Woodvale Secondary College

Woodvale Secondary College (also Woodvale College and WSC), formerly Woodvale Senior High School, is a partially academically-selective, co-educational state high school located in Woodvale, 20 km north of Perth CBD in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Opening in 1985, the school's catchment area covers much of parts of the City of Joondalup and the adjacent eastern portion of the City of Wanneroo, as Woodvale as a suburb is an oddity - having two local government catchments instead of one. As of Semester 1, 2016, the school has an enrolment of approximately 1450 students across all year levels (Year 7-Year 12) ^[1]

The school encompasses the middle socio-economic range suburbs of Kingsley and Woodvale and is defined by the boundaries formed by Wanneroo Road and the Mitchell Freeway in an east-west alignment and Ocean Reef Road to the north. The south border is in line with the cycle path to the Mitchell Freeway entrance in Kingsley.^[6]

The school provides specialist academic programs in Basketball, Football, Music, and has an International program for foreign students^[7]

History

The college, whose namesake is its location of Woodvale, opened in 1985 for 200 Year 8 students,^[1] and expanded its age range yearly until 1990 when its first class of Year 12 students commenced.

In 2012, Woodvale Senior High School became an Independent Public School and a School Board was established. With much deliberations from the school and its community, the school was renamed Woodvale Secondary College. Along with the change was a minor change in the school emblem as well as the replacement of their motto ‘Grow to wisdom’ with ‘Your life, your goals, our world’. A large plaque with the former emblem and motto is on display in the schools gardens.^[8]

In 2014, the school underwent major upgrades, including a new administration office, a "Hospitality & Function centre" for curricular activities for students studying hospitality, and a "Sports centre" gymnasium for physical education and the specialist basketball and football programs. The former two were officially opened by Luke Simpkins MP, on 15 August 2014^[9]

Specialist programs

Woodvale Secondary College currently offers specialist programs in basketball, football and music.^[7]

Woodvale also offers placement to top performing students from years 8 to 10 in the Academic Extension Program (AEP) across all core subjects (English, Mathematics, Humanities & Social Sciences, Science, Languages).

Facilities

The campus wide Information Technology Network provides a wide range of digital media capabilities and professional level software, and compares favourably with any of the best equipped schools in the nation. The Trade Training centre provides practical activities for students studying hospitality and subjects alike, such as Home Economics. The Sports centre, also known as the Woodvale Stadium, provides for physical education and the specialist basketball and football programs. It is only used for curricular purposes and school assemblies, and is not accessible during Recess and Lunch periods, unless students are given instructions otherwise. The Learning Resource Centre (library) is a student hub used for independent studying and socialising before school, during recess and lunch, and after school. The Learning Resource Centre is also the headquarters of the Woodvale Homework Club.

A range of community facilities is close at hand including sporting venues, public libraries and shopping centres. The Craigie Leisure Centre, which provides excellent swimming and indoor fitness facilities, is a kilometre from the campus, with Sorrento Quay along Whitfords Avenue.

Local council owned Tennis Courts adjacent to the campus are used for lower school physical education classes in tennis.

Achievements

Academically, students perform at a level above the State average. The Academic Extension Programme receives good community support, the Music Program sees 20% of the student population participating in an instrumental program (with over 60% prematurely studying an instrument in Primary school) and the school each year presents a number of students who achieve well in the WACE Examinations.

In 2014, Woodvale was voted among the top 50 secondary schools in Perth.^[10]

Catchment area

Woodvale's catchment area has been specified by the Department of Education and Training to include the suburbs of Kingsley and Woodvale, and parts of its surrounding suburbs. Its feeder primary schools are Woodvale, North Woodvale, Halidon and Creaney.

Its neighbour high schools are Ocean Reef Senior High School to the north-west, Greenwood College to the south, and Duncraig Senior High School to the south-west.

House system

Woodvale's house system consists of four houses, whose namesake is of selected constellations.

The house system forms the basis of sporting competitions within the school. Sporting events, such as the house sports carnival or the swimming carnival, are isolated to each year group.

Students are organized into their houses by the first letter of their surname, unless directed otherwise.^[11]

See also

• List of schools in Perth, Western Australia

References

External links

• Woodvale Secondary College

Category:Educational institutions established in 1985 Category:High schools in Western Australia Category:Public schools in Western Australia Category:Schools in Perth, Western Australia Category:1985 establishments in Australia