Willetton Senior High School

Coordinates: 32°03′35″S 115°52′44″E / 32.059836°S 115.87894°E / -32.059836; 115.87894 (Willetton Senior High School)
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Willetton Senior High School
Main entry
Location
Map

Australia
Coordinates32°03′35″S 115°52′44″E / 32.059836°S 115.87894°E / -32.059836; 115.87894 (Willetton Senior High School) Edit this at Wikidata
Information
TypePublic co-educational secondary day school
MottoGive, Grow, Guide
Established1977; 47 years ago (1977) Edit this at Wikidata
Sister schoolThe High School and Junior High School of University of Hyogo
Educational authorityWA Department of Education
PrincipalTrevor Hunter[1]
Staff274 Edit this at Wikidata
Years712
Enrolment2,601 Edit this at Wikidata (30 May 2022 Edit this at Wikidata)
Area4,500 square metres (1 acre)
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)
  • Light blue and maroon (7–10)   
  • White and maroon (11–12)   
YearbookReflections
Websitewww.willettonshs.wa.edu.au Edit this at Wikidata

Willetton Senior High School (WSHS) is a public secondary school in Willetton, Western Australia, 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) south of the Perth central business district and 12.6 kilometres (7.8 miles) east of the port of Fremantle. The school opened in February 1977 with 77 students. As of 2022, it has an enrollment of 2,601 students,[2] and employs 274 staff.[3]

The student catchment area for WSHS encompasses the suburb of Willetton and part of the suburb of Bull Creek,[4] which is shared with Leeming Senior High School and Rossmoyne Senior High School.

Campus[edit]

WSHS covers an area of approximately 4,500 square metres (1.1 acres), located adjacent to Burrendah Primary School and Castlereagh School. There are seven main buildings, along with numerous transportable buildings, some many years old. A $5 million upgrade was completed in 2008 that resulted in the construction of a new gymnasium and several new facilities.

WSHS underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation and redevelopment that commenced in 2014.[5] In the second semester of 2014, asbestos contamination was detected after construction workers found pieces of asbestos had fallen off the roof of a school building slated for demolition.[6] The school was closed for a week so the site could be inspected.[5] Teachers were sent to work from North Lake Senior High School where they connected with students via the internet so that classes could continue.[7]

The following phase of the redevelopment, involving the construction of another block of classrooms, commenced in February 2022. It is expected to finish in May 2023.[8]

Academic rankings[edit]

The Year 12 cohorts at Willetton perform consistently well in the WACE school rankings, and the school ranks well when compared to other schools in Western Australia.

WA school ATAR ranking
Year Rank Median ATAR Eligible students Students with ATAR % students with ATAR Notes
2018 15 87.5 367 294 79.84 [9]
2017 13 89.15 395 272 68.86 [10]
2016 14 88.05 389 289 74.29 [11]
Year 12 student achievement data
Year Rank[i] % +75 in WACE[ii] Rank % +65 in WACE[iii] % graduates[iv] Notes
2015 17 20.05 21 45.16 96.37 [12]
2014 15 20.42 16 46.94 97.25 [13]
2013 17 15.95 20 40.39 96.70 [14]
2012 17 17.21 21 46.03 97.22 [15]
2011 10 24.02 12 59.11 99.13 [16]
2010 20 16.93 33 51.07 97.60 [17]
2009 22 40.29
(>75% minimum of one subject)
19 48.55
(64.6% or more)
98.42 [18]
  1. ^ Ranking of school compared to other schools in the state
  2. ^ Based on the number of Stage 3 course enrolments in the school where a WACE course score of 75 or above was achieved
  3. ^ Based on the number of Stage 3 course enrolments in the school where a WACE course score of 65 or above was achieved
  4. ^ Percentage of Year 12 cohort that graduated with a WACE certificate

In 2017, Andreea Ioan won the Beazley Medal for the top ranked Vocational Education and Training student in Western Australia.

Special programs[edit]

WSHS is one of 20 schools offering the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) with entry through a centrally organised testing program.[19] Entry to the science-focused Talented And Gifted (TAG) program is managed at the school level. The school offers a specialist fine arts course for Years 8 to 10 and a successful senior school art program. A specialist course in computing was the first of its kind in WA and has recently been expanded to include a multimedia stream. A specialist basketball course runs from Years 8 to 11 and offers students a TAFE Certificate II in Sport Coaching and Sport and Recreation. Both male and female teams have won multiple national championships.[20] As of June 2019, WSHS introduced a program called the eSports Club where all students can prepare for a sports competition and practice against other local schools.[21] Some of the team names include WSHS eSports and DLGC[definition needed].

International relations[edit]

WSHS has a sister school relationship with the High School and Junior High School of University of Hyogo located in Kamigōri, Ako District, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Cultural exchanges between the two schools commenced in 1995 and a collaborative international partnership was established in 2005. WSHS maintains relationships that provide opportunities for French and Italian language students to study overseas.[citation needed]

Incidents[edit]

On 11 May 2020, a 16-year-old male student was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after taking a gel blaster and a knife into the school.[22] Crime Stoppers received a tipoff regarding the gun before the officers were called to the school at about 2:30pm. No other students were impacted, and the situation was well managed.[23]

On 5 May 2022, a female student pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder after she stabbed a female teacher at WSHS in November 2021.[24] The girl had a female accomplice, who has pleaded not guilty to the same charge.[24][25] Although the intent was to wound the teacher fatally, the teacher was not injured seriously, receiving a 1-centimetre (0.39 in) wound near the left armpit.[25] The attacker was 14 years old at the time of the stabbing, and the accomplice 13.[24][25]

Notable alumni[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Executive Team – Willetton SHS". Willetton Senior High School. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Recent Student Numbers Willetton Senior High School". www.det.wa.edu.au. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Staff Willetton Senior High School". www.det.wa.edu.au. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. ^ Willetton Senior High School Local-Intake Area Boundary (PDF) (Map). Department of Education, Government of Western Australia. 2005. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b Katie Robertson, Yasmine Philips and Kaitlyn Offer (22 July 2014). "Willetton Senior High School closed after asbestos residue found". Perthnow. News Limited. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  6. ^ Liam Ducey (22 July 2014). "Willetton Senior High School closed after asbestos scare". WA Today. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Asbestos discovery forces closure of Willetton Senior High School on first day of term". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Willetton Senior High School Redevelopment » Projects » Crothers Construction". www.crothers.com.au. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  9. ^ "WA School Ranking – 2018". Better Education. 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. ^ "WA School Ranking – 2017". Better Education. 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  11. ^ "WA School Ranking – 2016". Better Education. 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  16. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Year 12 Student Achievement Data" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Gifted and Talented". Department of Education. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Basketball Specialist Program". Willetton SHS. Retrieved 12 April 2019.[self-published source]
  21. ^ "eSports Club". Willetton SHS. Retrieved 9 March 2020.[self-published source]
  22. ^ "Student 'took gel gun, knife to school'". PerthNow. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  23. ^ Rimrod, Fran (11 May 2020). "Boy charged after bringing gel-blaster gun to top Perth high school". WAtoday. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Menagh, Joanna (5 May 2022). "Willetton Senior High School student admits stabbing teacher in failed murder attempt planned in online gaming chat". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  25. ^ a b c McNeill, Heather (5 May 2022). "Teenager admits trying to murder teacher with 25-centimetre knife". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Hon James Hayward". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  27. ^ Newbold, Cameron (27 August 2019). "NASHS schoolboys best in the West | The Albany Advertiser". The Albany Advertiser. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  28. ^ Pike, Chris (9 November 2018). "Vague Living Dream, Repaying 'Cats Faith". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 24 April 2023.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]


Media related to Willetton Senior High School at Wikimedia Commons