Varsity College
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Varsity College is a primary and secondary school in Varsity Lakes (Queensland, Australia).
Infrastructure
On 25 July 2001, Stage 1 of the school was officially opened by Hon Peter Beattie (Premier of Queensland). On 13 August 2002, stage 2 of the school was officially opened by Anna Bligh (Queensland Minister for Education), a project costing $18 million (State and Federal Government funding). In 2002, the school opened a secondary campus, then known as "Varsity College Middle School".
On 3 April 2004, the school's Senior Sports Centre, Performing Arts Centre and the Senior General Learning building were officially opened by Senator George Brandis. In 2005, the "Lake Orr" footbridge, connecting both campuses, had been constructed. In 2010, the Senior Learning Centre (SLC), originally known as the "Chinese Language & Cultural Centre of Excellence", was officially opened by Hon John-Paul Langbroek. In 2015, the Junior Learning Centre was officially opened.
In 2019, an outdoor multi purpose sports court (known as "The Hanger"), was built at the secondary campus.
School leadership
In 2001, on the school's opening year, Mr Micheal Roberts was the Preparatory School Principal and Mrs Julie Grantham was the College Principal. Since then, the school has had multiple principals:
| Principal | Years |
|---|---|
| Julie Grantham | 2001–2002[citation needed] |
| Tracey Cashman | 2002–2004[citation needed] |
| Mike Kelly | 2004–2005[citation needed] |
| Jeff Davis | 2005–2015[citation needed] |
| Steven McLuckie | 2015–2018[citation needed] |
| Sharon Schultz | 2018–2023 |
| Nigel Hughes | 2023–present |
Students
Years
In 2002, with the opening of the school's then "Middle School", the school enrolled students for years 4 - 9. In 2005, the school enrolled students for year 12, inducting the school's first premier College Captains.
Class sizes
The trend in the average size of classes has been: -
| Year | Years | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prep – Year | 4 – 6 | 7 – 10 | 11 – 12 | |
| 2016 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 20 |
| 2017 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 21 |
| 2018 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 19 |
| 2019 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 19 |
| 2020 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 20 |
| 2021 | 22 | 26 | 23 | 19 |
| 2022 | 21 | 26 | 23 | 19 |
| 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Student enrolments
In 2023, Varsity College was reported to have a maximum student enrolment capacity of 3,619 students. The number of students entering Prep in any given year must not exceed 200 in 8 classrooms, unless there are more than 200 students enrolling from within the catchment area. With respect to the school's "Programs of Excellence in Academic, Cultural and Sports Excellence", the school has an enrolment capacity of:
- 425 students - Academic Program of Excellence
- 400 students - Cultural Program of Excellence
- 300 students - Sports Program of Excellence
Upon opening in 2001, the school had an initial cohort of 354 students from preschool to Year 3. In 2006, Varsity College reached over 2,500 enrolments across both campuses. The trend in school enrolments (August figures) has been:-
| Year | Years | Boys | Girls | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prep | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||
| 2014 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | 1,592 | 1,477 | 3,069 |
| 2015 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | 1,606 | 1,500 | 3,106 |
| 2016 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | 1,593 | 1,513 | 3,106 |
| 2017 | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | 1,655 | 1,568 | 3,223 |
| 2018 | 209 | 221 | 212 | 216 | 200 | 233 | 233 | 362 | 332 | 338 | 289 | 170 | 254 | 1,694 | 1,575 | 3,269 |
| 2019 | 179 | 222 | 223 | 222 | 217 | 223 | 249 | 341 | 350 | 323 | 311 | 258 | 161 | 1,618 | 1,598 | 3,279 |
| 2020 | 184 | 176 | 235 | 231 | 224 | 240 | 341 | 347 | 339 | 337 | 307 | 276 | 233 | 1,729 | 1,641 | 3,370 |
| 2021 | 180 | 189 | 180 | 238 | 228 | 227 | 241 | 335 | 350 | 327 | 312 | 283 | 255 | 1,700 | 1,645 | 3,345 |
| 2022 | 172 | 183 | 197 | 186 | 247 | 230 | 237 | 367 | 329 | 353 | 294 | 289 | 260 | 1,609 | 1,654 | 3,344 |
| 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | 3,400 |
Attendance
The trend in student attendance has been: -
| Year | Years | Overall | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prep | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 2016 | 93% | 93% | 94% | 93% | 94% | 94% | 95% | 93% | 92% | 90% | 89% | 91% | 91% | 92% |
| 2017 | 95% | 93% | 93% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 93% | 93% | 91% | 90% | 89% | 92% | 92% | 92% |
| 2018 | 94% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 93% | 94% | 93% | 93% | 90% | 90% | 88% | 91% | 92% | 92% |
| 2019 | 94% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 93% | 92% | 91% | 89% | 89% | 90% | 90% | 92% |
| 2020 | 93% | 92% | 92% | 92% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 91% | 90% | 89% | 89% | 90% | 89% | 91% |
| 2021 | 95% | 94% | 94% | 94% | 93% | 93% | 92% | 91% | 89% | 87% | 89% | 88% | 88% | 91% |
| 2022 | 91% | 90% | 91% | 91% | 90% | 90% | 89% | 87% | 85% | 84% | 83% | 87% | 84% | 87% |
| 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Discipline
The trend in student discipline has been: -
| Year | Short Suspensions 1 – 15 days | Long Suspensions 6 – 20 days | Exclusions | Enrolment Cancellations | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 223 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 244 |
| 2017 | 249 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 279 |
| 2018 | 290 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 312 |
| 2019 | 306 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 330 |
| 2020 | 163 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 174 |
| 2021 | 308 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 346 |
| 2022 | 192 | 42 | 8 | 5 | 247 |
| 2023 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Curriculum
Languages
The school's language department offers Mandarin from prep to year 12. The school also runs an English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) support team.
Sports
Participation
During the school year, students participate in a range of carnivals, including cross country running, track and field, and swimming. Age champions are awarded for students who excel in these fields.
House system
The school has four sporting houses, named after "iconic" Gold Coast beaches:
| House Name | Colour | Mascot | Student Surname | Gold Coast Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | blue | barracudas | A B C D | Burleigh Beach |
| Kirra | yellow | sharks | E F G H I J K | Kirra Beach |
| Miami | green | rays | L M N O P Q | Miami Beach |
| Rainbow | red | serpents | R S T U V W X Y Z | Rainbow Beach |
AFL Team Achievements
Senior Female (Years 10-12)
Champions: 2020
Runners Up: 2021, 2024
Junior Female (Years 7-9)
Runners Up: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
Popular culture
In 2002, the series The Sleepover Club was shot and partially produced at the school.
The college has appeared in Sea Patrol.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
Sport
| Name | Sport | Top Level Team/Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Hammans | Australian rules football | Carlton, Gold Coast |
| Havana Harris | Australian rules football | Gold Coast |
| Leo Lombard | Australian rules football | Gold Coast |
| Sienna McMullen | Australian rules football | Gold Coast |
| Nyalli Milne | Australian rules football | Gold Coast |
| Jake Rogers | Australian rules football | Gold Coast |
| Kwame Yeboah | Soccer | Australia (U23) |
| Kiah Melverton | Swimming | Australia |
| Maddy Gough | Swimming | Australia |