Redcliffe State High School

School in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Redcliffe State High School

Location

Redcliffe

Queensland

Australia

Coordinates| 27°13′24.36″S 153°06′36.72″E﻿ / ﻿27.2234333°S 153.1102000°E﻿ / -27.2234333; 153.1102000
Information
Type|

* Public
* co-educational
* Secondary school
* day school

Motto| Faire sans Dire (Deeds without Words)[1]
Established| 3 February 1958
Principal| Barry Wallett
Enrolment| 1,368 (2023)
Campus| Redcliffe
Colour(s)| Blue
Website| redcliffeshs.eq.edu.au

Redcliffe State High School is an independent, public, co-educational, secondary school, located in the City of Moreton Bay town of Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia.[2][3] It is administered by the Department of Education. The school serves students from Year 7 to Year 12.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

The school initially opened on 3 February 1958,[4][5] on the eastern side of Oxley Avenue, with sporting facilities on land on the other side of side of the avenue. In order to meet growing demand, the school classrooms have since spread onto the land where the sports fields once were.[6] A pedestrian bridge linking the two campuses was constructed after a student was killed crossing the road in 2006.[7]

## Social issues

[edit]

The school's LGBTQI+ group introduced pronoun badges in 2021. It was the first school in the State to do so.[8][9][10][11]

The school strives to embed "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives across learning areas."[12]

In 2023, the school held a "Night of Culture" organised by PASIFIKA and the school's First Nations teachers. The evening was opened by First Nations people and featured an Acknowledgment of Country and a traditional welcome dance, followed by performances by students, staff and community members.[13] The aim of the night was to promote "tolerance".[14] Also, since 2022, the school has elected First Nations students as school captains.[15] The principal declared that, by having school captains, the teachers were "trying to increase our students’ voice and agency".[16]

The school plays an active role in promoting National Sorry Day, NAIDOC Week, Anzac Day, Harmony Week (for diversity), Respect Week (for inclusivity), a "Multicultural Showcase Event", White Ribbon Day (to campaign against domestic violence towards women), International Women's Day and Wear It Purple Day (to support the LGBT movement).[17][18][19][20][21][22]

The school does not offer any religious instruction classes.[23]

The school follows the National Curriculum for Drug and Alcohol Education. In a 2016 newspaper interview, the principal said, "Teachers use their discretion and professionalism when [substance abuse] issues arise."[24]

## Facilities

[edit]

Instead of using detention to punish misbehaving students, the school utilises an area called "The Blue Room". The school describes it as "a centre that provides support and guidance to students who are having difficulties managing their own behaviour... The focus of the support provided in the Blue Room is to enable students to better understand their behaviour and how to moderate their performance in the classroom and in the school grounds."[25]

Redcliffe State High School has its own graffiti wall for students. The graffiti wall has been used in the school's "Growing Connections" course to create a sense of connection to the school which educational academics claim[citation needed] supports the development of positive social behaviours.[citation needed]

The school has a performing arts centre known as "The Bird's Nest" and a professional-standard visual arts facility called "Studio Red".[26]

There is also a cybercafe on campus.[27]

In 2019, some of the school's buildings were listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.[28]

## Demographics

[edit]

Redcliffe State High School has an enrolment of 1,368 students and a teaching staff of 112, as of 2023.[3]

Student demographics indicate the school population is highly secularised. According to Queensland Education Department statistics, in 2019 fewer than 15% of parents wanted their children to receive religious instruction at the school.[29]

Of students identifying as religious, the largest groups were "Christian" (no denomination), followed by Church of England (belonging to the highly liberal[30] Anglican Diocese of Brisbane) and Roman Catholic. Only a tiny proportion of students attended traditional Bible-believing Protestant churches (the largest group amongst these being five Lutherans).[31] Even fewer pupils were members of non-Christian religions.[32]

## Academic performance metrics

[edit]

The school performed below the national average when compared to "All Australian students" in the Year 7 reading and numeracy categories and the Year 9 spelling and numeracy categories in the 2021 NAPLAN tests. Student participation in the NAPLAN tests was 10% below the national average. [33]

The school has never been able to achieve a State Overall Score of 90, meaning it has never been ranked among the top 160 high schools in the state according to this metric.[34][35]

It is also consistently ranked outside the top 100 high schools in the state based on the Better Education Rank metric.[36] Its best ranking was 110 in 2013 and its worst was 307 in 2017.[37]

For every year from 2012 to 2020, the performance of the school's English department, (which was headed by Shelley Troedson),[38] was rated 2 out of 5 by bettereducation.com.au. For most of those same years, the mathematics department was rated 3 out of 5.[39]

The school has an ICSEA rating of 997.[40]

## Parent and student satisfaction metrics

[edit]

According to a survey of parents contained in the school's 2023 annual report, there was a steady 7% decline over the three years to 2023 in the belief that teachers at the school were motivating their child to learn, a 5% decline in the belief teachers were treating students fairly, a 7.6% decline in the belief parents could talk to teachers about their concerns, a 3.6% decline in the belief parents could collaborate with teachers, a 7.7% decline in the belief teachers took parents' concerns seriously and a 7.9% decline in the belief that student behaviour at the school was well-managed.[41][42]

In the same report, only 67.8% of students surveyed said they felt safe at the school, 60.9% of students felt teachers treated students fairly, 50.6% of students felt they could talk to teachers about their concerns, 50.0% of students felt teachers took students' opinions seriously and just 46.2% of students felt that student behaviour was well-managed.[43][44]

The school is rated 2.3 out of 5 on the reviewing site, SchoolParrot.[45]

## Attendance

[edit]

In semester one of 2023, the student attendance rate was 86% with only 52% of students attending school 90% or more of the time. By term three, this had dropped to 45%.[46]

## Incidents

[edit]

In 2010, asbestos was found in garden mulch at the school. The Courier-Mail newspaper alleged that this was kept secret from parents and students in "a deliberate and elaborate cover-up. Department chiefs told school principal Shona McKinlay to keep the danger secret after deciding the risk was "minimal" once safeguards were brought in."[47]

In 2014, a parent alleged his daughter was told to sit out the NAPLAN tests because her previous performances were poor, in order to make the school's overall results look better.[48]

In 2016, there was a bomb threat at the school.[49]

In 2017, there was a second bomb threat.[50]

In 2018, a program called "Respect — Commit To It" was introduced in an attempt to counter the high levels of abuse and violence directed towards staff by students.[51]

Also in 2018, the school was badly damaged in a graffiti attack by students amidst its International Respect Day celebrations.[52]

In 2019 the school was caught twice promoting a trade union campaign. In the first instance, which occurred "weeks before a federal election", the school posted flyers and also some "campaign material was distributed in the students’ homework folders to take home".[53] The school's principal was also interviewed on a union website.[54] In the second instance, which occurred four months later, the school was caught again, this time using its Facebook page to promote the same union campaign. Evidence of this misconduct was tabled in the Queensland Parliament by the LNP.[55][56]

In 2020, a student was murdered after a drug deal went wrong.[57][58]

In 2021, a number of students were rushed to hospital after drinking Gatorade spiked with wiper fluid by another student.[59]

In 2021, the media reported the school was put into lockdown when students brought knives on campus with the intention of fighting. The school denied the students drew the weapons.[60]

In 2022, video emerged of one female student from the school violently attacking another outside a supermarket.[61][62]

In 2023, the Courier-Mail newspaper stated there was a "fight club" culture amongst students at the school.[63] One incident was captured on video. It showed a "girl being struck multiple times in the head".[64]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Mark Bradtke, basketballer[citation needed]
* Tom Butterfield, Papua New Guinean rugby league player.[citation needed]
* Luke Capewell, rugby league player.[65]
* Daly Cherry-Evans, rugby league player[66] and gay rights supporter.[67][68]
* Petero Civoniceva, rugby league player[citation needed]
* Yvette D'Ath, politician, Australian Labor Party.[69][70]
* Martin Kent, cricketer, Queensland and Australia.[71]
* Teagan Micah, Australian footballer, LGBT athlete.[72][73][74]
* Lennox Ngata-Faofua, rugby league player.[75]
* Brooke Prentis, Aboriginal activist, former CEO of the left-wing political lobby group, Common Grace,[76][77] opponent of Australia Day,[78][79] supporter of Anzac Day and Remembrance Day,[80] anti-colonialism activist,[81][82] "stolen generations" reparations advocate,[83] supporter of Bruce Pascoe (Dark Emu debate),[84] advocate of feminism and gay rights and member of the heterodox, far-left, "Progressive Christianity" movement,[85][86] Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum "yes" campaign activist,[87] environmentalist[88][89] and anti-racism campaigner.[90][91]
* James Peni, rugby league player.[92]
* Joel Romelo, rugby league player[citation needed]
* Roman Quaedvlieg, former Commissioner of the Australian Border Force.[93][94]
* Arianna Williams, AFLW player.[95][96][97]
* Ryan White, rugby league player.[citation needed]
* Karl Winchester, politician, Australian Labor Party.[98]

## Notable staff

[edit]

* Kevin Bates, trade unionist (former president of the Queensland Teachers' Union, federal secretary of the Australian Teachers' Union) [99][100][101] and opponent of religious instruction in state schools.[102][103][104][105]
* Kelvin Kuhle, Queensland Teachers' Union.[106]
* Michael Macklin, English-born radical-left Roman Catholic friar, politician (Australian Democrats), environmentalist, philosopher, supporter of Vietnam veterans, advocate for prosecuting former Nazis residing in Australia, member of the National Native Title Tribunal, Director of Development at the University of Queensland[107] and early gay rights campaigner.[108]
* Denis Murphy, politician, Australian Labor Party.[109][110]
* Sandra Ruck, politician, Moreton Bay City Council.[111]
* Paul Wobcke, Wagner Society of Queensland, LGBT advocate.[112]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Prospectus & Parent Information 2019" (PDF). Redcliffe State High School. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
2. ^ a b "Redcliffe State High School | Department of Education". Schools Directory. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
3. ^ a b c "ACARA Data Access Program - School Profile 2023". Australian Curriculum Assessment And Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
4. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools". Queensland Department of Education. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
5. ^ "Redcliffe State High School". Queensland Government Archives Search. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
6. ^ "Redcliffe State High School" Queensland Government.
7. ^ "Redcliffe State High School" Queensland Government.
8. ^ "Brisbane High School Introduces Badges in Strong Step Toward Gender Inclusion" 4BC.
9. ^ "Aussie School Becomes the First in the State to Have Student Pronoun Badge" Ladbible.
10. ^ "Redcliffe State High School is Trialling the Use of Pronoun Badges" Courier Mail
11. ^ "Redcliffe State High School's Trial of Pronoun Badges Has Divided the Community" Courier Mail
12. ^ "Annual Report 2019" Redcliffe State High School.
13. ^ "Night of Culture Promotes Unity" Moreton News
14. ^ "Nurturing leadership success" The Redcliffe Peninsula.
15. ^ "School Captains" Visit Moreton Bay Region.
16. ^ "Nurturing leadership success" The Redcliffe Peninsula.
17. ^ "Our Community" Redcliffe State High School
18. ^ "Events Calendar" Redcliffe State High School
19. ^ "International Women's Day" Eventbrite
20. ^ "Students Pen Heartfelt Postcards to Classmates and Teachers for Respect Week" The Redcliffe Peninsula
21. ^ "Students Show Respect" Redcliffe Guide
22. ^ "Redcliffe Community Raises 230k to Help Grieving Mums, Cancer Patients, Medical Research" Courier Mail
23. ^ "Religious Instruction" Redcliffe State High School
24. ^ "Redcliffe Peninsula high schools aim to make students aware of dangers of drugs and alcohol" Courier Mail. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
25. ^ "Blue Room" Redcliffe State High School. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
26. ^ "Facilities" Redcliffe State High School.
27. ^ "Redcliffe State High School" Queensland Government.
28. ^ "Redcliffe State High School (entry 650066)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
29. ^ "Religious Instruction (RI) Statistics ‐ New Enrolments for 2019" Queensland Department of Education.
30. ^ "Rev’d Chris Tyack: the Anglican Church & Father Trevor Bulled" QNews.
31. ^ "Religious Instruction (RI) Statistics ‐ New Enrolments for 2019" Queensland Department of Education.
32. ^ "Religious Instruction (RI) Statistics ‐ New Enrolments for 2019" Queensland Department of Education.
33. ^ "2021 Results MySchool
34. ^ "Queensland Top Secondary Schools" Better Education
35. ^ "Queensland Hot Suburb Rating" Better Education
36. ^ "QCE OP" Better Education
37. ^ "Compare QLD Year 12 School Rankings" Better Education
38. ^ "Peninsula Schools Focus: Embrace International Respect Day" Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
39. ^ "Trend of Redcliffe State High School by Secondary School Results" bettereducation.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
40. ^ "Reviews and Opinions" Infoschools
41. ^ "Redcliffe State High School Annual Report 2023" Redcliffe State High School. Retrieved 29 August 2024
42. ^ "Queensland school safety, bullying, student behaviour all worsening" The Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2024
43. ^ "Redcliffe State High School Annual Report 2023" Redcliffe State High School. Retrieved 29 August 2024
44. ^ "Queensland school safety, bullying, student behaviour all worsening" The Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2024
45. ^ "Redcliffe State High School" SchoolParrot
46. ^ "Attendance" MySchool
47. ^ "Redcliffe State High School asbestos covered up by Education Queensland bureaucrats" Courier Mail.
48. ^ "STUDENT TOLD TO SIT OUT NAPLAN - 4BC Listener Peter & Shona McKinlay, Principal of Redcliffe State High School" 4BC Radio.
49. ^ School Incidents Alert Notification" Redcliffe State High School.
50. ^ "Police called to school north of Brisbane after bomb threat was made" Courier Mail.
51. ^ "Peninsula Schools Focus: Embrace International Respect Day" Courier Mail
52. ^ "School trashed as vandals go on rampage" Courier Mail. Retrieved 26 September 2024
53. ^ "Hansard Record of Proceedings. First Session of the Fifty-Sixth Parliament. Thursday, 4 April 2019" Queensland State Parliament.
54. ^ "Redcliffe State High School" Fair Funding Now.
55. ^ "Hansard Record of Proceedings. First Session of the Fifty-Sixth Parliament. Wednesday 21st of August, 2019" Queensland State Parliament.
56. ^ "MP’s rage as union flyer posted by school" Courier Mail.
57. ^ "15yo Angus Beaumont Stabbed Redcliffe Qld" ABC News
58. ^ "Angus Beaumont Murder Retrial Redcliffe Supreme Court" ABC News
59. ^ "Redcliffe State High School Students Caught Drinking Windshield Washer Fluid Mixed with Gatorade" InternetNewsCast
60. ^ "Redcliffe State High School Was Put into Lockdown After an Alleged Knife Fight" Courier Mail
61. ^ "Watch Redcliffe State High School Students in Fist Fight at Local Shopping Centre" Courier Mail
62. ^ "Watch Students Fight on Street" Courier Mail
63. ^ "Videos Spark Playground Punch-Ups as Schools Tackle Fight Club Culture" Courier Mail. Retrieved 29 August 2024
64. ^ "Watch QLD School Fights and Brawls in 2022" Courier Mail
65. ^ "Gallery" Redcliffe State High School. Retrieved 3 October 2024
66. ^ "Who's Who in 2022 Sport: Daly Cherry-Evans" Moreton Daily
67. ^ "Controversy Over Boycott of Rainbow Inclusion" ABC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024
68. ^ "Manly's Daly Cherry-Evans Sees 'Silver Lining' in Rainbow Jersey Furore" Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 5 September 2024
69. ^ "Yvette D'Ath Calls Time on Politics" The Redcliffe Peninsula
70. ^ "Yvette D'Ath, Queensland's New Attorney General" Courier Mail
71. ^ "Queensland Bulls top 50 players of the last 45 years. Today are numbers 21-35" Courier Mail.
72. ^ "Teagan Micah Takes Next Step with Liverpool in the Women's Super League" Redcliffe Today
73. ^ "Tokyo Summer Olympics LGBTQ Gay Athletes List" OutSports
74. ^ "LGBTQ Athletes Paris 2024 Olympics" out.com
75. ^ "Lennox Signs for Doggies" The Redcliffe Peninsula.
76. ^ "Federal election 2019: Why Christians on the left are a growing voting bloc" ABC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
77. ^ "Endorsements: CEO" Common Grace. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
78. ^ "Learn More About Brooke Prentis" Common Grace
79. ^ "Wattle Day Celebrating 110th Anniversary and Growing Prominence" ABC News
80. ^ "What can a minute of silence do on #January 26?" Common Grace. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
81. ^ "How Christians can unpack the baggage of colonialism this Australia Day" ABC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
82. ^ "Original Sins and Racial Justice: What's on the Other Side?" Public Christianity. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
83. ^ "Australian Christian leaders say government move to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, including reparations, doesn’t go far enough" Sight Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
84. ^ "Coming on the journey" CASE Online Library. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
85. ^ "Silences and Secrets: (Re)forming Protestant Christianity" ResearchGate. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
86. ^ "Renewing Christian Feminism" Blessed Imp: Rev. Jo Inkpin's Transgender Journeying and Progressive Christian Musings. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
87. ^ "Common Grace Calls Christians to Vote Yes for Voice and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice" Anglican Focus. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
88. ^ "Celebrating #WearTheScarf" Anglican Focus. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
89. ^ "Youth Lead the Uniting Church to Climate Strike" Insights Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
90. ^ "On venues and hospitality" Saint Eutychus. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
91. ^ "Feature Article: NAIDOC Week 2024 - Brooke Prentis Reflects on Unity Amidst Division" The Good News: Progressive Christianity Reporting. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
92. ^ "NRL Swoop for Redcliffe Duo" The Redcliffe Peninsula. 3 October 2024
93. ^ "Queensland Police Commissioner Position Advertised by State Government to Succeed Bob Atkinson" Courier Mail
94. ^ "Roman Quaedvlieg: Who is He and How Did He Lose His Job?" ABC News
95. ^ "Arianna Williams" Visit Moreton Bay Region.
96. ^ "Who's Who in 2022 Sport: Arianna Williams" Moreton Daily.
97. ^ "School captains of 2022: Young leaders share their big plans" Courier Mail.
98. ^ "Who's Who in 2022 Government Gurus: Karl Winchester" Moreton Daily.
99. ^ "Learning Curve: Meet the Panelists" ABC News
100. ^ "Queensland Teachers Union Member Quits Over Progressive Agenda" Courier Mail
101. ^ "Kevin Bates Elected AEU Federal Secretary" Queensland Teachers' Union
102. ^ "How is it State School Religious Studies Are Still a Thing?" Courier Mail
103. ^ "New Push to Remove Faith Lessons from State Classrooms Misguided, Instructors Say" Catholic Leader
104. ^ "Union Wants Church-Taught Gospel Gone from Queensland Classes" Brisbane Times
105. ^ "Queensland State School Students Losing Their Religion" Courier Mail
106. ^ "Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024" Queensland Parliament.
107. ^ "Macklin, Michael John" Australian Senate Biography
108. ^ Mardi Gras: We Were There From the Start" Australian Democrats
109. ^ "Murphy, Denis Joseph Patrick" Australian Dictionary of Biography
110. ^ "Speech: Denis Murphy and the Power of Communities" anthonyalbanese.com.au.
111. ^ "Who's Who in 2022 Government Gurus: Sandra Ruck" Moreton Daily.
112. ^ "My Fifty Years with Wagner" Wagner Society of Queensland.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Redcliffe State High School.

* Official website

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* ISNI

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