As Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater Campus gears up to welcome its first cohort of Years 7 and 8s next year, it’s not just the staff getting excited.

When new students arrive next year, the current Year 11s will take on the role of mentors to the new younger students.

It’s a role that they’re ready to embrace, and for some, the changes come with the opportunity to guide their younger siblings.

Take Year 11 students, Rory Corkill and Ella Mardon. Both are excited to be role models, and they are looking forward to their younger siblings joining them at school.

“We’ve just got to be role models for them and show them what our school expects, and if they're lost or something, then we’ve got to help them and be a good leader,” Rory said.

“And being looked up to always makes you feel good, and we want to be good role models for our family.”

Ella, who remembers a peer support mentoring program at her previous school, sees real opportunity in the new dynamic.

"It looks good if you want to be a captain, and it's just a good opportunity overall," she said.

She is looking forward to seeing her brother Jack at the school, recalling the last time they shared a school was when she was in Year 6 and he was in kindergarten.

Jack Mardon, currently in Year 6 at Harbord Public School and Frankie Corkill, from Curl Curl North Public School, are just as excited, as they’ll be “pioneers” as part of the first cohort of Year 7s.

"I'm excited to be in Year 7, especially since it's the first. There won't be Year 9s and 10s next year, so it will be kind of focused on us," Frankie said,

He finds setting the tone for every Year 7 group that follows both daunting and thrilling.

Jack agrees, saying that being a pioneer "is cool and it's going to be fun."

However, the appeal of Freshwater goes beyond pioneering. A keen basketball and soccer player at Harbour Public School, Jack is drawn by the strong sporting reputation and the good experiences his older siblings have had at the school.

“It's going to be fun because it's our first year in high school and it's at a good supportive school,” he said.

Frankie is also looking forward to sports as well as the dance program, along with the school’s excellent reputation.

“I'm really excited because both my siblings have had a really good education here so it's going to be a great experience for me,” she said.

For staff, the new year groups is an opportunity to embed the school's culture and values of agency, community, and endeavour from the ground up.

"We're all really excited to get these lovely young people here, and for our experienced elders to show them the Freshie way," principal Chantelle Phair said.

Enrolments are still open for 2027, with plenty of space for incoming Year 8 students. Local families will always be able to enrol in their local public high school.

The school is also constructing a dedicated building for senior students, ensuring Year 11s and 12s retain their own space to focus on studies while still sharing the broader campus community.

Visit the Northern Beaches Secondary College Enrolment page to apply, and more information is available in the online guide to enrolling at a NSW public school.