Maitland High School

Successful Teachers, Successful Students, Successful School

Telephone02 4933 7933

Emailmaitland-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

About our school

Principal Paula Graham

Few words from Principal, Ms Paula Graham

Why we are seen as 'the school on the up' in the community!

 

Maitland High School is the second oldest state high school in Australia. It has a very rich history and a strong position in the community which provides a stable platform for the school to look to the future. Our school motto, “En Avant” (Go Forward) encapsulates the school’s aim to develop a sense of future: of capacity, achievement and success, in all students. Our 2015-17 School Plan captures the focus of the school: 'Successful Teachers, Successful Students, Successful School'. The school is increasingly the talk of the community as the school 'on the move' in the area! Why? 
Read on...

Can a public high school, which is open to all students, really have settled classrooms, high expectations of student behaviour and quality learning Proudly, Yes!

 

Maitland High School is a very special place where real vibrancy and a sense of community exist and are promoted through inclusive curricular and co-curricular activities. We are very proud of our continuing improvement and the recognition of our school as a place of settled classrooms, engaged learners and positive student relationships. This was recognised recently (Nov 2016) when one of our head teachers was at an HSC Marking Centre. On hearing that she was from Maitland High School, other HSC markers from the Hunter area exclaimed, "Oh, that's the school we hear so much about! We hear great things are happening there and that it is really on the move!? You must love working there!?" The head teacher delightedly told this to colleagues in a Staff Meeting at the end of the year - her pride in our school's recognition, and that of her colleagues on hearing this, was wonderful to see! This pride and positivity is also reflected in our exceptionally high teacher morale and commitment to the school: in the end of 2016 Staff Survey, 99% of all teaching staff reported that they enjoyed working at MHS. This translates into enthusiastic and committed teachers in high-performing and well-supported classrooms. Staff morale is a telling indicator in a school: MHS is a healthy, happy community and has a wonderful staff who care greatly about our students and their successes.

Come and find out first-hand about our school! Meet the principal for a guided tour of the school while it is in operation.

 

Maitland High School is a 'lighthouse' school, demonstrating that comprehensive public schools are also sites of high-care, high-quality learning and community building: all our parents can have confidence in their local public high school to deliver quality education in a safe and settled environment. Yes, we are an inclusive and proudly comprehensive high school serving a diverse community: we invite all parents considering our school for their child to come and meet with the principal for an individual guided tour and discussion to see and experience first-hand, our: high school tone; high standards and expectations, and; our settled classrooms. 

Is the school academically focused? Does it care and cater for individual learners? Yes!

 

Principal, Paula Graham, has set a transparent, academic improvement agenda of high expectations and committed focus on individual learners to ensure all students succeed.

How? 

  1. High quality, explicit teaching i.e. where the steps to successful learning are modelled for the learner.
  2. Learning activities focused on higher order and conceptual thinking skills development in every Year, 7-12 and in every classroom across the school. These critical conceptual thinking skills are necessary for high Band 5 & 6 performance in the HSC and they need to be taught from the very first years of high school. 
  3. A strong focus on literacy skills development in every classroom. The ability to read well; understand complex or abstract ideas; express understandings and ideas fluently in oral and written language, with a good command of vocabulary and grammar, are the basics for success in all subjects - and, most importantly, essential for success in 21st Century careers.

High expectations for student learning and positive behaviour at all times: no tolerance of disruptive or poor behaviour.

 

The school's high expectations for learning embraces all students. This involves our students: coming to school on time; being prepared for learning with all equipment; in correct school uniform and; demonstrating considerate and positive behaviour at all times. It is well known in our community that Maitland High School does not tolerate disruptive or poor behaviour from its students. The school has highly effective student wellbeing and discipline systems in place to ensure that the learning needs of all students are met with care and fairness. Support and extension are provided based on each student's unique learning needs. 

Our Student Discipline Code is simple and transparent: 

  1. All students have the right to learn in settled and productive classrooms. 
  2. All students are valued, equal and unique and are supported to set high personal learning goals for a positive future.  
  3. All students have a right to be free from anti-social, aggressive or threatening behaviour in the playground.   

 

All students at MHS are aware that transgressing these basic rights of fellow students is not tolerated.

Is MHS a school which has a strong student wellbeing focus? Yes!

 

Our school has a highly effective Wellbeing network of year advisers, head teachers, school counsellor, student support officer and learning and support teachers. All students with additional learning needs have Individual Learning Plans and everyone of our students has access to our Wellbeing supports and they are encouraged to seek our assistance whenever an issue arises which impacts on them. In particular, our school does not tolerate any kind of bullying behaviour or harassment. At our school, the culture is that students feel able to seek help from their year adviser, deputy or principal and any incidences of anti-social behaviour are acted on swiftly so that the negative behaviour is stopped.

What sort of additional or special programs does the school run?

 

We have:

  • An outstanding Information Technology program where our students are coding and learning Industry Standard applications and software use.
  • A Talented Sports program which provides individual training and mentoring to gifted young sportspeople across a wide range of sports. Our basketball, netball, and rugby league teams are frequently in the Top 8 in the state and we have a State Development Squad level Cricket coach on staff!
  • An exceptional Creative and Performing Arts program, where Drama, Dance, Music and Visual Arts are nurtured by enthusiastic and talented teachers! 


Public education and our school in particular, aims to build a healthy and harmonious community of learners. Issues of class, race, gender and all other forms of exclusion, are eliminated through diversity, understanding and inclusion, whilst actively teaching that belonging, community, learning and achievement are for all.

 

Welcome to our school!

 

En Avant!