Birrong Girls High School

Birrong Girls High School enjoys a diverse range of cultural backgrounds amongst its students, representing 46 language groups (the majority of families are from Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese and Turkish backgrounds). There is a strong demand for enrolment and the school attracts students from many surrounding suburbs due to its strong academic record and its reputation as a safe, caring and happy girls only school. The school's motto, 'Ad Astra' (reaching for the stars), emphasises our high expectations for teaching and learning and is embodied in the consistently strong academic performance of students in the Higher School Certificate. In 2011, 86% of our HSC students gained entry to tertiary studies. More than 40 different extra-curricular activities in areas such as citizenship, performance, student leadership and community involvement provide opportunities for girls to complement their academic pursuits. Our teaching staff (65 full-time) are highly experienced and early career teachers are accredited with the NSW Institute of Teachers. The teachers share an ethos of continuous improvement as demonstrated by their ongoing professional learning and adoption of the NSW Quality Teaching Framework to support teaching practice. A significant component of the professional learning of teachers in recent years has been directed at incorporating information and communication technologies (ICT) into teaching practice, with an associated expansion of the school's computing, laptop and interactive white board facilities. Since 2005, the school's two key focus areas have been improved student outcomes (particularly in literacy and numeracy) and the incorporation of the NSW Quality Teaching Framework into all aspects of learning. The success of this focus has been acknowledged twice in five years. In 2012 the school received a Director-General's School Achievement Award for Quality Teaching and in 2008 was Highly Commended for Excellence in School Improvement at the National Awards for Quality Schooling. As a National Partnership School in 2010, additional funding has been directed to enhancing student outcomes, building teacher capacity and providing greater opportunities for students. The provision of a homework centre, on-site tutoring and access to self-paced learning modules strengthen our curriculum delivery. The school's values are: personal excellence (Ad Astra); respect; responsibility; cooperation; understanding, tolerance and inclusion; and integrity. These values are embedded in school culture, policies and practices, reflect the school's Code of Conduct and underpin the school's Statement of Purpose for girls to achieve personal excellence and success in a safe and supportive learning environment.