Hornsby-Berowra High Schools Community Consultation
The department has received numerous representations from the community to improve access to co-educational settings in this part of Sydney, with travel distance and options posing challenges for many families.
We want to understand what the local community is looking for from their local high schools to ensure we are providing the right types of schools in the right locations for a growing population.
This consultation aims to give the local community a chance to voice their opinions on
existing co-educational and single-sex options in the Hornsby-Berowra area.
The NSW Department of Education wants to hear from current and future students, parents and carers, staff and the local community about their views on high school enrolment decision-making.
The project aims to:
- understand parent and student decision-making factors regarding high school enrolment choices, and
- gain feedback on 3 proposals about the availability of local co-educational options for families, and future arrangements at Asquith Girls and Asquith Boys high schools. These are:
- A – Retaining the existing arrangement where families can choose between Asquith Boys or Asquith Girls high schools and one existing co-educational high school (either Ku-ring-gai High School or Turramurra High School as per designated intake areas).
- B – Reclassifying Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls high schools to become two separate standalone medium-sized co-educational high schools, each servicing their own exclusive intake area community.
- C – One large co-educational high school model spread across the existing Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls High School sites, comprised of one junior campus (Years 7, 8 and 9) and one senior campus (Years 10, 11 and 12) servicing a large intake area community.
Please note, in options B and C, Ku-ring-gai High School and Turramurra High School would each service their own exclusive intake area community, no longer sharing geographic drawing areas with single-sex high schools.
Community consultation key dates
Community consultation commenced on 4 March 2024 and will finish on Friday 10 May 2024
Due to high community interest in the community consultations, we have extended the survey closing date to Friday 10 May 2024.
The department will consider the feedback from the consultation as part of its decision-making process about the matter. Findings are expected to be communicated mid-2024.
How to get involved
There are multiple ways the Hornsby-Berowra community can participate.
Surveys
The following surveys are available via this link:
- High school student survey
- High school parent and carer survey
- Primary school parent and carer survey (including 2 questions for students in years 3-6)
- Staff survey
- Early childhood parent and carer survey (with children aged 3-5 years old)
- General public survey.
High school students will be completing the survey through their schools. Staff at public primary and high schools have been issued a survey separately.
Please complete one survey only, that best represents your circumstances.
Workshops
The department has noted the high demand from community members to have their say in the Hornsby-Berowra consultation. We want to give people an opportunity to have their say and have added extra spaces to our workshops. Please try to register again if you received a message that there were no places left in your selected workshop.
Due to high interest in the Primary School Parents and Carers Workshop, we have changed the location of this event. This workshop will now take place at Asquith Girls High School.
In-person and online workshops will take place with staff, high school and primary school parents and carers, the general public, and special interest groups.
Register for the primary school parents and carers workshop via these links:
This workshop is for:
- Parents and carers whose home address is in the Asquith Girls High School and Asquith Boys High School intake area.
- Parents and carers of child(dren) currently attending one of the following schools:
- Asquith Public
- Berowra Public
- Brooklyn Public
- Cowan Public
- Hornsby Heights Public
- Hornsby North Public
- Hornsby South Public
- Mt Ku-ring-gai Public
- Mt Colah Public
- Normanhurst Public
- Normanhurst West Public
- Waitara Public
- Wideview Public.
Register for the general community workshop via this link.
This workshop is for:
Parents and carers of children aged 3-5 in local early childhood education and care services.
Parents and carers of high school aged students (Asquith Girls High School and Asquith Boys High School parents and carers please refer to the workshop registration link provided to you by your school).
Anyone else in the local community who would like to participate.
Surveys and workshops are confidential and cannot be used to identify any individual.
Frequently asked questions
What is the purpose of the consultation?
This comprehensive community consultation seeks to better understand parent and student decision-making regarding high school enrolment choices, including preferences relating to educational offerings within the Hornsby-Berowra area.
Has the outcome already been predetermined?
No decisions about future plans for the schools have been decided – these community consultations will inform any decision making about educational offerings in the Hornsby-Berowra area. Members of the Hornsby- Berowra community have been asking the Department for improved access to coeducational facilities for a long time and this consultation is needed to better understand the local context.
Am I voting for the option I like best?
The consultation itself is not a vote. We want to understand different community viewpoints about educational offerings. One of the survey questions will ask you to nominate your preferred future options for Asquith Girls High School and Asquith Boys High School however this is just one of a series of questions. All data collected will be considered along with other deciding factors when planning for future high school provision in the Hornsby-Berowra area.
Do you plan to build a new school in the area?
The community consultation is focussed on understanding local contexts and preferences regarding educational offerings – it is not about delivering a new high school.
What is involved in the consultation process?
The consultation process includes a short survey and optional workshops.
Who is facilitating the consultation?
The NSW Department of Education is facilitating the consultation process, drawing on a range of skills and expertise areas of school performance, school operations, communications, engagement, educational outcomes and school infrastructure across the department.
How is this consultation different to the recent intake area adjustments?
In 2022, changes were made to enrolment intake areas in the Hornsby-Berowra area to rebalance student enrolments and reduce student travel times. Feedback received at the time, during consultation with school communities, indicated that travel distances and options for co-educational schools were a priority for the community. The department recognises the need to gain further insight through this comprehensive community consultation process.
Other ways to engage
Additional submissions and questions can be sent to the project email or reach out to your principal.