THE newly minted Scots All Saints College has been a hive of activity as staff prepare to welcome students for the first time as one school.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While the two campuses from the former All Saints College and The Scots School were adequate, more than $1.2 million is being spent on upgrades to technology and renovations to classrooms and boarding houses, and creating a new senior school library.
Head of the Scots campus, Tracey Leaf, said the new library would be a stand-out feature of the senior school.
“Now it has got very modern, open learning spaces,” she said.
“We’ve targeted it to any age group really, but it is certainly designed around the fact that it’s a senior campus for senior students and it’s addressing their studying needs, research and learning.”
Students will get to see the investment the school has made into their education on January 31.
Ms Leaf said it will essentially be “business as usual” for students, with the plan being that, after the initial assemblies, they can jump straight into their classes.
Due to a focus on integration activities last year, the students are expected to feel more comfortable with their new classmates.
Head of the All Saints campus, Chris Jackman, said one of the biggest differences that will be seen when the two schools are officially one is the existence of a middle school.
The school will be based on the All Saints campus and take in students from Year 5 through to Year 8.
“The idea is to make a much smoother transition for children into high schools, but it also lifts the game for Year 5 and 6 students, some who are ready for high school before they would traditionally start,” Mr Jackman said.
With just over two weeks left until Scots All Saints College welcomes students, the school is working on administration, rolling out the new branding, equipping students with the uniform, setting up classrooms and making cosmetic changes that symbolise the united entity.
Mr Jackman said the uniform shop had been busy, but there would also be a transition period of two years to the new uniform, meaning students could still wear their former school's uniform.
In a positive sign for the school, enrollments are growing, with some grades close to capacity.
Mr Jackman said there has been a lot of interest in Year 5, with parents seeing the benefits of middle school.
“Our enrollments are stronger than we expected at this time. We’re really pleased that there has been a lot of interest in our new school,” he said.
Scots All Saints College is expected to launch with more than 750 pre-kindergarten to Year 12 students across the three campuses in Bathurst and Lithgow.
