Arndell Anglican College is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

located in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of Oakville, New South Wales, Australia. The college includes students from Prep to Year 12.

History

Arndell Anglican College was named after

Thomas Arndell Thomas Arndell (4 March 1753 – 2 May 1821) was a surgeon, magistrate, and farmer. He was born in England, but moved to Australia with the First Fleet when he was 35. He farmed many acres of land there, and he later became a magistrate. He or ...

, one of

Hawkesbury Hawkesbury or Hawksbury may refer to: People *Baron Hawkesbury, or Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1727-1808), English statesman Places ;Geography *Hawkesbury Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada * Hawkesbury Island, Queensland ...

's first settlers. The college was originally established on the Macquarie Retreat in 1990, with Craig Laffin as the first headmaster.

1990s

* 1993: The college is relocated to its present location at Oakville. * 1995: Peter Walker becomes headmaster; the student population grows to over 800 students. * 1996: The college becomes part of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation.

2000s

* 2003: Dr John M. Goddard becomes headmaster, improving the curriculum and undertaking a number of building projects. * 2009: Dr Gareth Leechman becomes headmaster.

2010s

* 2014: The college introduces a laptop programme, providing students with laptops and necessary software. Tablets are given to junior students. * 2015: The senior school is divided into two cohorts. Years 7 to 9 are deemed ''Junior Students'', whereas years 10 to 12 are deemed ''Senior Students''. * 2015: The 25th anniversary of Arndell Anglican College is celebrated with one school day devoted to student activities, as well as other events throughout the year. * 2016: The college is ranked within the top 150 schools in NSW based on HSC results. * 2018: Headmaster Gareth Leechman signs a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

with the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney to retain s 38(3) in the ''

Sex Discrimination Act 1984 The ''Sex Discrimination Act 1984'' is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which prohibits discrimination on the basis of mainly sexism, homophobia, transphobia and biphobia, but also sex, marital or relationship status, actual or potential ...

'' (Cth). *2019
Connor McLeod
a student at the college, speaks at TEDxSydney, reflecting upon his successful 2016 campaign to print tactile banknotes for

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

people.

2020s

* 2020: The college is again ranked within the top 150 schools in NSW based on HSC results.

Headmasters

The following individuals have served as headmaster of Arndell Anglican College: Craig Laffin oversaw the establishment of the college at

Cattai Cattai is an historic suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 44 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and 30 kilometres north-west of Parramatta. It is in the local government areas o ...

and its subsequent move to its current site at Oakville. He built the school community and educational ethos that influences the philosophy and daily life of the college. Peter Walker saw the student population grow to over 800. He also transitioned the college into the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation. The building infrastructure and financial security of the college was established during this time. Dr Goddard built up the curriculum, especially in the faculty of music, and oversaw a significant number of building projects. The current headmaster is Dr Gareth D Leechman. Leechman previously served as the headmaster at Clarence Valley Anglican School in Grafton, and has also been the Head of History and Head of House at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore). In 2018, he signed a formal petition to retain s 38(3) in the ''

'' (Cth).

Curriculum

*The following studies were available to senior students in 2019: **English **Mathematics **Science **Technologies (including agriculture, IT processes, textiles and design, and software design and development, engineering) **Social Sciences ** History **Creative Arts ** Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) **Languages ** Vocational Education Training (VET) **Mandatory Biblical Studies The college also offers a Gifted and Talented and Inclusive Learning programs.

College Ethos

Arndell Anglican College is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

school that advocates religion strongly. Once a week, students attend

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

sermons A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

discussing

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

, the

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

, and

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. The ''Arndell Way of Life'' stresses Christian morals and themes of unity, companionship, and acceptance. Similar understandings of life are taught in Biblical Studies, a class all students attend regardless of religious denomination or faith. The college also aids many charities, such as the

40 Hour Famine Famine events are localized events of voluntary fasting for 30 or 40 hours depending on the region to raise money and awareness for world hunger. These events are usually coordinated by one of various World Vision organizations and are done by yout ...

for WorldVision. The college's actions reflect its

political conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...

and religious traditionalism views. It has advocated for strengthening religious freedoms.

Culture

The crest builds on the legacy of the college. It is dominated by a central cross, indicating focus on Christ and his teachings. The rays signify an infusion of Christian thought, and the undulating lines represent the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. ...

. The school colours of red and blue are distinctive among local schools.

Campus

The campus houses the following named buildings. * Greenway House was named in honour of the convict architect

Francis Greenway Francis Howard Greenway (20 November 1777 – September 1837) was an English-born architect who was transported to Australia as a convict for the crime of forgery. In New South Wales he worked for the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, as Australia's ...

. This building's theme colour is green, and its verse is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” The Geenway house mascot is a horse. * Johnson House was named in honour of

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

, the first cleric of New South Wales. This structure's colour is blue, and its theme verse comes from Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” The Johnson House mascot is a eagle. * Macquarie House has a theme colour of gold. It was named in honour of

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...

, the fifth governor of New South Wales. Its theme verse comes from Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." The Macquarie house mascot is a lion. * Tebbutt House, whose verse comes from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” was named in honour of

John Tebbutt John Tebbutt (25 May 1834 – 29 November 1916) was an Australian astronomer, famous for discovering the " Great Comet of 1861". Early life Tebbutt was born at Windsor, New South Wales, the only son of John Tebbutt, then a prosperous store keepe ...

. The Tebbutt building's theme colour is red. The Tebbutt house mascot is a bull. * Cartwright House is named in honour of Reverend Robert Cartwright (clergyman), who was appointed as a minister to the Hawkesbury in 1810 and began the building of St Mathews Anglican Church in Windsor. Cartwright's colour is teal and its verse comes from 2 Timothy 1:7: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. The Cartwright house mascot is a python. * Lock House is named in honour of

Maria Lock Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

, land owner and daughter of Yarramundi, "Chief of the Richmond Tribes', the family belonged to the Boorooberongal clan of the Dharug people, and at 14 won first prize in the anniversary school examination, ahead of twenty children from the Native Institution and almost 100 European students. Lock's colour is orange and its verse comes from Ephesians 5:1-2: "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." The Lock buildings's theme colour is orange. The Lock house mascot is a wombat. Located in

Oakville, New South Wales Oakville is a suburb of the City of Hawkesbury, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Oakville is located 49 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...

, the Junior School and Senior School are on the same campus. Most of the classrooms and/or buildings contain

SMART Boards Smart Technologies (stylized as SMART Technologies) also known as Smart, is a Canadian company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and wholly owned by Foxconn. Founded in 1987, Smart is best known as the developer of interactive whiteboa ...

. The current facilities of the junior and senior campus include: *Two administration buildings *Four blocks of classrooms in the Junior School *Six blocks of classrooms in the Senior School *The Stubbs Junior Library, including a reading pit, printer and photocopier. *Two basketball courts *A gymnasium *The Mears Senior Library, including two printer/photocopiers and a mezzanine study area *A TAS Building with **a food technology kitchen **commercial kitchen **two textiles classrooms **strategic learning support office **one IT classroom **one multi-use classroom *Three art classrooms equipped with SMART Boards *Five science lab classrooms equipped with SMART Boards *Two canteens *The John Lambert Performing Arts Building, with **an auditorium that seats 550 people **two music practice classrooms **a dance and drama practice classroom *A sporting field in the Junior School *Two sporting fields and two cricket nets in the Senior School * The Goddard block with ** 6 classrooms ** 4 locker slots ** purpose for English * The Whelan block with ** 5 classrooms ** 4 locker slots ** purpose for Mathematics * The Laffin block with ** 5 classrooms ** purpose for Geography, History and Biblical Studies

Governance

Arndell Anglican College is governed by a school

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, which helps develop the college's facilities and growth. The current

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the council is Brenda King. The school is part of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation and is affiliated with the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney.

HSC results

To the left is Arndell's HSC ranking according to BetterEducation.com.au, compared to all other schools sitting the HSC. The year 2016 was Arndell's best, with a ranking of 143 making it into the top 150 schools.

References

External links

Arndell Anglican College official website

Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation website
{{Authority control Anglican secondary schools in Sydney Anglican primary schools in Sydney 1990 establishments in Australia Educational institutions established in 1990