Published on: 25 March 2021

  • Regional visits
  • Unconditional offers cause concern
  • Head of the River and OBA Dinner
  • Music to the Fore

Last week I was in the south west of the state with our residential staff catching up with families in various towns. We notched up well in excess of 2000 kilometres as we visited Esperance, Albany, Kojonup, Margaret River and Bunbury. It is always such a pleasure to be with our regional families as they are sometimes unable to attend events on campus and spending time in the country also allows us to meet with prospective families and share information about the School and the experiences their son could look forward to if he becomes a Christ Church boy.

A concerning matter the School is currently challenging relates to the University of WA recently announcing its intention to provide unconditional offers of entry to current Year 12 students based on their results from the end of Year 11. During Covid-19 we accepted that this may be necessary and were reassured by the university that the practice was a ‘once-off’ due to the pandemic.  On the surface this may appear to be a positive, however if you scratch a little deeper it does the following – potentially shifts the stress and pressure to Year 11 students, there is no consistent approach to calculating a predicted ATAR therefore the reliability and validity of a predicted ATAR is questionable and having received an unconditional offer will allow students to become distracted and distracting throughout Year 12. Importantly we know that the percentage of students who drop-out of first year university or who decide the course is not for them is significant, and should the student have taken their foot of the accelerator having received an unconditional offer may result in him not gaining entry to study another degree or university. This week I have written to the chancellors and vice-chancellors of universities in Western Australia expressing my disappointment with this decision and I will keep you informed of the outcome.

This Friday night I am in Beverley attending the annual OBA Dinner. This event brings together alumni from the six boarding PSA schools in one location and has been on the calendar for eighty six years.

The 2021 Head of the River was last Saturday and the rowers were well supported by members of our Christ Church community. The boys put on an incredible performance, with the First VIII finishing second and the School finishing in 3rd place overall. Rowing is such a physically and mentally demanding sport – if not the most demanding – and the boys deserve to be commended for their efforts throughout the season and on the weekend. If you missed the events on Saturday you can watch all of the races by following this link.

The School community is looking forward to attending Music to the Fore tomorrow evening. This fantastic community event features talented Christ Church bands and soloists performing covers and original pieces from a diverse range of genres. The free event is held in the Chapel forecourt and families are encouraged to bring a picnic (a coffee truck and pizza van will also be available) and enjoy the evening under the stars.

Alan Jones
Principal