THE announcement of the new name and new structure for the merger of The Scots School and All Saints’ College represents an important new stage in the process.
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Scots ASC College will formally start at the beginning of 2019 but there will be plenty of work over the next eight months to thrash out more details.
While most of the community reaction since the most recent announcements has focused on the new name – particularly the effective repetition of “college”, and there is now a social media campaign under way seeking to have it changed – far more important is the new structure.
Scots ASC will be the first Bathurst school to offer a three-tier system Junior School (Kindergarten to Year 4), Middle School (Years 5-8) and Senior School (Years 9-12)..
Junior and Middle School classes will be held on the All Saints’ campus with senior classes at the Scots campus.
The new structure means Scots ASC can offer a real point of difference in what is a crowded education market in Bathurst but, crucially, it also offers parents the chance to opt for a system that has the broad support of education academics.
The establishment of a Middle School – new for our region but not uncommon among large schools in the capital cities – recognises the difficulties that come with a school seeking to cater for a student body ranging in age from 12 to 18 and is currently the case.
Middle School students will range in age from about 10 to 14 where the differences aren’t as marked.
Middle School also offers a gentler transition through the years, hopefully alleviating much of the stress that Year 6 students can face making the leap into Year 7.
While both the Scots and All Saints’ communities might fear a loss of identity under this merger, there are many more benefits than drawbacks.
Scots ASC will be a school of around 800 students charging fees generally in the mid-range.
There will be more options for students than has been the case with the schools operating separately and there will be new career paths for college staff.
Bringing two cultures together will always be tough but those differences must be put aside for the common goal of providing quality education for the students. This is an exciting stage in the history of these schools, and of education in Bathurst generally.