BOARDING – NO LONGER JUST FOR COUNTRY KIDS
The pressure of modern family life, and the realisation that boarding offers opportunities, both social and academic, that families can be hard-pressed to match at home is what brings many city families to consider country boarding. Often they see the country lifestyle as being more relaxed, offering their children less pressure and stress. Kids who board don’t struggle with long city commutes, but can live at school and use that time wisely. Many parents are attracted to our smaller school size, our safe, healthy environment and the more balanced approach our school offers in comparison to highly competitive single-sex schools in Sydney. Other parents want their children to know Australia does not stop at the edge of Sydney; to see there is more to life, and that being willing to take yourself out of the comfort zone of your suburban life is important and will help with character development.
While some city families have connections with the bush, many others are Sydney born and bred. The majority of Kinross Wolaroi School’s boarders are from rural families from all over regional NSW, and for many there are limited schooling options in their home communities. Some of our rural families have a tradition of sending successive generations of students to the school.
Of the 1100 students from Pre-kinder to Year 12 attending Kinross Wolaroi, 320 are boarders – making us one of Australia’s biggest co-educational boarding schools. Boarding is available from Year 7 to 12, making up 40 percent of the senior school. Boy boarders live on the main school campus, Wolaroi, while the girls live on a separate campus five minutes away. Each campus is 50 acres in size and features beautiful gardens and extensive facilities.
Gone are the days when boarding houses were merely somewhere to eat and sleep when not at school; now, boarding itself is an important part of the learning experience. The lure of modern boarding is powerful, with boarding houses now offering a list of “extras” that many would be hard-pressed to match at home – tuition, co-curricular activities such as dance or equestrian, a weekend activity program and pastoral support.
Just as education has evolved in the last 30 years, so too has boarding. Gone are the days of cold showers and boring meals. Even homesickness is increasingly a thing of the past, with mobile phones and wi-fi connected boarding houses ensuring kids get plenty of contact with family. It is now about creating a boarding ‘home’ and everything that goes with that. While discipline still plays its part, boarding life is no longer regimented – there is the flexibility to develop a sense of self. Facilities are changing, engagement with parents has increased, and there has been a drive to professionalise staff with the introduction of national standards and a strong focus on wellbeing.
Helping families to make the decision of whether to board is the appeal of extra academic enrichment or additional tuition, particularly for the critical senior years.
A REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT
As a leader in coeducation for over 40 years, Kinross Wolaroi School boasts a great balance of almost exactly 50 percent girls and boys. In a co-education environment, boys and girls cultivate mutual respect, understanding, and support for one another. Students realise and appreciate their own individual value as well as each other’s. By learning together, girls and boys cooperate and collaborate in ways that enable them to embrace and celebrate their differences as well as their similarities. Girls and boys are involved in leadership positions across all areas of learning in the School, providing a strong foundation for building respectful and enduring social and professional relationships later in life.
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE, ACADEMIC CARE
With 43 HSC subjects on offer, including Latin and Agriculture, academic opportunities abound at KWS. In line with its Sydney counterparts, the school participates in da Vinci Decathlon and other major academic enrichment opportunities, along with providing full support for gifted and talented students. Learning support for students is also well resourced. Kinross Wolaroi School is proudly non-selective and also offers scholarship opportunities for Academic, Boarding and Music.
CO-CURRICULAR BREADTH
Our sporting opportunities and facilities are among the very best. Sports include netball, hockey, basketball, rowing, triathlon, touch football, aerobics, dance, cross country running, swimming, tennis, athletics, squash, water polo and football, rugby, cricket, football, dance and weights training. In some competitions, boys and girls compete in mixed teams. The school also offers debating and public speaking, cadets, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, numerous musical ensembles, private music tuition, annual school musicals and much more.
A REGIONAL EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY
As proudly regional educators we have developed TREE (The Regional Education Enterprise) to differentiate the learning experience at Kinross Wolaroi School from the conventional text and classroom education of other schools. Our place-based education philosophy connects our students with nature, sustainability and community, grounding them in real world experience. Moving the focus of our learning outside of the classroom helps students to experience stronger engagement, deeper learning and enhanced wellbeing. Through exploring the effects of drought on local agriculture businesses, participating in our Cattle Team, raising chickens, developing a ‘paddock to plate business, a living skills program or building a greenhouse from recycled materials, our students gain an understanding of stewardship, entrepreneurialism and community. Internships have included a vigneron, agribusiness banking, drone technician, architecture, agronomist, equine veterinary practice, stock and station agent, programming and saddlery. Over 100 TREE projects feature in the curriculum in every year group and every faculty, with over 300 local collaborators supporting our projects to date.
TREE even reaches into our boarding students’ wellbeing curriculum, taking students out to our farms to enjoy campfire cookouts, ‘Tough udder’ races and establishing and maintaining a vegetable garden.
COMMUNITY
As part of the KWS Community, our students and their families join a thriving group of people linked to KWS, with an annual calendar of events to help you to get to know other members of the community, meet people in your child’s year group, support the school and give back to our community. You’ll be joining families and alumni with a common commitment to excellence in education, community building and celebrating regional life. Whether you come from the city, a regional town or a rural district, our students and families will all play their part in sharing your child’s journey.
AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE
Boarding in the country is more affordable than most city schools, costing just over $40,000 annually for an entire tuition and boarding package. With Sydney only a 45 minute flight from Orange, or just over three and half hours in the car or bus, getting together for a weekend is pretty simple. A visit to beautiful Orange to watch Saturday sport and spend some time together is fun and easy for parents. A popular weekend getaway, Orange offers great accommodation options, excellent cafes and restaurants and stunning scenery. Whether you enjoy cold climate wines, paddock to plate dining, fantastic road cycling and mountain biking, picking your own fruit, country drives or just crisp, fresh country air – it is a great place to stay.
FIND OUT MORE…
Visit us to discover everything that boarding at Kinross Wolaroi School has to offer your child.
Call or email our friendly Admissions Staff for a conversation or a personal tour:
P. 02 6392 0300 E. [email protected] W. www.kws.nsw.edu.au
