Let’s face facts – it costs more to send a child to SCAS than most other schools in town. So why do parents make the decision to do this when newspapers often produce articles that say that enrolment in an independent school makes no difference to the educational outcomes of students.
Despite these articles, schools like ours continue to grow. We must be doing something right! There must be a positive “difference”.
I will not comment on the culture offerings of other schools to examine the reasons behind this choice. Instead, I will try to identify what makes SCAS “different” to some other schools.
Here are my observations on some key areas of the SCAS experience:
While we are talking about public perceptions, let’s confront another one. There seems to be a perception among some that only a “certain kind” of student attends or is welcome at a school like SCAS.
Because we have achieved success in the academic, sporting and cultural fields and have developed a range of exceptional resources for our students, there is a perception that only “wealthy” families send their children to SCAS or that you are not welcome here unless you are exceptionally talented.
A few facts:
“In Australia, 89 per cent of school-aged children with a disability attend a mainstream school. Having additional needs or a disability refers to a wide range of conditions that in some way limit a person’s ability to manage everyday living. Some disabilities are visible, but some you can’t see.” Kids Matter.
In summary, the experience of every student at SCAS is different. Each student will have his or her own story to tell when they graduate and leave us.
Perhaps, it is only after graduation that our students will be able to determine if their parents’ decision to send them to a “different” school was worthwhile – if the social, educational, cultural and sporting experiences they had made going to SCAS a worthwhile investment in their future.
We hope they decide the “difference” made it all worthwhile.
Mr Terry Muldoon Principal, St Columba Anglican School |
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