Sydney Boys High School

Sydney Boys High School was the first state high school in New South Wales and Australia. It was created under Premier Henry Parkes' public education system in the early 1880s following the Public Instruction Act 1880 (NSW).^[7]

Sydney Boys High School nor Sydney Girls High School has ever had a primary education division and are thus the first NSW state high schools founded for the express purpose of secondary education.^[8]

Sydney Boys High School was originally one collective unit merged with Sydney Girls; it was originally a mixed-sex school. Sydney High School was established as two single-sex schools sharing a single building, with boys and girls on separate floors.^[8] The first day of instruction - for 46 boys - was on 1 October 1883 and was located in a building on Castlereagh Street, designed by Francis Greenway and constructed by convicts.^[8] From 1883 to 1892, Sydney Boys occupied the lower floor and entered from the Castlereagh Street side of the building, whereas Sydney Girls occupied the upper floor and entered from the Elizabeth Street side.^[8] In 1924, this building would be demolished and both schools would, in 1921, have relocated to Moore Park.^[9] Presently, this site is home to the Elizabeth Street store of David Jones.

 

In 1892, the boys' school was relocated to Mary Ann Street in Ultimo.^[10]

In 1906, Sydney Boys High School became a member of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS or GPS).^[11] (The term "public school" here has the meaning as used in the United Kingdom; that is, a private school). Despite this, it is the sporting association's only government (public) school member.^[12]

In 1928, the school moved to its current location at Moore Park, on the fringe of inner-city Sydney.^[13] This site was designed by George McRae, designer of the Queen Victoria Building.^[14] This site was previously the Moore Park Zoo, which was relocated to Mosman with reassigned name 'Taronga Zoo'.^[15]

Headmaster was renamed to principal in 1992.

The Sydney High School Old Boys' Union lapsed from 1895 to 1901 due to lack of enrolments.

Year 7 - the first year - intakes 180 students,^[16] but students from higher grades may be granted admittance provided vacancies exist.^[17] Offers of admission into the school in Year 7 are based on achievement in the Selective High School Placement Test.^[16]

In Years 7 to 8, the cohorts each consist of 180 students;^[16] in Years 9 to 12, however, cohorts consist of 210 students each^[16] per the 2001 SBHS Enrolment Policy.^[16]

Once admitted and matriculated, students are further grouped according to their abilities,^[18] as estimated by their scores in relevant fields in the Selective High School Placement Test. Proven proficiencies in music, as demonstrated by a proper formal qualification (e.g., Australian Music Examinations Board grades) also serve assessment.^[19]

Sydney Boys High School has been historically known and is known for its academic achievement in the Higher School Certificate.

The following table shows the school's rankings relative to other schools in the state. The rankings are based on the percentage of exams sat that resulted in a placing on the Distinguished Achievers List (highest band result) as shown by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority.

The curriculum, endorsed by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority, is taught by the following 12 departments:^[21]

The current Moore Park site hosts the Great Hall, other school buildings, tennis courts, a gymnasium, the Junior Quadrangle, and the Flat, a common low-lying area of land between Sydney Boys and Sydney Girls' High Schools. The school buildings include approximately 60 classrooms, two change rooms, the Junior Library (for Years 7–9), and the Senior Library (for Years 10–12).^[22] Nearby to the school are a number of sports facilities, such as the tennis courts opposite to the Sydney Boys and Girls High Schools,^[22] located on Cleveland Street, and the facilities at Centennial Park.

Sydney Boys High School is affiliated with other facilities such as the Outterside Centre (the school boatshed located in Abbotsford) and the ANZAC Rifle Range. In addition to this, the school owns a number of vehicles, which it utilises to travel to sporting events, such as the annual The Armidale School versus the High School sporting exchange Armidale and the Head of the River at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.^[23]

In addition, SBHS has its own cadet unit, which won the 23 Battalion AFX Trophy in 2012 and 2013.^[24][25]

It has also achieved notability in debating, having won the Hume Barbour trophy and Karl Cramp trophy 26 times and 14 times respectively, more than any other school.^[26][27]

SBHS also competes in the Lawrence Campbell Oratory Competition and the GPS debating competition. The SBHS First Grade debating team have won the GPS Debating premiership 20 times, most recently in 2024.^[28][29]

Sydney Boys High School has a long tradition of sports, in addition to academic scholarship and, stipulating that students must participate in sports until Year 12, offers students a wide range of sports, including:

Sydney Boys High School is the sole state-operated member school of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales^[30] since 1906. It therefore competes against other GPS schools in many of the aforementioned sports, including the traditional English public school sports of cricket, rowing, and rugby union. Accordingly, and unusually for a state school, the school possess rowing facilities at the Outterside Centre at Abbotsford, which includes a dormitory, boat sheds, and three pontoons; playing fields at Centennial Park, with the Fairland Pavilion and the McKay Oval, a fenced cricket ground; and, facilities at the ANZAC Rifle Range, which are managed by the Sydney High School Rifle Club.

Each student at Sydney Boys High School is placed into one of six houses, and each year is evenly divided into these houses. These houses, named after early Old Boys who have significantly contributed to and served the school, are:

As of late, these houses, as at the Year 7 intake, have been grouped according to the strengths and weaknesses of the students,^[37] with an outrider class, English skills enhancement class, music proficiency class, sports proficiency class, and language preference class. In addition to these, an English enrichment group and a general abilities group may also be formed.^[37]

Sydney Boys High School has, from time to time, caught the attention of the media and/or the general public. Like other schools, it has seen several (then) minorities matriculate to it and graduate from it, including non-British, non-Irish European minorities, such as Italian Australians, Maltese Australians, and Greek Australians. In 2002, the school had the attention of the media over comments made by Old Boys made in regard to its ethnic composition — mostly East Asian and South Asian.^[38]

In 2002, "[Sydney Boys High School] wanted a more sophisticated admissions process, and more freedom to choose its own students."^[39] In 2002, it was proposed that, of the 180 Year 7 places, 30 places would be allocated each year on the basis of the Selective Schools Entrance Test (with no extended writing requirement), a detailed curriculum vitae, two school reports, and their achievements in civic, sporting, community, and leadership involvement, similar to the manner by which students are admitted to some private schools.

In 2013, the school was again featured in the media for its proposal to modify its selection criteria.^[40] This proposal involved reserving 30 places of the annual Year 7 intake of 180 places for local boys who live within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of the school.^[41] Connolly stated that "any racial undertones to earlier campaigns were a thing of the past" and that "the benefit for the school this time is about tying it to its local community". The proposal would, in theory, reduce the load on overcrowded local high schools. However, this proposal was rejected, as stated in a Sydney Morning Herald article.^[42] and would be a short-term resolution to the problem.^[43]

As of the 2012 edition of the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities statistics, more than 80% of the students enrolled at Sydney Boys High School have a language background other than English;^[44] however, this is not to suggest that these students and their parents or guardians are all recent immigrants or not proficient in English or, broadly, that the school is not necessarily lacking in diversity.

In recent years,^[when?] an increasing number of "sport[s] imports" have been admitted in latter years, to bolster the school's ability to more competitively participate in sports against other members of the AAGPS. This drew allegations of Sydney Boys High School of being unmeritocratic in its selection process.^[45] Furthermore, in part due to the English public school nature of the school and the AAGPS, of which the school is a member, claims of nepotism and other favouritism have been levelled against the school. Brothers, sons, and grandsons of students or Old Boys have been allowed to enrol, though they may not have met the rigorous selection criteria.^[46] Some old boys, however, argue that where former graduates living in the community have sons and guardians at the school there is greater parental involvement at the school.^[46]

One eminent alumnus of the school, James Spigelman, former Chief Justice of New South Wales, said in an address at the school dated 16 February 1999, that:

... Our careers are particular manifestations of the ability of this school, by reason of its tradition of selection on the grounds of academic excellence, to make available opportunities to persons from backgrounds which may otherwise restrict such opportunities. The ability to obtain an education which is pitched at a level appropriate to the capacities of particular students, is the basis for the equality of opportunity, to which I have referred. ...^[47]

Sydney Boys High School has produced numerous prominent alumni, referred to as "Old Boys". Many graduates are active in alumni organisations, such as the Sydney High School Old Boys Union (OBU), the High Club, and High Rugby Friends.

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia (2018–2022), is an alumnus of Sydney Boys High School.

• List of government schools in New South Wales
• List of selective high schools in New South Wales

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