Bishop Druitt College
Encyclopedia
Bishop Druitt College, or BDC, is a private Anglican school located in southwest Coffs Harbour
. It consists of a primary, middle school and senior school section (K-12).
on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
.
The College commenced operations in 1994 with an enrolment of 57 Primary school students. The inspiration for the foundation of the School came from the Headmaster of The Armidale School, Ken Langford -Smith, who saw an opportunity for a thriving Anglican School in the fast growing region of Coffs Harbour. The idea was taken up by the Anglican Rector of Coffs Harbour the Reverend Stephen Pullin and the Foundation Headmaster was Victor Branson. Under this leadership team the school grew rapidly and expanded the building program to cater for an enrolment of over 1100 students. The original plan was for a school of just 600. The cohort of 2001 came 40th in the state in the HSC out of over 700 schools. During these years the school established excellent traditions and services establishing itself as the premier school in the region with a wide variety of sports and activities as well as an outstanding academic record. Mr Branson completed the foundation process after ten years of distinguished service nd resigned to become the Principal of the St Andrew's Institute in 2004. Deputy Principals under Branson's tenure included Chris Pitt (Secondary) and Bart Halford (Primary), followed by Terry Muldoon and Carolyn Ryan (Secondary). Roger Oates took over as the school's second principal, and his tenure lasted from 2004 to 2009, when he was replaced by Alan Ball. Deputy Principals during Oates' tenure included Terry Muldoon and Graham Anderson (Secondary), and Susanna Christie and Graeme Naftel (Primary).
results on numerous occasions.
As well as offering a thorough grounding in English
, Mathematics
, Science
, Geography
, Personal Development and Health, a wide range of electives in Technology and Applied Science, Creative and Performing Arts and Languages (including French
and Japanese
courses, which can be taken within the college campus, as well as Italian
and German
, through distance education) through are offered to students as they progress through the Secondary years.
Many recreational clubs and sporting options are also available. BDC's sporting tradition combines the excellence of high performing basketball, rugby and football teams with the opportunity for everyone to participate at their own level. The 2009 Bill Turner Cup was the first time the school had not qualified for the Area 6A grand final.
The College offers the services of educational professionals at all levels – in the classroom, in technology support and in educational support services. BDC also offer the best pastoral care available, using the House System
as the foundation for creating a caring and personal experience of the Anglican educational ideal.
. Each student belongs to a Tutor Group and a House. The Tutor Group is horizontal (the same Year level) and the House is Vertical (K-12). Students usually remain in the same Tutor Group and House for the duration of their Secondary enrolment. Students participate in sporting events and pastoral care in these house groups. The houses are named after significant people in Australia's history and are as follows:
House shield winners from past years have included:
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...
. It consists of a primary, middle school and senior school section (K-12).
Background
Bishop Druitt College is an independent, co-educational Kindergarten to Year 12 Anglican school situated in North BoambeeBoambee
Boambee is a suburb in the city of Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Boambee is west of Sawtell on the Pacific Highway. It is divided into two sections: semi-rural Boambee...
on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
The College commenced operations in 1994 with an enrolment of 57 Primary school students. The inspiration for the foundation of the School came from the Headmaster of The Armidale School, Ken Langford -Smith, who saw an opportunity for a thriving Anglican School in the fast growing region of Coffs Harbour. The idea was taken up by the Anglican Rector of Coffs Harbour the Reverend Stephen Pullin and the Foundation Headmaster was Victor Branson. Under this leadership team the school grew rapidly and expanded the building program to cater for an enrolment of over 1100 students. The original plan was for a school of just 600. The cohort of 2001 came 40th in the state in the HSC out of over 700 schools. During these years the school established excellent traditions and services establishing itself as the premier school in the region with a wide variety of sports and activities as well as an outstanding academic record. Mr Branson completed the foundation process after ten years of distinguished service nd resigned to become the Principal of the St Andrew's Institute in 2004. Deputy Principals under Branson's tenure included Chris Pitt (Secondary) and Bart Halford (Primary), followed by Terry Muldoon and Carolyn Ryan (Secondary). Roger Oates took over as the school's second principal, and his tenure lasted from 2004 to 2009, when he was replaced by Alan Ball. Deputy Principals during Oates' tenure included Terry Muldoon and Graham Anderson (Secondary), and Susanna Christie and Graeme Naftel (Primary).
The secondary school
The Secondary Campus of the College uses a five-stream model for Years 7 to 12 and offers a broad choice of study programs in the senior years. Each academic faculty determines its own structure in a manner that best suits the individual cohort. Therefore, some subjects may be streamed, while others may not. The College has a strong history of academic success, placing in the top 200 schools in terms of HSCHSC
-Computing:* Hitachi Storage Cluster* HSC50 , a mass storage controller from Digital Equipment Corporation implementing their Mass Storage Control Protocol* Hughes Systique Corporation-Medicine:...
results on numerous occasions.
As well as offering a thorough grounding in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Personal Development and Health, a wide range of electives in Technology and Applied Science, Creative and Performing Arts and Languages (including French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
courses, which can be taken within the college campus, as well as Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, through distance education) through are offered to students as they progress through the Secondary years.
Many recreational clubs and sporting options are also available. BDC's sporting tradition combines the excellence of high performing basketball, rugby and football teams with the opportunity for everyone to participate at their own level. The 2009 Bill Turner Cup was the first time the school had not qualified for the Area 6A grand final.
The College offers the services of educational professionals at all levels – in the classroom, in technology support and in educational support services. BDC also offer the best pastoral care available, using the House System
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
as the foundation for creating a caring and personal experience of the Anglican educational ideal.
The house system
Underpinning the academic structure of the College is the House SystemHouse system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
. Each student belongs to a Tutor Group and a House. The Tutor Group is horizontal (the same Year level) and the House is Vertical (K-12). Students usually remain in the same Tutor Group and House for the duration of their Secondary enrolment. Students participate in sporting events and pastoral care in these house groups. The houses are named after significant people in Australia's history and are as follows:
- Cottee, named after Kay CotteeKay CotteeKay Cottee, AO was the first female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her yacht Blackmore's First Lady, taking 189 days.-Early life:...
(Blue) - Hollows, named after Fred HollowsFred HollowsFrederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows, AC was an ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries...
(Red) - Kngwarreye, named after Emily KngwarreyeEmily KngwarreyeEmily Kame Kngwarreye was an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. She is one of the most prominent and successful artists in the history of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.-Life:Born in 1910, Kngwarreye did not take up painting seriously until...
(Orange) - Murray, named after Les MurrayLes Murray (broadcaster)Les James Murray AM is an Australian sports journalist, football broadcaster and analyst...
(Green) - O'Shane, named after Pat O'ShanePat O'ShanePatricia June O'Shane is a magistrate of the Local Court of New South Wales living in Sydney, Australia. A former head of the New South Wales Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, and Aboriginal herself, O'Shane was appointed a magistrate in 1986...
(Yellow) - Sutherland, named after Joan SutherlandJoan SutherlandDame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
(Black)
House shield winners from past years have included:
| Year | House |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Kngwarreye |
| 2003 | Hollows |
| 2004 | O'Shane |
| 2005 | O'Shane |
| 2006 | O'Shane |
| 2007 | O'Shane |
| 2008 | Hollows |
| 2009 | Murray |
| 2010 | Hollows |
| 2011 | Hollows |