Normanhurst Boys' High School

Normanhurst Boys' High School (colloquially known as Normo)[3] is an academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the suburb of Normanhurst, on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was ranked 12th in Australia by Better Education and 11th in terms of NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) results in 2018.[4][5]

Normanhurst Boys High School
Normanhurst Boys' High School, main building
Location
Normanhurst Boys High School Location in greater metropolitan Sydney Show map of Sydney Normanhurst Boys High School Normanhurst Boys High School (New South Wales) Show map of New South Wales Normanhurst Boys High School Normanhurst Boys High School (Australia) Show map of Australia
Pacific Highway, Normanhurst, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°43′17″S 151°6′5″E
Information
Type	Academically selective Secondary school Day school Single-sex school
Motto	Know Thyself
Established	1958 (1958)[1][2]
Educational authority	NSW Department of Education
Principal	A. Harman
Staff	c. 71
Years	7–12
Gender	Boys
Age	13 to 18
Enrolment	~760 (2018)
Campus size	6.3 hectares (16 acres)
Campus type	Suburban parkland
Houses	4
Colour(s)	Red and black
Slogan	Know Thyself Personal best Raise the bar[3]
Nickname	Normo
Publication	The Normanhurst News
Yearbook	Phoenix Magazine
Affiliations	North West Metropolitan Sports Association
Alumni	Old Boys
Website	normanhurstboys.nsw.edu.au

Established in 1958, Normanhurst caters for approximately 730 students from Year 7 to Year 12, who are accepted on an academic basis.[2] Based on entry standards, it is one of the top ten schools in New South Wales.[6] The school celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2018.[7]

History

In 1957, five schools made up the Hornsby School site, located on the Pacific Highway: a boys' primary school and a boys' junior technical school on the eastern side, and an infants school, a girls’ primary school, and a girls’ domestic science school on the western side.[8] On 30 November 1957, the three western schools were destroyed by bushfires.[8] Over the 1957-58 Christmas holidays, the three schools were relocated into the facilities of the boys' technical school, and the three year groups of boys were moved to a newly built but unopened school at Normanhurst.[8]

From its opening in 1958 until 1993, Normanhurst Boys' High School operated as a comprehensive school.[8] In 1993, the Government of New South Wales marked Normanhurst as one of several high schools allowed to select students by academic achievement.[8] The first intake of "selective" students was made up of those starting Year Seven in 1994, with a new intake of Year Sevens each year, until the school became fully selective in 1999.[8] Presently, Normanhurst is one of seventeen fully selective schools in New South Wales.[9]

Academics

Like other academically selective schools, Normanhurst is known for its academic achievement in the Higher School Certificate. The following table shows Normanhurst's rankings relative to other schools in the state. The rankings are based on the percentage of exams sat that resulted in a placing on the Distinguished Achievers List (highest band result) as shown by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES NSW).

Year	Rank in state
2019	11
2018	16
2017	13
2016	11

In 2010, the school was ranked 14th in the state.[10]

Demographics

The school's students are one of the most socio-economically advantaged in NSW, in terms of the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage score, with 82% of boys at the school from families in the top quarter of society.[11][12] As a result, the school has been mentioned as part of an ongoing debate about whether Australian selective schools accept enough students from less well-off families, and if selective schools create social inequality.[13][14][15]

Structure

Normanhurst Boys is not far from its "sister" school, Hornsby Girls' High School, with which joint curriculum and extra-curricular activities are held.

Entry

Normanhurst Boys High School is an academically selective high school and accepts a relatively small intake of 120 students in Year Seven. It is one of the top ten schools in New South Wales, based on entry standards.[6] Offers of admission and matriculation into the school in Year 7 are made on the basis of academic merit, as assessed by the Selective High School Placement Test, sat in Year 6.[16]

A small number of students may be accepted into Years Eight through to Eleven, through direct application to the school and a subsequent internal selection process, consisting of a consideration of character and academic ability.[17]

Houses

The school has four houses, the names of which are based on figures in the Aboriginal Dreamtime. Pupils compete under their respective house in sport and academics. The houses are:

Bukkandi House	Red
Dinewan House	Blue
Warrigal House	Yellow
Wayamba House	Green

Facilities

The school has an area of 6.3 hectares, and is within five minutes walk of Normanhurst railway station.[18] Facilities include a sporting field, four tennis courts and several basketball courts. The campus includes the hall, library, music and drama centre as well as a careers office. There are two gates of entry, one reserved for senior boys and one for junior boys. Each student has a laptop with wireless internet access.

The drama centre was finished in 2017, as part of an extension to the school's main building.

Normanhurst Boys High School

Sport

Normanhurst Boys High School is a member of the North West Metropolitan Sports Association. The sporting year is divided into two seasons, summer and winter, and boys are able to select sports they wish to play throughout the semester.[19] All boys must play sports until Year 11, and are encouraged to play grade sport, representing the school in inter-school competitions.[20] Sports offered include:

• Association football (soccer)
• Baseball
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Futsal
• Hockey
• Lawn bowls
• Oz-tag
• Rugby union
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Water polo

The school also holds annual swimming and athletics carnivals,[19] as well as an annual cross-country event.

Co-curricular activities

The school offers numerous clubs and societies to students.[21] These include:

• Chess club[22]
• Creator's club
• Debating and public speaking[23][24]
• Concert band[25]
• Environmental society
• Jazz ensemble
• Mooting and mock trial
• Robotics and programming club
• Social justice society
• Stage bands (first and second)
• String ensemble
• Choir

Normanhurst Boys participates in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme,[26] as well as running its own secondary school army cadet unit, 226 Army Cadet Unit. In conjunction with Hornsby Girls High School, an annual play is put on, for which boys can audition and participate in. An annual art exhibition is also run by the school.[3]

Normanhurst Boys runs school camps for grades 7-11, notably a camp for Year Seven students to Jenolan Caves and the Central West of New South Wales. The week-long excursion has been running in various forms since 1959.[27] On the camp, boys are accompanied by mentors from senior years. The school also offers overseas cultural trips to London, Paris, Rome and New York.

Motto

The school's motto, Know Thyself, is a Delphic maxim which is attributed to Ancient Greece. The phrase has been expounded by Aeschylus, Socrates and Plato, among others. It is given as nosce te ipsum or temet nosce in Latin.

Principals

The following individuals have served as Principals (formerly Headmasters) of the school:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Ordinal	Principal	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	T. A. Pearson	1958	1967	8–9 years
2	R. E. Murphy	1968	1971	2–3 years
3	?. Newton	1972	1974	1–2 years
4	T. Cook	1975	1977	1–2 years
5	A. McLeon	1978	1981	2–3 years
6	R. Fenton	1981	1988	6–7 years
7	J. Abbery	1988	1992	3–4 years
8	N. G. Warren	1992	2008	15–16 years
9	J. Bruce	2008	2014	5–6 years
10	M. Anderson	2014	2020	5–6 years

Notable alumni

Alumni of Normanhurst Boys' High School are commonly referred to as Old Boys. Some notable Normanhurst Old Boys include:

Business

• David Hill – Chairman and CEO of Fox Sports, creator of the Sky Sports channel, former chairman of Fox Broadcasting[28]

Media, entertainment, and the arts

• Vince Melouney  – guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, former member of the Bee Gees.[29]

Medicine and science

• Michael Barber AO – mathematician, physicist, academic[30]
• Jordan Nguyen – biomedical engineer and inventor[31]
• Ian Plimer – geologist and academic[32]
• John Shine – biochemist and molecular biologist[33]

Politics, public service, and the law

• Peter Andren AM – former Independent Member for Calare in the Parliament of Australia (1996–2007)[34][35]
• Peter Baldwin – former Labor Member for Sydney in the Parliament of Australia (1983–1998), former Minister for Employment and Education Services (1990), former Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services (1990–1993), former Minister for Social Security (1993–1996)[35][36][37]
• Peter McClellan, Chief Judge in Common Law of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (since 2005), Chief Royal Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse[38][39]

Sport

• David Brown – former Australian rules footballer[40]
• Rodger Davis – professional golfer[35][41]
• Neil Maxwell – former NSW and Australia A cricketer[35]
• Richard Pybus – cricketer and former Pakistan cricket coach[42]
• Murray Barnes – former Socceroos captain[43][41]
• Robert Wheatley – former Socceroo (1981 to 1990)[35]
• Todd Woodbridge – sports broadcaster for Nine Network and former professional tennis player[41]

See also

• Selective school (New South Wales)
• List of selective high schools in New South Wales
• List of government schools in New South Wales

References

1. "Normanhurst Boys High School". School Locator. NSW Public Schools. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
2. "2008 Annual Report - Normanhurst Boys High School" (pdf). Normanhurst Boys High School. 31 May 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via s3.amazonaws.com.
3. "Educational Philosophy". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
4. "Australian Top Secondary Schools 2018". Better Education. 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
5. "No thanks, I'd rather go public: website data sways student". Sydney Morning Herald. 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
6. "Minimum Entry Scores of NSW Selective High Schools-2019". Better Education. 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
7. "60th Anniversary Celebrations". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2018. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
8. "History". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
9. "List of selective and agricultural high schools". Department of Education and Training. 14 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
10. Patty, Anna (8 February 2010). "No thanks, I'd rather go public: website data sways student". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
11. "'Absolute prize': Why selective schools are eclipsing private schools". Sydney Morning Herald. 2018. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
12. "My School: Normanhurst Boys High School". My School. 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
13. Baker and Morgan, Jordan and Cassandra (15 July 2018). "'Absolute prize': Why selective schools are eclipsing private schools". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
14. McGowan and Evershed, Michael and Nick (19 May 2018). "'Warped and elitist': are Australia's selective schools failing the fairness test?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
15. Kang, Benedict (23 January 2018). "What do we do about selective schools?". Spectator Australia. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
16. "Year 7". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
17. "Years 8 - 12". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
18. "Welcome to Normanhurst Boys High School". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
19. "Sport Policy". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
20. "North West Metropolitan Sports Association". North West Metropolitan Sports Association. 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
21. "Enrichment and Corricular activities". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
22. "Chess". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
23. "Junior Debating and Public Speaking". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
24. "Senior Debating and Public Speaking". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
25. "Music at Normanhurst". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
26. "Duke of Edinburgh Award". Normanhurst Boys High School. 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
27. "Camps & Rich Experiences". Normahurst Boys School Website. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
28. Schulze, Jane (26 September 2002). "Game on - Winning view from the Hill". The Australian. p. B.01.
29. Anne Marie. "BEE GEES IN CLOSE UP".
30. "Edited transcript of interview with Michael Barber" (PDF). Swinburne Commons. Swinburne University of Technology. 27 October 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via commons.swinburne.edu.au.
31. "Dr Jordan Nguyen". LinkedIn. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via www.linkedin.com.
32. Johnson, Anne (28 May 2006). "The coffin, the Ark & the Prof". The Sunday Mail. Adelaide.
33. "John Shine". LinkedIn. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
34. Costar, Brian; Curtin, Jennifer (6 November 2007). "Independent federal politician did it his way". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. p. 11.
35. "Normanhurst Boys High". School Choice. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
36. Wright, Tony (19 July 1997). "The man they couldn't bash out of politics to quit prized Labor seat". The Sydney Morning Herald.
37. "Baldwin, the Hon. Peter Jeremy". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
38. "Greens back McClellan appointment". Herald-Sun. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
39. Moran, Susannah (12 January 2013). "Inquiry chief Peter McClellan noted for fairness and experience". The Australian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
40. 2019, 1958 (2018). "Principal's Report". Phoenix Magazine. Normanhurst Boys High School.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
41. "North". Choosing a School. Universal Media Co. 2019. p. 73. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
42. Wilkins, Phil (12 November 1999). "Players go back to fielding school, hoping to catch on; PAKISTAN TOUR". The Sydney Morning Herald.
43. "NSWCHS BOYS FOOTBALL REPRESENTATIVES" (PDF). NSW Schools Football. Retrieved 7 June 2020.

External links

• Official website
• NSW Department of Education and Training: Normanhurst Boys High School
• North West Metropolitan Sports Association
• Baker, Jordan; Morgan, Cassandra (15 July 2018). "'Absolute prize': Why selective schools are eclipsing private schools". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2019.