Boarding school for boys in Perth, Western Australia

Wesley College, Perth:
Wesley College, South Perth, is a Uniting Church boarding and day school located on a picturesque campus close to the Swan River and directly opposite the Perth Central Business District Perth in Western Australia. We cater to approximately 1300 day and boarding students. The structure of the Wesley College is quite unique in comparison to most other Western Australian schools, with a co-educational Junior School (K-4) and boys’ only Middle (5-8) and Senior Schools (9-12). Wesley College seeks to be a warm, welcoming and supportive community. Boarding at Wesley College is designed to be an all round educational experience. We have a strong desire to see the young men in our care develop so that they be contributors to our community. The Wesley College Boarding House has been refurbished and is staffed by residential families, offering students a well-established support network. Wesley College is a member of the Western Australian Public Schools’ Association (PSA).

Middle School:
The Middle School specialises in the middle years of a boy’s education, Years 5 to 8. These years are full of wonder and energy, when boys are keen to find out more about themselves and what they can do. The welcoming and secure environment and community promotes self-confidence, independence, self-responsibility and expression. The academic and administrative staff are particularly understanding of students in these years, and appropriate programs and routines aim to address the diverse needs of individual boys. The Middle School operates within a framework that promotes choice and autonomy, while providing structure, expectations and boundaries.

The College is committed to the implementation of the Curriculum Framework, which establishes learning outcomes expected of all students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Years 7 and 8:
In Year 7 classes are taught by a variety of specialist teachers with one core teacher in several of the key learning areas (approximately 50% of the lessons) who provides both pastoral and academic support.

The Year 7 program includes English, Mathematics, Science, Society and Environment, Physical and Health Education, Religious and Values Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Technology and Enterprise, and Languages Other than English. Students’ understanding of their learning and a growing sense of personal responsibility and accountability for learning are promoted by specific studies in “Learning to Learn”.

In Year 8 academic progress will be guided by one of the core Year 8 teachers, and the Year 8 Co-ordinator works with this team of teachers to ensure continuity of experience across the year group. With a small team of teachers in Year 8, the transition into the Senior School is smoother and academic progress can be monitored more closely. This is further promoted by the “Stepping Up program” at the beginning of the year, which focuses on learning skills.

The compulsory subjects are English, Mathematics, Science, Society and Environment, Religious and Values Education, Health and Physical Education and a Language Other than English. The total program is enhanced by elements within the English program that focus on speaking and writing skills.

The final component of the Year 8 curriculum is the semester long electives. These incorporate the Technology and Enterprise and The Arts learning areas. To ensure the students enjoy a balance across these facets of the curriculum they must choose one subject from each of these learning areas per semester. Students can select the Academic Enrichment Elective which focuses on the Future Problem Solving program in first semester and Independent Study in the second semester.

Senior School:
The Wesley College Senior School is for boys from Year 9 to Year 12. Young men of the Wesley Senior School are expected to show leadership and compassion, to demonstrate the highest standards of academic endeavour and to be actively involved in all aspects of the College.

These are the key themes of senior school life where students play a significant role in school decision making. The College encourages debate and a diversity of ideas as it strives to build the skills most loudly demanded by today’s employers – the power to think.

Teaching and Learning in Years 9 and 10:
In Years 9 and 10, all students study English and Mathematics, as well as Science (including Systems Technology in Year 9), Society and Environment (including History, Geography and introductions to Economics and Politics), Physical and Health Education and Personal and Vocational Education. All Year 9 students also participate in a new, innovative Year 9 program (Katitjin) which runs for one term and takes students out of the classroom into new learning environments.

A wide selection of elective subjects is available, such as French, German, Indonesian, Music, Business Studies, Electronics, Information Technology, Computer Programming, Design Technology (specialising in graphics, metals or wood), Theatre Arts, Art, Media Studies, Human Movement (golf, weights or basketball), Academic Enrichment and, in Year 10, Aviation, Photography and Systems Technology. Students in Years 9 and 10 also enjoy an annual adventure camp.

Teaching and Learning in Years 11 and 12:
The Year 11 and 12 program offers a broad range of courses, intended to give students a solid grounding for post-secondary education or the career of their choice. All courses are accredited by the Western Australian Curriculum Council and include secondary school graduation and qualification for admission to University, TAFE or other vocational education.

The flexible timetable design ensures that many different subject combinations are available - a minimum of four tertiary entry subjects are needed for university admission - and most students have the option of one or two non-tertiary entry subjects to provide a more practical aspect to their programs.