - English, history, science, geography, and drama are taught in D-block. D-block contains the English, science, and social science staff rooms.

E-Block - English and history are main subjects taught in E-block, although there is also a single science classroom, as well as a computer room. E-block also contains a multi-purpose hall, the history staff room, the ESL staff room, the school's other office, the deputy principals' offices, and the IEC library.

New Infrastructure

The school has recently had a multi-purpose gymnasium/hall built on site after decades of lobbying government representatives. The hall was funded as a result of joint funding grants from the Howard Government's Capital Grants Program for Austrralian Schools^[1] with equivalent funding matched by the Carr/Iemma State government.

Holroyd High School also did well under the federal government's Investing In Our Schools Program, which saw the school exceed its $150,000 entitlement for grants funding which covered library refurbishments, security fencing and sheltered walkways between buildings.

Friends of Zainab Trust Fund

When Zainab Kaabi, a refugee from Iran, who spent two years living in Australia, had her temporary protection visa benefits cut, the school's principal, Dorothy Hoddinott, set up a trust fund to support her financially so that she was able to complete her education. She kickstarted the fund with her own personal finances and over time invited more people to contribute. In 2008, Hoddinott was made an officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her work with the Friends of Zainab Trust fund.^[2]

The trust fund now helps a considerable number of students who are refugees.^[3]

Notable former students

• Chris Bath, presenter of Seven News in Sydney^[4]

References