Narrabundah College is a government college that teaches the last two years of secondary education in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It was the first school in Australia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), starting the programme in February 1978.
Despite attempts to close the college in the late 1970s due to falling enrolments, the school now has a full enrolment and an extensive waiting list. It has earned a reputation for academic excellence in the ACT, attracting 63% of its students from out of area including New South Wales.
Video Narrabundah College
History
Narrabundah College was formed as a result of the ACT developing its own education system in 1974. The new system meant that public high schools would only teach from year 7 to 10, and that years 11 and 12 would be completed at a separate school. The pre-existing Narrabundah High School was re-formed as Narrabundah College.
Due to low enrolments, the ACT Schools' Authority threatened to close the school in 1978. This prompted the community into seeking backing for the IB programme. The then-federal Minister for Education, John Carrick, approved the commencement of the programme in 1979, ensuring the survival of the school. It has prospered in the years since.
Maps Narrabundah College
Campus
The college campus is located in the suburb of Narrabundah, Canberra. It consists of several buildings including the large "S Block" which was originally the segregated senior building for years 11 and 12 prior to the school becoming a secondary college. In addition to a quadrangle and a canteen, the college also has a gymnasium and a theatre, as well as spacious playing fields on which students may spend their free time and is close to golf courses, public ovals and the local shops.
The College facilities also feature smart boards, iPads, and computer and science labs. Every student is supplied a laptop computer for personal and educational use according to ACT legislation.
Currently, buildings Block B, Block C, and Block D are contaminated with friable crocidolite asbestos. As such, the ACT Government has employed Robson Environmental to undertake regular inspections to ensure the safety of staff and students and the affected buildings will be demolished and replaced with modern educational facilities. Transportable classrooms will be installed in the College during the first term of 2018.
Student assessments
For students to be awarded a Year 12 Certificate on the completion of Year 12, they must complete a total of 17 units from College courses including either 3 majors and 3 minors, 4 majors and 1 minor, or 5 majors. Courses offered by the College are assessed based on how students perform during assignments, essays, tests, "lab-pracs", workshop projects, and creative works depending on what is appropriate for the course area.
Each course offered by the College is designated tertiary (T), vocational (V), or accredited (A). Students completing A units are awarded an A to E grade based of performance for each course criteria, students completing V units are designated as 'competent' (C) or 'not yet competent' (NYC), and students completing T units will receive an A to E grade as well as a score to indicate a rank compared to other students in the same course. Students who fail to complete the minimum requirements for assessments will not have the related unit count towards the completion of their course.
Today
In 2006, 918 students were enrolled at Narrabundah College, which has a capacity of 912 students. 86% of college-aged students in the college's priority enrolment area attend Narrabundah, yet 63% of students enrolled in the school do not live in the priority enrolment area.
In 2007, Narrabundah College was the best performing government-run college in the ACT, with a higher average UAI and a greater number of students achieving a UAI of 65 or over than any other state college. Narrabundah students also made a high proportion of those achieving in the top one percent of the state, with 18 students achieving a UAI of over 99. In addition to this, Narrabundah College also awarded more Tertiary Entrance Statements, and more Year 12 Certificates than any other college in the ACT.
A very high percentage of Narrabundah College students who graduate with a Year 12 Certificate also obtain a UAI and go on to study at university. In 2007 of the 418 students awarded a Year 12 certificate, 77% were awarded Tertiary Education Statements. In 2007, the median UAI gained by students of Narrabundah College was 85 compared with the average of students from all across ACT colleges of 79. Over 87% of students from the college who were awarded Tertiary Education Statements in 2007 scored over 65 for their UAI compared with 79% of all ACT students. 80 students were awarded a vocational certificate in 2007 and 166 students were awarded a vocational statement of attainment.
Narrabundah College consists of a large number of students from foreign countries and non-English speaking backgrounds, being the school in Canberra with the most foreign students. There are significant numbers of diplomatic, exchange, and International Private Students (IPS) studying at Narrabundah College. These students are crucial to the College's bank account balance. The college is also known for its large numbers of students of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese ethnicity, carrying Narrabundah's Australian Tertiary Admission Rank and reputation with their work ethic.
Notable alumni
The following people are notable former students who attended Narrabundah College:
- Tim Ferguson, comedian, television presenter and member of the Doug Anthony All Stars
- Helen Razer, writer
- Ben Snow, special effects artist
- Bill Stefaniak, Liberal Party politician
- Timomatic, musician and dancer
- Greg Walker, multi-instrumentalist (as Machine Translations), producer, composer
References
External links
- Narrabundah College Official Website
- Annual ACT Government Schools Report 2006: Narrabundundah College
- Narrabundah College 86, 87 & 88 reunion website
Source of article : Wikipedia