St Columba's College

This school isn't ideal. It's not the worst school, but send your kids here at your own discretion. I will be justifying each of my claims about specific categories here.

Education and Learning: 2/5

I am in contact with friends I had at a public school. They have told me that the material I am learning is a year ahead of theirs. This is not bad, it shows that we progress at a faster rate here, however this school is not particularly considerate to those with learning struggles unless you have a diagnosed disability. I am on the path to potentially receiving a diagnosis for a learning disability, but since I'm getting decent grades, the school does not provide any additional learning supports for me. I want to warn you that this does not just apply to children struggling in primary school. I was considered a 'gifted kid', and I am now falling behind in a very miserable manner in terms of my grades, with little I can do about it. Do not pin this to me, as I have studied hard and long hours for various tests and turned out with a 70%. When you are sick, you are expected to use the teacher's notes on our school app, Seqta, to teach yourself. I cannot learn online when I am sick, I need a teacher, and I don't think it is fair that while I am ill I should be expected to manage my own learning. Teachers believe that they should not have to catch you up and that you are liable for how you keep up on sick days. Additionally, exams are not spaced far enough away from assignments. Just before the exams start in year 9, I have had 5 different assignments to complete. This is not the week for assignments to be due. This is the week to study for the upcoming exams. I think this is very inappropriate timing. You cannot simultaneously engage in what this school likes to call "spaced learning" and "retrieval practice" (other words for studying consistently, and not just cramming) when each assignment takes a whole night to finish.

Staff and Teachers: 3/5

Many teachers here are quite nice, and the school is certainly better funded than that of a public school. However, it seems that teachers get the curriculum and instead form their teaching however they want to. This has resulted in some extremely poor forms of teaching. In english, the book is read to us, we highlight, annotate, and that is the entire lesson. There is nothing that makes it engaging. You may think that it's training us for the future, however this is a demographic of young teenagers. They cannot learn this way. The grades of many students here can stand testimony to that. Additionally, one of my teachers has expected us to do the actual learning outside of school as homework. That is not a way to learn. Your job is to teach us, I'm afraid.

Safety and Security: 3/5

I give this a 3 because in terms of actually physical safety, it is a very secure school with very little violence or threat of intruders, however it is not a safe space for students that to not adhere to social norms. Your children should want to feel free to express themselves, but this school has a very suffocating environment in which being outside of the typical "tiktok girl" formula will leave you socially ostracised. Last year, I did not have any friends in my class. That was ok to me, however there was this particular group of girls that liked to giggle at me when I talked and would often come up to me and talk to me as if I was a preschooler, or less capable than them. All because I was a quiet kid. This made my classroom feel like a very unsafe environment, and that stunted my learning in various cases because I was too panicked to contribute to class discussion due to this poor treatment. Eventually, this led to me getting sent to the wellbeing/support councillors. This would not be an issue if it weren't without my permission, and because I was apparently "demonstrating rude and antisocial behaviour toward my classmates." I had no friends, and I was naturally anxious around people that made me feel insecure. This was not a fair verdict. Also, a group that often sits near me will constantly whisper rude things to me and my friends, as if we cannot hear them, and will say inappropriate slurs that they do not have any right to say, as they are not part of the said minority group that the slur oppresses.

Indoor environment: 3.5/5

There is little to be said about this. The classrooms are good, just a bit cold in the winter. Additionally, we are not allowed to wear scarfs indoors, even though teachers are allowed to wear various different scarfs and puffer jackets. I find the uniform items too warm, so I often have to sit bare-armed in these cold classrooms.

Outdoor environment: 1/5

Very bare-bones amenities. There are drinking fountains, but most people tend to sit inside, as there is no oval, there are very limited opportunities for playing sports, and there are very limited good places to sit outside. If you have a child that loves sport, do not send them here.

Food and Meals: 2/5

The lines at the canteen are very long, and the food comes out slightly warm but instantly cools down and becomes unappetising within 30 seconds. I found a mosquito in my chicken burger once, and I haven't ordered one since.

School Information: 2/5

I'm not sure what to say about this, the school just seems very vague on various policies and things about it until you actually go here. It wants to put itself on a pedestal when really it does not deserve to do that.

Activities: 2/5

Various clubs, though none are student led, meaning many students don't feel too inclined to participate. Limited in-campus sport opportunities.

Awful school. Staff talk badly about students behind their backs, leadership refuse to listen to a single word students have to say and crush ANY form of protest, principal doesn't even do anything, and staff will willingly let a student's mental health or home situation decline, as their only priorities are scarves and blazers.
Students exclude, judge and bully those who are different in any way, and I know multiple students who cite this school as the cause of severe mental health issues (me included)
If you're a parent, please DO NOT send your kids here, especially if they stand out in any way!!!!