Category: Independent Schools

School Debating: Where future leaders forge their skills

“If you get involved in debating and public speaking you will definitely go on to rule the world. Guaranteed.”
— Craig Reucassel, comedian and NSW Department of Education Ambassador for Speaking Competitions

Last week, Joe Nimmo of the BBC, asked, “Why have so many Prime Ministers gone to Oxford University?” Of Britain’s 54 elected heads of government, 27 were educated at Oxford making the university enormously politically influential. The answer, Nimmo concluded, lies in the prestigious Oxford Union debating society.  

Incorporating both parliamentary and persuasive speaking styles of debating, the Oxford Union is renowned for its competition success and defence of free speech. Its adherence to the House of Commons debating format makes it “the place where these parliamentarians of the future cut their teeth and learn how to debate,” Harrison Edmonds, president of the Oxford University Conservative Association, told the BBC. Continue reading “School Debating: Where future leaders forge their skills”

“When you have quality teachers, you achieve quality results”

This is how Rhonda Robson, Head of the Junior School at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, explains their outstanding 2016 NAPLAN results.

Half of the year 3 class achieved top bands in all subjects and the year 5’s did so well that they outperformed the averages of every other independent school in the country.

Congratulations are in order for students and teachers alike, but how did they do it?

On the teaching side, Ms Robson says that consistency and continuous improvement have made a significant contribution to the school’s success.

“We’ve been very targeted in our efforts to lift results; introducing systematic programs throughout the school so that we’re all emphasising the same things,” Ms Robson says. Continue reading ““When you have quality teachers, you achieve quality results””

Full-STEAM ahead: The Scots College team wins NSW robotics competition

A team of budding engineers at The Scots College have claimed the state’s junior robot soccer crown for 2016.

Playing with machines that they built and programmed themselves, the boys led Scots to a 10-point victory in the NSW RoboCup Junior Championship soccer division held last month at the University of NSW.

Founded in 1997, RoboCup, short for Robot Soccer World Cup, is an international competition in which teams of university students field handmade robots in a soccer tournament. Australia has great form in this competition with the UNSW team winning the Standard Platform League division last year. Continue reading “Full-STEAM ahead: The Scots College team wins NSW robotics competition”