Scotch College Prospectus - A community for life

Scotch College A community for life

We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

Bishop Oscar Romero Prayer

If you choose to join our community, your son will experience many meaningful milestones which are never definitive nor have an end point. This thought is beautifully captured in an extract attributed to Bishop Oscar Romero’s Prayer A Step Along the Way

“We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.”

We hope that our boys and families experience a feeling of being happy, accepted, and welcomed. Hopefully this will come from having positive interactions and relationships with those they meet, whether this be the teachers, administration and ancillary staff, fellow parents, any of the 16,500 Old Scotch Collegians, or other members of the Scotch community. In essence, a sense of belonging is one of humanity’s most basic needs and I hope this is what you will experience by being a part of Scotch.

Through many years of proven success, we know that living out our core values of integrity, stewardship and service, coupled with focusing on educational success, pastoral care, and by providing a breadth of out-of-class opportunities, your son will graduate as a balanced young man ready to take on whatever the future may hold.

We look forward to welcoming your family to the Scotch community.

Dr Alec J O’Connell Headmaster

We help our students develop a character-driven mindset by providing experiential learning opportunities beyond academics and the classroom.

Educational Excellence

A local school with a global outlook

We are a learning community with an international standard of excellence. Our aim is to spark curiosity and promote a lifelong love of learning.

For over 125 years, Scotch College has provided an intellectually and personally challenging programme to foster global citizens with a passion for sustained learning and spiritual enquiry.

Independent life-long learners

We equip students with the knowledge, confidence, skills, and maturity to make the most of their abilities placing as much importance on how they learn as on what they learn. We strive to ensure that our students become:

Cooperative & collaborative workers

Creative and critical thinkers

Skilled researchers

Problem solvers

Global communicators

A choice of academic pathways

Our Junior School delivers the Australian Curriculum through the IB Primary Years Programme. This comprehensive course prepares students for the intellectual challenges of further education, focusing on the development of the whole child as an inquirer in the classroom and beyond.

Our Middle School students study the IB Middle Years Programme (IB MYP), a challenging framework that encourages students to make connections between their learnings and the real world. By completing the MYP, our students are well-equipped for a learning pathway of their choice including our IB Diploma Programme, the WACE programme, or future studies.

Our Senior School students are given the flexibility to choose the academic pathway that best suits their personal strengths and learning preferences. The WA Certificate of Education (WACE) programme offers a combination of Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathways. As an alternative pathway, Scotch College is proud to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a globally recognized curriculum offered in more than 5,300 schools in 158 countries.

As well as the WA Certificate of Education, we are proud to be a World IB School offering the Primary Years, Middle Years, and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).

A balanced approach to education

Junior School

EARLY YEARS (PK–2) AND PRIMARY YEARS (3–5)

In Junior School we offer a wide variety of intellectual, physical, and creative opportunities and we encourage our students to explore and try new things while learning more about themselves.

We are committed to building solid literacy and numeracy skills whilst offering a breadth of stimulating subjects. We teach the Australian Curriculum within the framework of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Through the IB, our students are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and pursue areas of interest in their learning.

We offer a rich co-curricular programme outside the classroom with children participating in clubs such as Art, Aviation, Chess, Coding, Cycling, Engineering and Robotics, Environment, Lego League and Mindfulness. Students can also join a swimming squad, a music ensemble, the annual drama production as well as participate in numerous sports regardless of their skill. Our staff are committed to helping them achieve their personal goals and have fun along the way.

Education is not simply about academic excellence, but a careful balance between intellectual, physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

Our young learners are empowered to think independently and become active inquirers through play, exploration, and investigation.

Scotch College Indigenous Network

The Indigenous Student Support Programme is aimed at ensuring that all Indigenous students are supported academically as well as socially and emotionally.

All Indigenous students, both day boys and boarders, are part of the Scotch College Indigenous Network (SCIN) led by our Indigenous Student Mentor Coordinator and Indigenous Student Mentor. Our Indigenous Programme staff provide an extra layer of support ensuring our boys develop a strong sense of cultural identity and awareness. We also have Indigenous tutors who provide additional academic support and mentoring sessions.

The curriculum at Scotch incorporates Indigenous culture and educates non-Indigenous students on many aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Educational breadth and diversity

Students identified as gifted and talented are offered an expansive range of academic enrichment, extension, and acceleration opportunities, many of which are offered off-campus in collaboration with Presbyterian Ladies’ College. The Enrichment Programme supports boys of high ability to realise their potential and harness their many talents towards making a positive contribution to the global community.

Students who are facing potential learning difficulties and Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are provided with tailored academic support. Before-school tutoring, one-on-one specialised support and targeted workshops are available to give every child the opportunity to succeed at Scotch College and beyond, with a key focus on promoting and supporting progress, self-advocacy, and confidence.

Scholarships

Scotch College started out in 1897 as a Presbyterian school for boys with a 500 pound donation and as a working-class egalitarian institution. The Tàlantach Scholarship allows academically gifted boys to benefit from a Scotch education and keeps the College connected to its roots.

Academically capable boys from all backgrounds, including those who would otherwise be unable to attend the College due to financial reasons, are eligible for these scholarships.

Indigenous students are also invited to apply for scholarships via a number of not-for-profit organisations that offer secondary and tertiary education scholarships for Indigenous students, primarily from remote and regional communities.

Other academic, music and boarding scholarships are also available as well as bursaries and philanthropic support.

Outdoor Education

Outdoor education is an essential part of the curriculum and has immense importance for students’ personal growth and social development. It builds independence, challenges physical fitness and fosters friendships.

Our Outdoor Education Programme emphasises environmental studies, which link to the IB’s Primary and Middle Years Programmes. The skills students learn throughout their outdoor education also integrate with learning in academic subjects including Mathematics, Geography, Art, History, Sciences and Design and

Scotch College has its own Outdoor Education Centre, Moray, a 66-hectare property on the banks of the Murray River, three kilometres south of Dwellingup on Wilman country.