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Penrith Selective High School

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Coordinates: 33°45′23″S 150°42′23″E / 33.75639°S 150.70639°E / -33.75639; 150.70639
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Penrith Selective High School
Location
Map
Penrith, Western Sydney, New South Wales

Australia
Coordinates33°45′23″S 150°42′23″E / 33.75639°S 150.70639°E / -33.75639; 150.70639
Information
Former names
  • Penrith High School (1950–2011)
  • Penrith Academically Selective High School (2011–2016)
TypePublic co-educational academically selective secondary day school
MottoLatin: Altiora Peto
(Striving for the highest)
Established1950; 74 years ago (1950)
Educational authorityNSW Department of Education
PrincipalJaclyn Cush[1]
Enrolment922[2] (2018)
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)Sky blue, grey, yellow, black, white, and royal blue
      
Websitepenrith-h.schools.nsw.gov.au
Map

Penrith Selective High School (PSHS) is a public co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Penrith, in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950 and operated by the NSW Department of Education, the school caters for approximately 925 students from Year 7 to Year 12.[2]

Penrith Selective High School has consistently performed among the top schools in the Higher School Certificate (HSC).[3] The classes of 2010, 2017, and 2018 share the school's highest ranking at 27th in New South Wales, based on HSC results.[4] In 2018, over 90 students received an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of over 90 and the median ATAR was 91.95.[5] The school also ranks well nationally, consistently placing amongst the top 15 to 20 schools in Australia based on results of the National Assessment Program (NAPLAN), a series of nationally administered tests aimed at measuring student's ability in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.[6]

History

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Penrith Selective High School was first opened in the 1930s as an intermediate school on the land adjacent to its current location (now Penrith Public School). The school's location was then occupied by a mansion known as The Towers. During the 1940s, the mansion and the land was sold to the Department of Education, who demolished the mansion and built Penrith High School, which was officially established in 1950.[7] The school became academically selective in 1989.[8]

Two of the original foundations of the mansion have been preserved and remain in the school grounds. Additionally, the original plaque commemorating the opening of Penrith Intermediate School has been transferred into the present school grounds, where it currently resides in the school's archives. In commemoration of The Towers mansion, the annual school magazine goes by the same name.[9]

Enrolment

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The students of Penrith Selective High School come from an area extending from the Blue Mountains to North Sydney, from the Hawkesbury District to Luddenham. The school has seen significant intake from the City of Blacktown.[citation needed]

Facilities

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The school has a gymnasium, a field with multi-sport goal posts (soccer and rugby, although contact sport is strictly prohibited), a smaller field with portable hockey goal posts, and two basketball courts. It also has five computer labs, an extensive two-storey library, a large space for creative and performing arts, numerous classrooms with equipment and materials dedicated to specific faculties, and a school hall which is part of the original school structure, built in the early 1950s. The hall can accommodate approximately 450 seated guests, usually used for official school functions, performing arts exhibitions, and information evenings. The Penrith Selective High School Parents and Citizens Association (P&C) operates a school canteen, from which all proceeds go towards improving the educational experience of PSHS students.[10]

HSC cheating scandal

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In September 2015, Penrith High School drew controversy after it was discovered that some students had obtained the login information of a teacher and potentially tried to have their marks digitally altered for their HSC,[11] with the school captain being among those involved. This was followed by an investigation from the Department of Education, though its conclusions are unknown.[citation needed]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Penrith Selective High School: Our Staff". NSW Department of Education. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Penrith High School". My School. ACARA. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. ^ McGowan, Michael; Evershed, Nick. "'Warped and elitist': are Australia's selective schools failing the fairness test?". The Guardian. Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  4. ^ "2018 High School Rankings Top 150 Schools in NSW". Matrix Education. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Principal's Message - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Australian Top Secondary Schools - 2021". Better Education.com.au. Better Education. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. ^ Hall and Co. "The Towers - Building from 1880s - Demolished 1940". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Tower Alumni - Edition One - Term 1 2018". Penrith Selective High School. 2018.
  9. ^ Penrith High School. "The Towers". National Library of Australia. Libraries Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Facilities - Penrith High School". Web3.penrith-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  11. ^ Paterson, Ian (11 September 2015). "Penrith High HSC students under investigation over Department of Education computer system hack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  12. ^ Kurian, Nimi (14 July 2016). "Taking the long road". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Librarian's gift to pupils was literature". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 October 2007.
  14. ^ "Penelope: our home town hero". Chronicle.
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