Aitken Road
Bowral NSW 2576
Telephone 0248612255 Fax No: 02 48612184
Educational District: Shellharbour
School Sport Area: South Coast
School Sport Zone: Southern Highlands

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Bowral High School is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school located in the Southern Tablelands area of New South Wales. The school has a student population of 1110 and is recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Performing Arts. The school community is committed to the pursuit of excellence by providing quality education to students of all abilities and backgrounds in a caring environment. The school motto ‘excelsior’ defines a school culture that encourages students at all times to surpass their personal best. The school’s Code of Conduct clearly explains the expectation that students will demonstrate care, cooperation, contribution, commitment, consideration and courtesy in all dimensions of school life. The school has been unbeaten in Zone Cross Country and Zone Athletics since 1984. The school had representatives in Gymnastics, Cross Country, Cricket, Athletics, Hockey and Tennis as well as in outside association sports of Boxing, Equestrian, Motorcross, Woodchop, Pistol Shooting and Judo.

SPORTS ORGANISATION

Sports Program

Contact Mike Launders Head Teacher PDHPE or Kathryn Brennan Principal

The school conducts a Scattered Sport Program for Years 7 and 11 and an Integrated Sports Program for Years 8, 9, 10. Year 7 has sport on Tuesday (middle of day) and Year 11 on Thursday (middle of day).

Year 7

Sports offered are traditional team games, and associated minor games with the addition of Swimming, Athletics, Tennis and Aerobics. Year 7 sport is generally within the school except for Aerobics, Tennis and Swimming. Later in the year students have the opportunity to select a sport for a 3 to 4 week period prior to the Zone Year 7 Gala Day.

Years 8, 9 and 10 (3 to 4 week units of 6/8 80 minute periods)

These three years are organised on a vertical, semester basis with no distinction between PDHPE and Sport. Each year students must do the appropriate Core PE in one of the two semesters and can choose from a range of electives in the other semester. Each core contains 6 units.

Core

Fitness, Athletics, Dance, Aquatics + 2 sports.

Electives

Court Sports, Field Sports for Boys, Field Sports for Girls, Sports Coaching, Touch, Gymnastics, Recreation, Fitness for Sport, Athletics (Gifted and Talented)

Year 11 (80 minutes)

Students are offered six (6) activities each five (5) weeks within the limitations of what the school can offer and student choice. The majority of sports offered are internal to the school, as traditionally students do not opt for community sports that entail an ongoing cost eg aerobics and swimming.

Students

Year 7 Students are allocated sports and groups are rotated to give them a wide experience.

Year 8, 9, 10 students are grouped according to their chosen elective. These classes may be vertical.

Year 11 is offered six (6) activities. They choose a sport for five (5) weeks then choose again; students may take the same sport each time. They know what they are capable of and the main emphasis is participation and enjoyment.

Staff

Only members of the PDHPE faculty are involved in Years 8, 9 and 10 sport. PE staff is able to offer an elective in which they have a particular expertise or interest. Years 7 and 11 sport provides the opportunity for interested non-PDHPE staff to be involved if they so wish. As far as possible staff are allocated to sports in which they have particular interest or expertise. Some non-PDHPE staff take school representative knockout teams.

OTHER SPORT INVOLVEMENT

Knockouts and Gala Days

The school enters teams in the Combined High Schools Knockouts in Basketball, Cricket, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League, Soccer, Tennis, Touch, Volleyball, and Water Polo. All staff is given the opportunity to take a team. Where facilities are available in the school most teams train at lunchtime. Others such as Water Polo and Cricket train after school.

Students participate in the Year 7 Gala Day for Southern Tableland Zone. Games are organised on a Round Robin basis. A Year 8 day is proposed for 2001.

An interschool visit with Goulburn High School is conducted on a Bi-Annual basis. This is basically a junior 7 and 8 and a senior 9 and 10 competition. Most traditional sports are played plus debating, public speaking, chess and table tennis.

Other Student Participation

The school has a gifted and talented elective in Athletics for students in Years 8, 9 and 10 in Semester 1. Students are invited to enrol on the basis of the previous year’s carnival results.

Students may nominate to act as coaches and referees at local Primary Schools Touch and Soccer Gala Days. Students have to successfully complete a relevant written test and show substantial previous experience.

Sports coaching elective – Students work within the class on skill acquisition in a range of sports. They then visit Bowral Primary School and Tangarra Special School working with young students in small groups helping them with basic skills.

Community Involvement

The local Associations eg Soccer, Rugby League, Hockey, provide referees and umpires for Knockouts plus qualified parents in Netball and Basketball

SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM

The program is successful because it is integrated with PE. There is no distinction between Sport and PE, and is taught by specialists.

Elective courses in Years 8,9 and 10 are vertically organised and each class comprises a range of abilities. Semester basis allows each student to complete mandatory components in one semester ie year 8, 9, 10 core PE, and an elective of their choice in the other. Students appreciate the opportunity to choose. This generates a positive attitude to PE/Sport. If students do not choose an elective then the elective is not offered in subsequent semesters. Consequently the range of options is determined by student interest, teach expertise and facilities.

Two 80 minutes periods per week give the program parity of status with all other elective subjects.

The system allows for maximum use of facilities. They are used continually throughout the week without the ‘peak periods’ of traditional sport when we could not cater for such a large body of students. No time is lost for travelling nor are there any associated travelling supervision concerns.

Since PE/Sport is faculty based it makes implementation and standardisation of procedures easier and simpler. More time is devoted to skill development than can usually occur in a ‘traditional sport’ arrangement. Assessment and reporting on student outcomes is a significant feature of the system.