Penrith Selective High School

Penrith Selective High School (PSHS) is a public co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Penrith, in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950 and operated by the NSW Department of Education, the school caters for approximately 925 students from Year 7 to Year 12.[1]

Penrith Selective High School
Location
Penrith Selective High School Location in greater metropolitan Sydney
Penrith, Western Sydney, New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°45′23″S 150°42′23″E
Information
Former names	Penrith High School (1950–2011) Penrith Academically Selective High School (2011–2016)
Type	Public co-educational academically selective secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Altiora Peto (Striving for the highest)
Established	1950 (1950)
Educational authority	NSW Department of Education
Principal	Mark Long
Enrolment	922[1] (2018)
Campus type	Suburban
Colour(s)	Sky blue, grey, yellow, black, white, and royal blue
Website	penrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au

Penrith Selective High School has consistently performed among the top schools in the Higher School Certificate (HSC).[2] The classes of 2010, 2017, and 2018 share the school's highest ranking at 27th in New South Wales, based on HSC results.[3] In 2018, over 90 students received an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of over 90 and the median ATAR was 91.95.[4]

History

Penrith Selective High School was first opened in the 1930s as an intermediate school on the land adjacent to its current location (now Penrith Public School). The school's location was then occupied by a mansion known as The Towers. During the 1940s, the mansion and the land was sold to the Department of Education, who demolished the mansion and built Penrith High School, which was officially established in 1950.[5] The school became academically selective in 1989.[6]

Two of the original foundations of the mansion have been preserved and remain in the school grounds. Additionally, the original plaque commemorating the opening of Penrith Intermediate School has been transferred into the present school grounds, where it currently resides in the school's archives. In commemoration of The Towers mansion, the annual school magazine goes by the same name.[7]

Enrolment

The students of Penrith Selective High School come from an area extending from the Blue Mountains to North Sydney, from the Hawkesbury District to Luddenham. The school has seen significant intake from the City of Blacktown.

Year 7

All Year 7 enrolments are managed by the High Performing Students Unit (formerly, the Selective Schools Unit) of the NSW Department of Education. Each October, application forms for the selective high schools test are available from government primary schools and from the Selective Schools Unit for Year 6 students and are due to be returned that November.[8]

Years 8-12

Applications for entry into Years 8-12 are managed by the school, in line with High Performing Students Unit guidelines. Only a small number of places are available each year since a vacancy only occur when a current student leaves the school. Application packages become available from the school's website or the Selective Schools Unit in Term 2 (June) each year and are returned to the school, along with supporting documentation, by the end of July. The deadline date for application each year is determined by the Selective Schools Unit. The selection committee arranges the applications in order of academic merit based upon the evidence submitted. The committee considers material that provides evidence of high academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities. Residential status requirements and family placement claims follow the Year 7 entry criteria. Students must be either Australia citizens or permanent residents.[9]

Facilities

The school has a gymnasium, a field with multi-sport goal posts (soccer and rugby, although contact sport is strictly prohibited), a smaller field with portable hockey goal posts, and two basketball courts. It also has five computer labs, an extensive two-storey library, a large space for creative and performing arts, numerous classrooms with equipment and materials dedicated to specific faculties, and a school hall which is part of the original school structure, built in the early 1950s. The hall can accommodate approximately 450 seated guests, usually used for official school functions, performing arts exhibitions, and information evenings. The Penrith Selective High School Parents and Citizens Association (P&C) operates a school canteen, from which all proceeds go towards improving the educational experience of PSHS students.[10]

House system

At the beginning of Year 7, all Penrith Selective High School students are placed in one of the following four houses, sorted by last name:

House	Mascot	Colour
Blaxland	Bees
Lawson	Lions
Mitchell	Magic
Wentworth	Wolves

Every year three sporting carnivals (Swimming, Athletics, and Cross Country) are held, where students compete to earn house points. Students also compete for points throughout the year during numerous inter-house friendly competitions, including dance-offs and halloween performances. The winner of each carnival and of the overall house championship is announced each year.

Staff

As of 2020, the staff at Penrith High School includes the following:[11]

Senior executive

• Principal – Mark Long
• Deputy principal – Brian Ferguson
• Deputy principal – Jaclyn Cush
• Deputy principal - Doris Lee

HSC cheating scandal

In September 2015, Penrith High School drew controversy after it was discovered that some students had obtained the login information of a teacher and potentially tried to have their marks digitally altered for their HSC,[12] with the school captain being among those involved. This was followed by an investigation from the Department of Education, though its conclusions are unknown.

Notable people

• Linda Burney[13] – former Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Canterbury, and current Member of the Australian Parliament for Barton
• Kevin Crameri OAM – former mayor of Penrith
• Joyce Fardell[14] – former teacher librarian
• Tony Lauer APM – former Commissioner of the New South Wales Police
• Ognjen Matic – Australian handball player
• Grigor Taylor – actor, Matlock Police, Silent Number and Glenview High
• Ray Watson AM – judge who reformed family law to create no-fault divorce
• Penelope Wensley AC[15] – former Governor of Queensland
• Richard Wilson – actor, The Proposition and Clubland

See also

• List of government schools in New South Wales
• List of selective high schools in New South Wales
• Jamison High School

References

1. "Penrith High School". My School. ACARA. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
2. McGowan, Michael; Evershed, Nick. "'Warped and elitist': are Australia's selective schools failing the fairness test?". The Guardian. Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
3. "2018 High School Rankings Top 150 Schools in NSW". Matrix Education. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
4. "Principal's Message - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
5. Hall and Co. "The Towers - Building from 1880s - Demolished 1940". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
6. "Tower Alumni - Edition One - Term 1 2018". Penrith Selective High School. 2018.
7. Penrith High School. "The Towers". National Library of Australia. Libraries Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
8. "Year 7 Enrolment - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
9. "Year 8-12 Enrolment - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
10. "Facilities - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
11. "Staff - Penrith High School". www.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/our-school/staff. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
12. Paterson, Ian (11 September 2015). "Penrith High HSC students under investigation over Department of Education computer system hack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
13. Kurian, Nimi (14 July 2016). "Taking the long road". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
14. "Librarian's gift to pupils was literature". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 October 2007.
15. "Penelope: our home town hero". Chronicle.

External links

• Penrith Selective High School website
• NSW Department of Education and Communities: Penrith High School