Hale School Prospectus

FROM THE CITY

13km

FROM THE OCEAN

2kmHALE SCHOOL

CAMPUS

48 HECTARES OF LAND

SCHOOL GROUNDS

Located in the suburb of Wembley Downs, Hale School occupies a magnificent 48 hectare site, approximately 13 kilometres to the north-west of Perth and two kilometres from the coast.

WELCOME TO HALE SCHOOL

Hale School is the oldest independent boys’ school in Western Australia, founded in 1858 by the first Anglican Bishop of Perth, Mathew Blagden Hale.

That you are reading this prospectus suggests you are a step closer to making the decision to enrol your son at Hale School. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our school and the community within.

The primary reason I came to Hale was that this is a school with an extraordinary community: a community that has grown, developed and thrived since 1858. I remember my first days in the School and being overwhelmed with the culture that I found. Our boys are exceptional. Should you make the time to visit our school, you will find young men who are respectful, confident and authentic in their interactions. So many visitors comment to me that Hale just seems to have a very special atmosphere. For many it’s hard to describe.

This is an outstanding school that strives to provide an education that prepares every boy for the future, ensuring that he flourishes in every aspect of his life. As a father of three boys – all of whom attend Hale School – I trust that the Hale culture will allow them to grow and become the good men I wish them to be.

We are a school that has high expectations and delivers outstanding results, yet to believe that this is all we offer would be misguided. The adventure we provide for our boys is a truly wonderful experience that creates life-long friendships. We care about your son’s character, his view of himself, others and his place in the world. Of particular importance to me is that your son will be able to form respectful relationships that will establish the foundation of his life’s challenges and achievements.

I believe strongly in the idea that surrounding young boys with good role models is a key component of an exceptional education. At Hale School, our staff and the students create a positive learning environment envied by all. I am proud of our diverse student population, knowing that this creates an educational setting representative of the world in which they will work. Our boarding programme for students near and far is an essential ingredient to the overall atmosphere created at Hale. That we have so many teaching staff living on the school grounds benefits all students – both day and boarding.

If you have not yet visited our school, I urge you to do so. You will be impressed with our grounds, outstanding facilities and people. In short, you will see and feel the strong community that is Hale School.

I look forward to meeting you.

Dean Dell’Oro HEADMASTER

Dean Dell’Oro came to Hale School in April 2017 from Geelong Grammar School, where he was Head of the Corio campus for students from Years 5 to 12 and previously was a Boarding Housemaster and Head of Mathematics. He started his career as an engineer with Exxon-Mobil.

Our Junior School aims to be an inspirational learning community built upon genuine relationships and the pursuit of excellence, providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for boys.

The Junior School is currently undergoing an exciting transformation that will benefit all future students. The redevelopment is based on a philosophy the Junior School teaching team refers to as ‘Prepare, Teach, Connect’. Based on extensive research as well as our own experience and beliefs on where education is heading, this approach affirms that boys learn best when they are:

• physiologically and psychologically prepared

• taught content and skills explicitly

• able to connect knowledge, learning and experiences through cross-curricular, inquiry and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The new Junior School will be built in a radial design with classrooms fanning out around a central playground and canteen. Key design elements include:

• separate buildings for Pre-Primary to Year 2 (Junior Primary), Years 3 to 4 (Middle Primary) and Years 5 to 6 (Upper Primary)

• classrooms with flexible walls and furniture allowing for easy transformation and connection to other learning spaces

• a large ‘connect’ space in each area, which can accommodate a whole year group for launching lessons and presentations, as well as providing ample space for collaborative work

Central to the design is a Learning Hub, where students learn skills of collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and communication. There is also a modern Art Studio and multi-purpose gymnasium.

Careful consideration has been given to maintaining the connection with the natural environment and a large nature play space has been established in the adjacent bushland.

The Junior School boys and staff are also able to utilise the facilities of the

wider school. Specialist teachers support the classroom in Physical Education, Music, Art, Library, Mandarin, Drama and Outdoor Education. Specialist teachers also coordinate the Curriculum Support Programme for boys requiring support in the areas of literacy and numeracy. The Challenge Programme offers specialist support for those boys who are identified as being gifted and talented in the academic domain.

The staff in the Junior School aim to develop relationships that are open, nurturing and positive. Our teachers are openly passionate about teaching, in particular, the teaching of boys. Our teachers accept that we are more than just educators. We are mentors, coaches, and facilitators working with you, the parents, to support your son in his Junior School years. We take great enjoyment in watching the boys who begin their Hale experience with us, continue to thrive in the Middle and Senior Schools.

Junior School encourages the boys to strive for ‘personal excellence’. We acknowledge that talents, gifts, abilities and personalities are unique to every individual. It is our vision that we guide the boys through a range of experiences that allow them to explore these traits and be inspired to develop to their full potential.

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Middle School provides our boys with a distinct identity within an inspiring environment where they take part in a rich curriculum and co-curricular programme. We encourage boys to respond with confidence and enthusiasm to the opportunities these programmes provide them whilst in Middle School.

We recognise and respect the desire of boys of this age to seek a greater level of independence and to make strong personal connections in their lives. As such, they are supported and guided by a teaching team committed to ensuring that the Middle School learning environment provides them with the opportunity to increase their knowledge and expectations of themselves, as well as understand their capacity to contribute to their own future and the future of others. It is our conviction that such qualities provide boys with the confidence and skills to move successfully into Senior School and ultimately provide them with the capacity to make their lives extraordinary.

The Middle School is connected to the Senior School and accesses many of its

facilities but has dedicated classrooms for Year 7 and 8 boys only. This enables them to move on in their young teenage years from the Junior School while allowing them the time and space to adapt to the more demanding routines and rigour of the Senior School.

Middle School seeks to provide boys with a distinct community within the larger community that is Hale School. The teaching team is dedicated to providing a stimulating, supportive and engaging environment that provides boys with the opportunity to achieve important qualities including:

• a sense of belonging and purpose in their school lives

• a growing sense of mastery over learning and the acquisition of core values

• a degree of resilience within a community that nurtures each boy’s quest for independence and individuality

• a spirit of generosity as well as respect and empathy for others

• a sense of being connected to the world

THE TRANSITION

MIDDLE SCHOOL

In Middle School, we strive to build a learning environment where we acknowledge and celebrate the fact that each boy’s intellectual profile is different. That is why we have such a broad curriculum that celebrates the Arts, technology, sport, cultural undertakings, the spiritual, the sacred and the academic. It is indeed a place for thinking, a time for innovation and a centre for learning.

Senior School is a community of approximately 800 boys in Years 9 to 12, their parents and some 100 teaching staff.

The Senior School facilities include specialised and general classroom areas, science laboratories, the Peter Wright Design and Technology Centre, the superb John Inverarity Music and Drama Centre and a specialised Art department. The Memorial Hall and main quadrangle provide a welcoming focus for all boys.

The well-stocked and technology-rich Forrest Library offers expert information and literacy support for all boys. Experienced staff assist the boys

in accessing a diverse range of rich information sources.

Hale School is significantly advanced with the integration of technology into the learning environment. This technology-rich and contemporary learning environment is diverse, dynamic, collaborative and extends beyond the boundaries of classroom and campus. Students are empowered to become literate, self-directed learners, flexible problem solvers and productive members of this technology-orientated society.

The adjacent playing fields and other sporting facilities, including 50-metre and 25-metre swimming pools, artificial turf hockey field, 16 tennis courts, two gymnasiums and a well-appointed weights/ergo room, complete a superb environment in which to learn and play.

The School has a strong academic bias and is proud of the consistently high proportion of its boys who progress to universities and other tertiary institutions every year. One of the major objectives of the Senior School is to give all boys the opportunity to qualify for tertiary studies.

The curriculum inspires the boys to achieve distinction according to their abilities and individual interests. It emphasises the need to work independently and in partnership with others, while developing the ability to think critically, to communicate clearly and to recognise the interconnection of learning. Above all, it seeks to inspire in students a love of learning.

ENCOURAGING EXCELLENCE

SENIOR SCHOOL

Hale School has a long and proud tradition, with boarding being an integral part of the School. Boarders make an enormous contribution to many facets of school life. Whilst success in many sports has been a perennial strength of our boarders, their involvement in music, art, debating, drama and service learning has been just as significant. Importantly, a positive culture of academic improvement and achievement has been forged in recent years with our boys performing well in their studies at all year levels.

Brine House, our boarding house for Year 7 and 8 boarders, is a dynamic and vibrant place where boys are warmly welcomed into the Hale community and to life in boarding. It is a relatively small community of around 45 boys who together share and experience the fellowship, challenges and successes of school and boarding life.

The senior boarding house, comprised of more than 170 boys in Years 9 to 12, has two houses – Faulkner and Wilson – but boys effectively exist as one large community. With Year 9s in small dorms and boys in Year 10 through to 12 in their own rooms, the senior house balances the need for private, personal space with the opportunity to interact with other boys in large, open areas. Our focus in the senior

house is on developing each boy’s sense of independence and responsibility whilst ensuring boys are willingly involved with all that is on offer at the School. A strong culture of community exists within the senior house and boys work and play together with mutual respect and care for each other and the environment in which they live.

A key strength of boarding at Hale School is the staff appointed to look after and guide the boys in their care. All the Heads of House and Assistant Heads of House are teachers at the School. This ensures they get to know each boy very well because they not only see them in the boarding house every day but may also teach them or coach them in sport. The current structure of the pastoral care team in the senior house means boys are guided and supported by one staff member who is responsible for a relatively small group of boys.

A boarding community is only as strong as the support provided by the parents. At Hale School, the boarding parents and their families have always been interested and positively involved in all things boarding. The boarders’ Farmers’ Market in Term 3 epitomises the strong sense of community and involvement we have from

our boarding families. The communication between staff, students and parents is key to the development and happiness of each boy. Regular, positive interaction and feedback are always welcomed by the staff to ensure we are providing the very best ‘home’ environment for our boarders.

I encourage prospective families to come to see our facilities in boarding and also at the School. Importantly, during a tour of the School you will have the opportunity to meet with boarding staff and chat with some of our current boarders. I have no doubt you will be impressed by what you see and hear.

Hale is an exceptional school and boarding provides an outstanding opportunity for your son to be engaged, challenged and enriched by all that is on offer – and all this whilst forging friendships that will last a lifetime!

LIVING AND LEARNING TOGETHER

BOARDING

Providing opportunities for every boy to excel

Telephone: (08) 9347 0189Facsimile: (08) 9347 0198Email: registrar@hale.wa.edu.au

www.hale.wa.edu.au

THE HALE DIFFERENCEWhat makes a great school? Is it the students, staff or facilities? Or the global educational programmes and unrivalled opportunities?

At Hale School, we believe it is all these things, and more.

HALE SCHOOLHALE ROAD, WEMBLEY DOWNSWESTERN AUSTRALIA 6019CRICOS IPC 00438C