Sandringham College

Sandringham College, established in 1988, is a two-campus secondary college located in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Sandringham.

Sandringham College
Location
Sandringham , Victoria Australia
Coordinates	37°57′24″S 145°1′28″E / 37.95667°S 145.02444°E / -37.95667; 145.02444
Information
Type	Public
Established	1988
Principal	Amy Porter
Enrolment	~1000
Campus	Sandringham College 7–9 Campus Sandringham College 10–12 Campus
Website	www.sandringhamsc.vic.edu.au

In 1987 the State Government of Victoria decided to merge four schools: Beaumaris High School, Hampton High School, Highett High School, and Sandringham Technical School. It was at the time when the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) was first introduced as the main certificate for the later years of schooling. The Sandringham Technical School site became the senior campus of Sandringham College; Hampton High, Beaumaris High and Highett High became Years 7–10 junior campuses.

Campuses

Sandringham College comprises the following two campuses:

• Year 10–12 Campus (formerly Sandringham Campus and Sandringham Technical School), located at 11 Holloway Rd, Sandringham.^[1] It has a student population of approximately 760.^{[citation needed]}
• Year 7–9 Campus (formerly Highett Campus and Highett High School), at 356 Bluff Rd, Sandringham.^[1] It has a student population of approximately 435.^{[citation needed]}

The former Hampton Campus was closed in December 1988. The former Beaumaris Campus closed in December 2015, and Beaumaris Secondary College, a stand-alone school, was opened on that site in 2018.^[2]

The Year 7–9 Campus caters to students in Years 7–9, whilst the Year 10–12 campus is designed for the education of students studying for Years 10 – VCE, VCAL, or undertaking Vocational Education and Training (VET) studies. The school has an international program, with sister schools in Britain and Asia.

Controversies

When the school introduced uniforms in 2014, it provoked uproar from students who objected to uniforms as being against the culture of the school.^[3] When the school introduced blazers to the uniform in 2019 in an effort to improve the image of the school, the junior campus faculty threatened to expel any student who complained about them, the item became more unpopular after the school announced that the blazer would continue to be worn in the summer months, and consequently the faculty were booed in the school assembly.^{[citation needed]} The school countered by declaring that the blazers improved confidence and boosted academic results.^[4]

In September 2022, Monique Ooms, a female PE teacher at Sandringham College until 2021, had her teaching registration suspended over alleged sex offences.^[5]

Architecture and history

Both campuses of Sandringham College were designed by the Public Works Department of Victoria and built in the Light Timber Construction style.

• Highett High School was constructed in 1955 with Stage 2 extensions made in 1957 and 1960.
• Sandringham Technical School had two LTC wings constructed in 1955.

Both campuses are clad in grey cement tiles and, with minor alterations, all buildings remain intact. The current academic focus undertaken by Sandringham College was compared by BetterEducation.com to that of McKinnon Secondary College and Melbourne High School.^[6]

Notable alumni

• David Barlow^[7]
• Harrison Craig^[8]
• Jessica Jacobs^[9]
• Jeffrey Walker^{[10][better source needed][11]}
• Alana Wilkinson (fl. 2008)^[12]
• Lorraine Wreford

References

1. "Sandringham College - Campuses". Sandringhamsc.
2. Cook, Henrietta (19 April 2018). "'It took up all my time': Parents move mountains to get in the zone". The Age. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
3. Topsfield, Jewel (13 August 2014). "Sandringham College in uproar over uniform call". The Age. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
4. Michael Fowler, Craig Butt (19 December 2019). "How a public school's academic rise started with losing its shame". The Age. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
5. "Dozens of teachers' registration in limbo". Herald Sun. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
6. "Sandringham College". Better Education. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
7. "David Barlow Signs For The Taylor Bay Hawks". NZNBL. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
8. Andrews, Jon (18 March 2014). "Harrison Craig fundraiser for Sandringham College adventures". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
9. "Saddle Club actress killed by train". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
10. "Jeffrey Walker". IMDb. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
11. "Jeffrey Walker | HOLLYS HEROES | TV2 | tvnz.co.nz". tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
12. Awadalla, Andre (16 September 2008). "Parody of the bard staged in Sandringham". Bayside Leader. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

• Sandringham College website
• Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria website