Arndell Anglican College


Arndell Anglican College is an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary day school located in the Sydney suburb of Oakville, New South Wales, Australia. Arndell Anglican College caters for students from Prep to Year 12 and is a member of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation.

History

Arndell Anglican College was named after Thomas Arndell. He was one of Hawkesbury's first settlers and founded the Ebenezer Church in 1809, which is Australia's oldest church. The College was originally established on the Macquarie Retreat, Threlkeld Dr, Cattai in 1990 with Craig Laffin as the first Headmaster.

1990s

The following individuals have served as Headmaster of Arndell Anglican College:
OrdinalHeadmasterTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
1Craig Laffin19901994 years
2Peter Walker19952002 years
3Dr John M. Goddard20032009 years
4Dr Gareth Leechman2010present years

Craig Laffin oversaw the establishment of the College at Cattai and its subsequent move to its current site at Oakville. He drew together the students, staff and families of the College to build a school community and educational ethos that continues to influence the philosophy and daily life of the College today.
Peter Walker saw the student population grow to over 800 from Kindergarten to Year 12. He also oversaw the transition of the College into the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation. The building infrastructure and financial security of the College was established during this time.
Dr Goddard worked with the College to build the curriculum and co-curriculum, especially in the faculty of Music. He oversaw a significant number of building projects in the development of the College.
The current Headmaster is Dr Gareth D Leechman. Leechman previously served as the Headmaster at Clarence Valley Anglican School in Grafton, and has also been the Head of History and Head of House at Sydney Church of England Grammar School. Leechman regularly participates in his local religious community and practices the Anglican faith. In 2018, Leechman signed a formal petition to retain s 38 in the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 which allows private religious schools to discriminate against staff and students based on sexual orientation.

Curriculum

Arndell Anglican College is a Christian school and therefore advocates religion strongly. Once a week, students attend Chapel which consists of sermons concerning faith, the afterlife, and Jesus. The Arndell Way of Life includes Christian morals, which incorporates themes of unity, companionship, and acceptance. Similar understandings of life are taught in Biblical Studies, a class Arndell Anglican College insists all of its students attend regardless of religious denomination or faith. If students wish to continue their studies of faith outside of their predetermined schooling times, programmes at lunch are available and after school through the local Pitt Town Church.
The College is also found to aid many charities, such as the 40 Hour Famine for WorldVision.
The College Principal signed a petition on behalf of the School in 2018 to secure s 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 which allows private schools to discriminate against students based on sexual orientation, reflecting the College's political conservatism and religious traditionalism. The College also advocated for strengthening religious freedoms in the petition.

College culture

The College Crest builds on the legacy of its earlier incarnations. It is dominated by the central cross, indicating the importance of Christ and his teachings in all our endeavours. The rays coming from the cross indicate the infusion of Christian thought in all that we do. The undulating lines represent the Hawkesbury River. The school colours of red and blue are distinctive among schools in the Hawkesbury region.
Greenway House is named in honour of the convict architect, Francis Greenway, who designed many of the fine buildings of early New South Wales, a number of which still stand in the Hawkesbury region. Greenway’s colour is green and its verse comes from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Johnson House is named in honour of Richard Johnson, the first Chaplain of New South Wales. Johnson’s colour is blue and its verse comes from Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Macquarie House is named in honour of Lachlan Macquarie, the fifth Governor of New South Wales, responsible for converting the penal settlement into a genuine colony and perhaps its most significant early administrator. Its colour is gold and its verse comes from Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Tebbutt House is named in honour of John Tebbutt, the distinguished Australian scientist and astronomer who lived in the Hawkesbury region and whose observatory still stands a few kilometres from the site of the College. Tebbutt’s colour is red and its verse comes from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Campus

Arndell Anglican College is located in Oakville, New South Wales, 54 kilometres north west of Sydney. The Junior School & Senior School are on the same campus.
The current facilities of the college include:
Arndell Anglican College is governed by a school council. The College council helps develop the facilities and the growth of Arndell Anglican College. The current chairman of council is Brenda King.
The College is part of Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation and is affiliated with the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney. The College closely aligns itself with the Diocese. For instance, in 2019 it supported the Diocese in repealing s 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to promote religious freedom.

HSC results

To the left is Arndell's HSC ranking according to https://bettereducation.com.au compared to all other schools sitting the HSC. 2016 was Arndell's best year with a ranking of 143 making it into the top 150 schools.