, motto_translation = Diligence conquers all , established = , grades = 7- 12 , grades_label = Years , principal = Alan Maclean , students = , type = Government-funded

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 ...

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 compa ...

, colours = Orange & green , location = Caringbah,

Sutherland Shire Sutherland Shire is a local government area in the southern region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland Shire comprises an area of and as at the had an estimated population of . Sutherland Shire is colloquially ...

, Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Sydney , pushpin_image = , pushpin_mapsize = 240 , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in greater metropolitan Sydney , pushpin_label = , pushpin_label_position = , module = , website = Caringbah High School is a government-funded

academically selective secondary

, located in Caringbah, in the

of Sydney,

, Australia. The school was opened in 1960 as a co-educational high school and was nominated to become selective in 1989, over the neighbouring Port Hacking High. approximately 912 students were enrolled.

School campus

Before 2010, the school was split across two locations, the southern campus (on higher ground, known colloquially known as "top school") and the northern campus (on lower ground, know colloquially as "bottom school" or "the Annexe"). The campuses were linked by a covered walkway and grassed area. The southern campus was the original site which contained an auxiliary administrative office as well as music, industrial technology, applied science classrooms and languages. As of the 1980s, the junior years were taught in the Annexe and senior years were taught in the older buildings on the southern campus. However, due to the unstable

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

foundation of the "top school", causing the campus to begin sinking, a construction project to consolidate all of the school's facilities commenced in 2007. and was completed in 2012. As of 2010, only the "bottom school" is in use and the abandoned buildings of the "top school" have become a noted site of

urban decay Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...

and vandalism. On 2 April 2013, the school hall in the abandoned southern campus was destroyed by arson. On 29 August 2015, one of the other buildings in the southern campus was the site of another fire. A year 12 student has secured $100,000 to add solar panels on the roof of the school hall, which is expected to create annual savings of $18,000.

Outdoor Learning Centre

One of the key programs the school's environmental committee "Green Edge" has undertaken is the Outdoor Learning Centre (OLC). Construction started in August 2013. It is located near the site of the former walkway between the two campuses. Students and staff both had significant input into the design, and much of the work was constructed with the help of students and staff. The OLC consists of a central "pod", where classes can be held, and 5 smaller "pods" each based on bush tucker, a xeriscape, a meditative garden, an indigenous garden and a sensory garden.

Regeneration area

The school also has a "regeneration" area, where plants from pre-European settlement times grow. Seeds from trees and original native grasses populate the area, with students working to ensure the area remains free of introduced grasses and weeds. The area was formerly the driveway for teacher's cars between the two campuses. This area is one of only 3 in the Sutherland Shire and helps increase the biodiversity of the school, attracting a range of native animals including birds and possums. In September 2015, the school planted a

wollemi pine ''Wollemia'' is a genus of coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. It was known only through fossil records until 1994, when the Australian species ''Wollemia nobilis'' was discovered in a temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi ...

in this area.

Faculties

Languages Other than English

At Caringbah High, language is compulsory in years 7 and 8 and it is taught as an elective for years 9-12. Languages taught include French, Japanese, and Latin, and until 2020 the school also taught German. As of 2020, the protocol is that year 7 students rotate between the three languages, and in year 8, each student picks one language that they favour most, which is studied for the whole year. Once in year 9, students have the option of continuing study in the language that they have chosen as an elective.

Cultural exchange

In Year 10, students who have chosen to study French have the opportunity to go on a school trip to France. Additionally, in 2014, the school ran a trip to China, available to students in Years 10 and 11. Caringbah High School maintains sister school relationships with several other schools internationally: * Lycée St-Denis in Loches, France * Gymnasium Raubling in Raubling, Germany * Xiaoshan no. 3 High School in Hangzhou, Beijing, China * Oita High School in Oita, Japan (note that students do not visit this school on their Japan trip however students from Oita annually travel to Caringbah and stay with CHS students)

English

Caringbah High School follows the

New South Wales Education Standards Authority The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (abbreviated as NESA) is the state government education statutory authority with the responsibility for the establishment and monitoring of school standards in the Australian state of New Sout ...

curriculum for its English courses for Years 7 - 12. Students learn a variety of skills in the English language, such as analysis of various texts, creative writing, and essay writing. Texts studied include the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Robert Frost and John Steinbeck.

HSC

Caringbah does not currently offer the English Standard course, instead offering English Advanced, English Extension 1 and English Extension 2. Students also have the opportunity to accelerate their studies, completing the HSC 1-2 years early in Mathematics Advanced, Mathematics Extension 1 and Investigating Science.

History and Geography

From Years 7 to 10, students study Mandatory History and Mandatory Geography courses. Prior to 2020 they would alternate between History and Geography each semester. Now students in Years 7-10 alternate between History and Geography on an annual basis. In Years 9 and 10, the school also offers additional History and Geography Elective courses on top of the mandatory course. In senior years, the school offers Modern, Ancient and Extension History courses.

Information Technology

Students have the opportunity to complete the 'Talented Computing Program' (TCP) as an elective in years 9 and 10. The preliminary Higher School Certificate course in Information Processes and Technology (IPT) commences on the first semester of year 9; allowing students to complete 2-units of their HSC prior to reaching year 11. Completion of TCP allows the option of undertaking a first-year university level course in computing through the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

in year 11 called COMP1917.

Co-curricular

Caringbah High School provides various extra-curricular activities, such as public speaking, debating,

Tournament of Minds Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an academic competition focusing on collaborative problem solving and critical thinking. It is open to both primary and secondary students in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a number of other locations in A ...

and

HSC distinction courses Distinction courses were an advanced placement program (not to be confused with the US Advanced Placement program) available to Higher School Certificate (HSC) students in New South Wales, Australia, who have been accelerated in at least one subj ...

Music

Caringbah has eighteen musical ensembles, of which many compete in regional and statewide events and performances, including the Sydney Eisteddfod McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge. As a part of the consolidation of campuses, a new, "Music Centre" was created, which houses music classrooms and practice rooms, where students from music classes and music ensembles have classes, can store instruments and practice during lunchtimes and before and after school.

Sporting teams

Caringbah fields many sporting teams which compete in many sports including

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

, soccer,

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

, mountain biking,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

(boys and girls) and

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

Tournament of Minds

Caringbah High School has competed in the

for over 12 years. The school regularly enters two Language Literature Teams, three Social Science Teams and a Maths/Engineering Team. In 2006, the Maths Engineering team, two Social Science teams and a Language Literature team received honours at a regional level. One Language Literature team went on to compete and receive honours at the State level. In 2018, the Social Sciences team won at the Sydney East Regional Finals, and are currently in the process of progressing to the State Final

Green Edge

In 2009, Green Edge, the school's environmental committee began (unnamed until 2012). The aim of the team is to promote environmental sustainability within the school community. It has undertaken activities such as upgrading light switches to energy efficient timers, introducing a worm farm system, and a school garden. After a period of inactivity, the Green Edge team was re-established in 2015 by a Year 11 student.

Debating

The school maintains several debating teams consisting of students from all grades, participating in regional debating competitions. In 2014 a team of Year 10 students won the grand final of the Les Gordon History Debating Competition.

Formula 1 in Schools

The school has participated in the

F1 in Schools ''F1 in Schools'' is an international STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) competition for school children (aged 11–19), in which groups of 3–6 students have to design and manufacture a miniature car out of the official F ...

competition organised by the REA Foundation. After reaching the 2014 New South Wales State finals, the school's Nangamay won the 2016 Southern Sydney Regional Finals and placed third at the 2016 New South Wales State Finals. At the 2017 Australian National Finals held in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, the team won the innovation award and industry collaboration award, primarily due to their connection with McLaren CEO

Ron Dennis Ronald Dennis CBE (born 1 June 1947) is a British businessman and Official British Business Ambassador for the United Kingdom. He is best known for his former role as owner, CEO, chairman and founder of McLaren Group. Dennis was removed from ...

. The highlight of the tournament came during the surprise 'pressure challenge' in which the team's closed-wheel racing car became the first car in the world to break the 0.9 second barrier at an official Formula 1 in Schools event, with the fastest time ever recorded of 0.895 seconds.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Caringbah High offers the

Duke of Edinburgh Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

program as a co-curricular activity. In October 1973, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh himself presented the award at the school.

HSC results

Caringbah High School students achieve consistently high marks in the Higher School Certificate (HSC). In the years 2000–2007, of the 150 student cohort, on average 11 students achieved 99+ (7%), 23 achieved 98+ (15%), and 48 achieved 95+ (31%), with over 98% of students gaining entrance into university. In the 2009 student HSC cohort the average ATAR was 87.8, with 60% of students achieving an ATAR 90+. The school's HSC rankings from 2007 to 2022 according to Better Education were: * 2007: 26th * 2008: 20th * 2009: 31st * 2010: 35th * 2011: 28th * 2012: 52nd * 2013: 57th * 2014: 38th * 2015: 36th * 2016: 29th * 2017: 39th * 2018: 40th * 2019: 48th * 2020: 30th * 2021: 44th * 2022: 34th

Popular culture

The 2012 Australian television series ''

Puberty Blues ''Puberty Blues'' is a 1981 Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1979 novel of the same name (essentially a protofeminist teen novel) by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey. Plot The story focuses ...

'' was filmed on location at Caringbah High School.

References

External links

Caringbah High School website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1960 Public high schools in Sydney Selective schools in New South Wales 1960 establishments in Australia Caringbah South, New South Wales