Sydney Boys High School is divided into two, self-contained schools. The junior school comprises Years 7 to 9. It has a separate sports afternoon, separate assemblies, different attendance monitoring arrangements, a different uniform and an additional Year Adviser. Our High Junior School has five major priorities:

Our first priority is to develop each student as a whole person. Through all the curriculum and activities of the school and through values and character education classes, our literacy plan and a structured outdoor education program, we aim to nurture engaged, resilient and self-confident students with a strong sense of self-efficacy - a feeling they are capable of achieving. We want to help students to try new things to help define their self image and individual identities, to develop self-awareness. We promote healthy risk taking in a controlled environment.

Our next priority is to promote a sense of belonging, of personal identity with the school and its purposes. We strongly encourage participation in the co-curricular life of the school. We want our students to be engaged in school life, physically fit and happy. We believe that participation in team sports is a vital component of personal development. We require boys to try out for two GPS sports teams each year. Boys learn a lot about life through participation in team sports. Many boys join debating groups, music ensembles, chess teams or school service committees to expand their experiences and networks of friends. Participation helps students to make friends.

We have a priority to support our students. We provide a network of people to help and nurture them. Committees of staff, parents, old boys and supporters of High work tirelessly to provide for the needs of team members for Saturday sport and participants in co-curricular activities.

Another priority is fostering academic success. This is a stronger focus of the senior school in Years 10 to 12. We aim to support each student to gain entry into the university course of his choice. Historically, 99% of students attend university after gaining their HSC at High. That is the academic goal that even Year 7 students should have in mind. They are not just here to learn but to excel in their learning and to take personal responsibility for it. Fortunately, in the junior school there is more opportunity to experiment with learning. There are more choices possible as boys grow into independent learners. There is more time to follow up on personal interest areas. Our academic competitions program, Da Vinci decathlon and Tournament of Minds activities offer opportunities for boys to test themselves in a wider context than the school.

Finally, we have a priority to develop future leaders. We provide leadership opportunities and recognition of achievement, participation or service to the school and the community. Our Student Representative Council and Student Awards Scheme foster and reward involvement and leadership in a wide variety of activities. Leadership potential can be expressed in many contexts and while participating in a variety of group activities.

Our Junior High School will evolve as a unique, focussed environment promoting personal growth.

 School Within A School Organisation Chart

Rationale

Michael Carr-Gregg is influential as a theorist in boys’ education. He asserts that high school is about healthy risk taking. Daring to try something new builds self-image. Learning how to become self aware is important in our personal development. Developing a sense of belonging can be the defining experience of high school for some students. Students ask themselves basic questions. Whom will I make friends with? Will I like my teachers? Can I handle the work? Students need to take some initiative for leading their own learning. We want them to become autonomous, independent learners. Taking responsibility for one’s learning helps to motivate further learning.

In a large school there is always the problem of anonymity, of missing out, being unrecognised or unacknowledged. With a population of 1144, High is quite a big school. We need to get closer to our boys in the junior school. They need to be in contact with more people, more often to assure their well being. The High Junior School concept is based upon the notion that institutions need smallish units to operate effectively and efficiently. Our school has grown large in size, due to its context within the GPS and its need to provide a broad traditional curriculum. I am concerned that there could be a loss of close connection between the staff and the boys.

Also, I am more and more convinced that a vertical House-type structure, linked to House-targeted interventions, would be likely to improve connection with the school, participation in co-curricular activities and engagement by the boys. In addition, a House structure would provide a vehicle for action research, focus groups, surveys and other data gathering tools. I believe that we could build a good junior school with a combination of Assistant Year Advisers focussing on engagement and growth with Heads of House focussing on sporting and co-curricular activities for six vertical groups 7-9. Our Parent Mentors can be asked to assist with building a sense of vertical and horizontal belonging among our students.

How does the High Junior School work?

• There are separate assemblies for the two schools and different administrative, uniform and welfare arrangements. These are designed to give the students a sense of belonging to a group.
• There are leadership opportunities at several levels in Years 7-9. Role descriptions are to be devised to attract boys to leadership activities.
• Curriculum and program modifications will occur over the next couple of years to fit the notion of compaction of 4 years into 3.
• High Junior School students will have environmental awareness, energy conservation and school service as areas of interest to be promoted by Assistant Year Advisers, along with sports, debating, music and the other co-curricular activities.
• The two schools are self-contained in their sports administration: Wednesdays 10-12, Thursdays 7-9.
• High Junior School has as its primary focus the discourse of personal development and nurture literacy for personal growth.