Principal says Pasadena High School is here to stay, despite poor reputation and dwindling numbers

WENDY House took over as head of the troubled Pasadena High School less than two years ago: a role and school she’s fiercely proud of. She’s not alone.

Pasadena High School Principal has a five year goal to better the reputation of her school, and shake off the negative reputation the school currently has. [PIC] Pasadena HS principal Wendy House, with year 12 student Sam Vawser (18yrs). picture: Bianca De Marchi

• Pasadena High looking at merger options

WENDY House took over as head of the troubled Pasadena High School less than two years ago: it’s a role she’s fiercely proud of and she remains optimistic about the school’s future.

Ms House has moved to reassure the community there are no plans to close the school, despite its dwindling enrolments and poor reputation.

Ms House, who has been in the top job for the past 18 months, said she was confident the school could restore its tattered reputation and become an attractive option for parents.

High profile past students of the school include Federal Labor MP Kate Ellis and actress Tracey Mann.

Federal Shadow Minister for Education Kate Ellis is a former student of Pasadena High School.

Enrolments at the Daws Rd campus have dropped from about 300 students in 2008 to about 150 fulltime students this year.

There are just 14 Year 12 students currently enrolled, down from 19 last year.

“The dilemma is that as the number of enrolments at a school declines, rumours will start that it will close and people, quite understandably, choose not to send their children there,” Ms House said.

“Parents fear the school might close halfway through … and they don’t was to disrupt their child’s study.

“It is how we stop the rumour we are closing which will make all the difference.”

She said the school had been in amalgamation talks with a primary and secondary school.

If a merger occurred, it could result in the closure of one of the schools, she said.

“We are going to explore what is logical and sensible,” Ms House said.

“That doesn’t mean we will definitely amalgamate.

“But, we certainly will not close at all.”

Ms House said she has overhauled practices to boost enrolments and formed partnerships with local community groups and universities to reverse the school’s decline.

She has reviewed the school’s operations to allow for closer monitoring of students’ progress, increased the number of subject choices and made arrangements to accommodate young people participating in school-based apprenticeships.

Students are also encouraged to attend after school study groups if they are falling behind.

The changes have brought immediate results; SACE completion rates increased from 67 to 96 per cent last year.

Ms House said giving each student personalised attention to improve academic performance had already helped improve the school’s reputation.

“Parents and students have told us who have arrived from larger schools that they had become lost in the crowd … so a small school has its advantages,” she said.

“My intention when I started here was to improve the learning opportunities and look at ways we can reconceptualise and build up this school’s reputation so it becomes parents’ first choice.”

Education Department chief education officer Jayne Johnston said there “was no doubt” the school was facing challenges.

She said any plans for the school’s future would be in the best interest of students, staff and parents.

“The principal and staff are working hard to give students the learning opportunities they need,” she said.

“The school’s governing council is exploring a number of options, including amalgamation or moving the school towards a specialisation.”

Why we love Pasadena High School

Sam Vawser, who is completing a trade apprenticeship as part of his final year at school, loves Pasadena High School. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

IT was the early 2000s and Lyn and Peter Vawser were wrestling with the decision about whether to send their daughter, Charlotte, to Pasadena High School.

“The school did not have a great reputation, even back then,” Mrs Vawser says.

“Finally we thought we would give it a go for a year and see how it goes.”

She says Charlotte quickly settled into the Daws Rd school, making friends easily.

“It was such a nice school and we were very happy with it,” Mrs Vawser says.

“We just could not work out where the bad reputation came from — there was no truth to it.”

Charlotte, now 28, went on to study costume design at TAFE.

So impressed with the school, the Vawser’s did not hesitate to send their son, Sam, there five years ago.

Sam is now in Year 12 and is studying a school-based construction apprenticeship, which is helping prepare him for the workforce.

The course is run in collaboration with the Master Builders Association of SA and the Construction Industry Training Board as part of a certificate one in general construction.

Mrs Vawser says the school only having 150 students means it is a tight-knit community, where the teachers and principal are familiar to all the parents.

“Teachers get to know the children and the parents … which goes a long way,” she says.

“Students get individual attention and I just love the small school thing instead of the enormous reception to Year 12 model.

“The school is just great.”

But Pasadena’s not for everyone

Despite going to Pasadena High himself, David Wilson says he won’t send his children Charlee and Kai to the school. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

SALLY Anderson has already ruled out sending her son Thomas, 4, to Pasadena High School because of its “poor reputation”.

Ms Anderson, of Pasadena, has been researching primary and high schools for Thomas.

“Pasadena has a poor reputation, and this is an affluent area, so people want a similar standard of high school education,” she said.

“Clearly Pasadena High is not meeting the expectations and or needs of parents in the area.”

She urged the Education Department to consult with parents at Westbourne Park, Colonel Light Gardens, Clapham and Edwardstown primary schools to see why they were shunning the high school.

Ms Anderson has also called on Pasadena High and the Education Department to come clean about which primary school it was in talks with about a possible amalgamation.

“I do not understand the government’s secrecy for not disclosing who they are looking at amalgamating Pasadena with and if that is what parents actually want,” Ms Anderson said.

She said she was opposed to a local primary school merging with Pasadena to create a Reception to Year 12 campus.

“For example, people who have chosen Clapham Primary School have chosen it for a reason and, if it merges, that would affect their decision making,” she said.

“They may have chosen the primary school because it is a small Reception to Year 12 campus and that is what they wanted.”

Dave Wilson, a former Pasadena High student, has three children at Mitcham Primary School.

He said his children would not be following in his footsteps because of a decade-long rumour the school was going to close.

“The school is a bit small and the word on the street for sometime is that it will close,” Mr Wilson said.

“It has got to do with reputation.”

However, he said he supported a merger if it benefited both schools.