INTRODUCTION

Opened in 1985, Leeming SHS (LSHS) was established to serve the educational needs of a rapidly growing urban population. Currently, LSHS has a total student enrolment of 1166 (including 45 Education Support Students), who are supported by 114 dedicated and highly professional staff. With its multicultural population, our truly comprehensive program encompasses all the complexities of society.  From programs for students with intellectual or physical disabilities to students with the highest Tertiary Entrance Score in the state, from winners of the Australian Computer Skills Competition to students participating in Community Based Learning programs, LSHS provides opportunities for all students to excel.  The Adelaide Declaration states that, “Schooling should develop fully the talents and capacities of all students”, and we do.

No other school in WA offers such a wide range of programs and no other school in the State has students who have excelled in such a wide variety of fields. Leeming SHS takes great pride in its motto of Harmony and Excellence and it is in the context of these long held values that the school presents its submission.

HARMONY

LSHS students, reflecting the diversity of Australia’s population, come from many cultures, lifestyles and value systems. As a result we have embraced the Adelaide Declaration goal that “Schooling should be socially just,” and have created a workplace and learning environment that are free of discrimination arising from students’ background. We celebrate the diversity of our student population and applaud the harmonious way we are able to work together.  It is no wonder that so many students, wanting to develop the ‘skills and values for a productive and rewarding life in a just and open society’ are prepared to travel up to three hours per day to attend LSHS rather than go to their local school.

Flexibility and adaptability

The curriculum offered by LSHS has been adapted to meet the particular needs of different students and is responsive to social and technological changes. Examples of such programs include: the Academic Extension Program (AEP), a Vocational Education and Training program which is integrated into our existing curriculum, the Science Academy which is run in conjunction with Murdoch University, the Accounting Experience Program which is conducted in conjunction with Curtin University, and specialist programs for Education Support students. Not only do students from LSHS participate in university and TAFE courses and achieve, on average, higher grades than full time tertiary students, but students from many primary schools attend LSHS for extension programs in the humanities, as well as mathematics and science. The school also provides individual identification, intervention and support services for our students, including individual education plans, comprehensive career guidance and support services for students at educational risk. LSHS is widely recognised for its excellent programs, innovative teachers and the exceptional educational outcomes of its students.

LSHS is recognised in the local and wider community as a harmonious school that excels in the social, academic and physical education of its students. At LSHS we understand and acknowledge the value of cultural diversity and cater for this in the responsive nature of our education offerings.

Physical and emotional development

The principle aim of health and physical education programs at LSHS is to encourage students to participate in activities which assist in developing a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically, as well as providing opportunities for students to reach the highest level of competition, be it the Olympic Games 2004 or playing in an AFL team. The major focus of our program, however, is the development of the ‘holistic’ student rather than a sole focus on elite sporting achievement.

In terms of harmony, LSHS encourages the participation of all students in sporting activities and offers a great variety of sporting programs, during and after school. To this end, LSHS has the distinction of fielding teams in more sports than any other SHS in WA. In addition, carnivals are held in each year level and all students are encouraged to participate irrespective of their athletic ability. LSHS would be unique in holding sports carnivals where, for example, mentally and physically handicapped students can participate alongside elite athletes in a harmonious and supportive environment. ‘Having a go’ is as important on these days as participating at the elite level.

Social responsibility and care

LSHS prides itself on treating all individuals with care. Our relationships are based on trust, mutual respect and acceptance of responsibility.

Citizenship - Local and global

LSHS students have a long and distinguished history of community participation, cooperation and reconciliation, management of the environment and respect for our cultural heritage. Examples of outstanding programs in the school that demonstrate our commitment and concern to local, national and international issues include our World Vision sponsored child, and our fundraising for many worthy causes; Jeans for Genes Day, Red Nose Day, Daffodil Day, and the Red Cross are just a few of the activities students participate in. Our students are active participants and support our vision of harmony in a global context. This ethos is further enhanced with LSHS achieving state and national acclaim in the Discovering Democracy Project. LSHS students are recognised as being active and responsible citizens both in the context of the school and the wider community.

In addition our educational exchange program with Japanese and Reunion Island schools are feted as being the best in the state. This exchange program is envied by many other schools and has been the basis for developing their own models. Again LSHS is at the forefront of educational leadership in WA.

Tolerance

Over the past 19 years, LSHS has had a distinguished history of creating a school environment that has welcomed all, regardless of background. Our school population contains students from all parts of the world, with a myriad of educational needs and physical and intellectual abilities. LSHS has developed an inclusive educational/social environment that recognises and values social and cultural diversity. We celebrate and embrace our multicultural heritage with a multitude of innovative and exciting programs culminating in our harmony day celebrations. In today’s society tolerance and acceptance of others is sometimes lacking in the general population. LSHS staff and students have long demonstrated that each person has basic rights regardless of race, gender, ability or nationality and have been acknowledged by political and educational leaders in the state for such qualities. The focus on tolerance, compassion and care at LSHS, for example, contributed to one of our students winning a World Vision Study Tour to Africa.  Others have successfully applied for exchange programs to Norway, Germany, Venezuela and other countries.

EXCELLENCE

From its establishment, LSHS has had an outstanding record of facilitating students in their achievement of personal best regardless of their area of strength and skill. We truly believe that a child needs to be nourished and developed holistically and that their talent and individuality should be embraced and celebrated. Over the last 19 years this philosophy has been consistently demonstrated and the high regard in which the community holds the school attests to our high standards in all areas.

Academic Excellence.

An ethos of excellence exists at LSHS. Excellence can be achieved in a myriad of forms and academic excellence is one area actively promoted at LSHS. Whether in the form of consistently outstanding results in Tertiary Entrance (TEE) subjects and Wholly School Assessed (WSA) subjects or through persistently highly placed results in state and national competitions students are supported in their quest for achievement. This is illustrated by the fact that in 2003 one of our students received the highest TEE result possible in the state. In addition LSHS students have received numerous subject exhibition awards and distinction certificates over the school’s history. LSHS Students consistently perform above the state average in both TEE and WSA courses. In 2003 LSHS was ranked, for many subjects, in the top ten schools in WA on the basis of ‘A’ grades achieved by our students.

This environment of academic excellence permeates throughout the whole school from AEP programs to modified programs for Educational Support students.  Students at LSHS undertake programs of study that enable them to demonstrate achievement and excellence regardless of their ability. The reputation of the school is such that parents from overseas and interstate have taken up residency locally in order to enrol their special needs child here. 

Students from LSHS have either won or been ranked in the top three in numerous state and national competitions such as the ASX Stock Market Challenge, Oral History Competition, Have Sum Fun Competition, Titration Stakes Chemistry Competition, West Pac Maths Competition and Solar Car Model competition. A media release published by the University of NSW lauded the high level of literacy skills demonstrated LSHS students when they participated in the recent Australasian Schools English Competition. In addition, students from LSHS have also been successful in receiving a variety of prestigious scholarships at tertiary institutions such as the Curtin University’s Seizan Fukami Scholarship.

Excellence is demonstrated not only amongst students but also in the school’s staff. LSHS staff are all dedicated, enthusiastic professionals with over 50% of the staff accredited as Advanced Skilled Teachers and a number nominated, and winning, district, state or national Excellence in Teaching awards. These professionals provide innovative and motivating pedagogy that engage students. 

Sporting Excellence

Since its inception, LSHS has excelled in providing students with the opportunities and challenges to excel in their chosen sport.  These range from golf, to girls and boys football, racquet sports, athletics, soccer, basketball to name a few.  Success has been constant and ongoing with students moving from LSHS to elite levels of competition. Examples of these include Lara Carroll (Olympic swimmer) John Hay (AFL Football) Craig Deans (Perth Glory) Liam Rush (Perth Wildcats) Kyle Chamberlain (WA Netball), Garth Tander (Winner of Bathurst 500).  Our interschool teams have consistently scored success in a wide variety of sporting fields.  Examples include volleyball champions, baseball champions, state football champions, table tennis champions, girls Tennis champions and athletics champions in a variety of divisions.  In the time that LSHS has been a Year 12 school we have won a State School sporting title each and every year. Given the large number of schools in WA this is outstanding.

Performing and Visual Arts

LSHS is renowned within both its community and the state for the outstanding programs it offers in the area of the Arts. We are unique amongst WA schools in that the Arts curriculum places equal emphasis on fostering student achievement in all areas of the arts, drama, dance, music, media and design. In recent times our students have toured their successful music, drama and dance productions. In 2003, for example, the music students performed in Canberra and Sydney and, in 2002, our production of ‘Beijing Spring’ toured Melbourne.

Many of our students have achieved national recognition in their chosen art.  Jebadiah, a POP group, was formed by a group of LSHS students while still at school. They have since received nation wide acclaim.  A significant number of our art students have auditioned and been accepted into the prestigious NIDA and WAAPA programs in a variety of courses including stage management, performance and music. Shane Collard, an ex LSHS student, has been accepted to perform at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

CONCLUSION

Excellence in education may be measured in a variety of ways. One such way is to look at student achievement in a variety of fields but especially in the academic area. Excellence may also be measured in the provision schools make to cater for a multicultural student population and their diverse abilities and interests. LSHS has demonstrated that students can work in harmony while excelling academically, physically and socially. At LSHS the harmony and excellence is not something to aspire to, it is a reality.

Education at its best