Welcome to Sydney Distance Education High School. We are a large public school with almost 1400 students where more than 180 experienced teachers and 24 highly skilled support staff contribute to students' flexible learning by distance. Students learn in many ways: written materials, CD, DVD, video, over the telephone, by email and on the World Wide Web through online lessons developed using the Moodle learning management system. We also engage students through videoconferencing, student online forums, school and home visits, study days, excursions and peer support activities. We encourage students to take advantage of  these opportunities to enhance their learning and sense of connection to their peers, their teachers and their school.

We are also celebrating the success of our 2008 Higher School Certificate students. Four of our students were published in the Best in Subject list: Bro Reveleigh, Aboriginal Studies (3rd in state), Asiful Islam, Engineering Studies (9th in state), Sylvie Ashford, German Beginners (2nd in state) and Hanna Smith, Textiles and Design (3rd in state).

Sylvie Ashford, who received a University Admissions Index (UAI) of 99.4 was recognised in the Top All-rounders list for scoring 90 or above in all her courses. Hanna Smith and Michaela Kryzszton were selected to exhibit their Major Textiles Projects in the 2008 Texstyle Exhibition which tours NSW. Stefan Cvetkovic (pianist) and Jessie Fairweather (singer) were nominated for Encore, a showcase of outstanding music performances.

Also, we had a significant increase in the number of students achieving top results. More than 40% of all the Bands awarded for the HSC were Band 5 or Band 6 (the highest). There was a 25% increase in Bands 5 and 6 from the previous year. These are absolutely outstanding results and I congratulate the students, teachers, support staff, supervisors and families who worked together to achieve them. I also congratulate all the students who worked so hard to achieve their own very best, many of whom are continuing in a range of further education opportunities.

In 2006 Sydney Distance Education High School was one of four schools which received a commendation for Outstanding School Achievement. This award was for our whole school programs in building relationships and enhancing student participation over a sustained period. We continue to provide so many opportunities for creative and challenging flexible learning as we focus on quality individualised education for every one of our students.

In 2009-2011 we have determined four priorities to build on our success including increasing e-learning opportunities for students.

• Target 1 - Improve student learning outcomes through enhancing student participation and engagement in learning including a quality teaching focus on literacy, numeracy and ICT.
• Target 2  - Develop students' capacities to prepare for the future by enhancing the diversity of challenging and creative learning opportunities including learning through new technologies and vocational experiences.
• Target 3 - Support student wellbeing by enhancing partnerships between students, parents, caregivers, community and our school.
• Target 4 - Enhance teacher and SASS professional learning opportunities.

Learn more about distance education and our school through this website where we communicate, collaborate and celebrate.

Enjoy our website's SDEHS Productions where you will see so much of the spirit and success of our school community.

Best wishes

Mark Piddington

How to get here

The History of Distance Education

The idea of correspondence lessons for children originated in Australia as part of the quest to provide educational facilities to sparsely populated areas of the country. New South Wales was the first to adopt the method at least in theory during the 1880s as part of their operation of half time schools. Teachers in their absence from their two respective schools were required to leave lessons for 'the continuance of learning'. It was not until 1908 with the emergence of travelling schools that correspondence lessons were incorporated as part of a learning regime. Arthur Biddle, the first appointee to the travelling schools, devised a workable correspondence method and co-opted the services of literate adults to assist in the implementation. During the war years, and with the closure of small bush schools, Biddle's method was transposed to the Bridge Street headquarters of the Department of Public Instruction, where Inspector Stephen Smith undertook the work as the need arose, early in 1916. Indicative of the need for such a service, The Correspondence School, as it was soon named, grew quickly, its progress hampered only by wartime finances and lack of space in the metropolitan area.

Blackfriars The lack of suitable accomodation soon forced the fragmentation of the school into four separate, small correspondence schools. In 1922, secondary pupils were permitted enrolment and in July 1924 the schools were amalgamated and housed in the former Teacher's College at Blackfriars in Sydney, with 2335 pupils under the tutelage of 47 teachers. Walter Finigan, the first Principal, put in place some insightful methods. He devised a numeric and graded leaflet system, each leaflet covering most prescribed subjects and by doing so set the pattern for teaching each child 'individually and sequentially'. In 1933 Correspondence Schools Broadcasts were introduced courtesy of the ABC. In 1935, the Correspondence School magazine Outpost was first published, providing a progressive account of the school's development. Its high ideal was to unite enrolled students who then totalled 5778, and former students in the camaraderie of overcoming isolation. In 1938 Blackfriars, as it was affectionately known, gained international renown when Mr Finigan delivered the opening address at the First International Conference on Correspondence Education in Canada. Indeed, Blackfriars became the model on which other nations based their own correspondence systems. By 1959, under the leadership of Harry Kellerman, the school reached its peak enrolment of 7420, the 1960s bringing steady decline in numbers together with increased wealth allowing children to go to boarding schools and improved roads linking families with larger country schools. During this period, Australian students living overseas and travellers were permitted enrolment.

With the introduction of the Wyndham Scheme in 1961, single subjects were offered to students who were unable to complete elected subjects at their local schools. The Department prided itself on the success of the Wyndham Scheme which had been made possible by the Correspondence School's ability to offer its services to the wider student population. It represented the exhaustion of correspondence school services which had been historically preceded by the supply of leaflets to subsidised schools from1932 and to the army in 1941.

On his retirement in 1949, Finigan lamented that he did not see the implementation of a system of bringing teachers closer to students. However, such a system was to begin only 7 years later. In 1956 Mrs Phylis Gibb set up the School of the Air in Broken Hill. It was modelled on the Katherine School of the Air in the Northern Territory using the Royal Flying Doctor Service radio network. Even though the School of the Air was on the other side of the state from Sydney, its students remained enrolled in the Correspondence School. With these circumstances prevailing, Mrs Gibb provided what amounted to an addition to correspondence lessons sent from Sydney.

William Street

In the early 1970s after the Correspondence School had moved to larger premises in William Street, Kings Cross, attempts to decentralise resulted in the setting up of experimental and autonomous satellite schools in Nyngan, Bourke, Cobar and Walgett. These centres combined the use of the radio contact and correspondence lessons.

The number of enrolments in the latter three schools brought buoyancy to the decentralised movement, success proven by their ability to bring educational services closer to the students they served. By the mid 1980s recommendations were mooted to decentralise completely the Correspondence School, the 'monolithic giant', a testimonial remnant to a highly centralised Department philosophy, and it eventually closed its doors in December 1990. A new era of the decentralised provision of distance education began in January, 1991 with the simultaneous opening of 11 new centres spread across New South Wales. Sydney Secondary Distance Education Centre was born. The Learning Materials Production Centre was formed to do the writing of learning materials, Mrs Colleen Dagworthy was appointed manager and deputy principal of the school, and the Centre was moved to co-exist with Dover Heights High School at Hardy Street Dover Heights.

Dover Heights

In 1996 distance education celebrated 80 years and Sydney Secondary Distance Education Centre was awarded a School Achievement Award. By 1997 computers featured networking, Internet access and intranet. The restructure of Open High School in 1998 as a language service led to a significant increase in enrolments at Sydney Secondary Distance Education Centre. In 1999 Mrs Colleen Dagworthy retired but before she did she negotiated the relocation of Sydney Secondary Distance Education Centre to Plunkett Street Primary School, Woolloomooloo.

In 2001 Mrs Kathleen Compton was appointed Principal and Mr Steve Murray Deputy Principal. Sydney Secondary Distance Education Centre was gazetted as an autonomous centre in preparation for the move to Plunkett Street and was renamed Sydney Distance Education High School. In April 2002 the school made the move to Plunkett Street, Woolloomooloo.

Woolloomooloo

The new millennium also ushered in an expansion in the use technology to improve administrative duties and the quality of teaching and learning. Every teacher received access to a computer and a centralised student database from their workstations. A computer lab was developed for study days. Videoconferences were held regularly with other staff at Distance Education Schools and students in ‘feeder schools’ such as Rivendell and Flametree SSPs. Online learning went from a few basic webpages about different courses to fully interactive and dynamic lessons where teachers are able to track and record each student's progress.

A changing of the guard began in the mid ‘noughties’. At the end of 2005 Steve Murray was appointed Principal at Open High School and in 2006, Alan Wright was appointed as our new Deputy Principal. In early 2007 Kathleen Compton was appointed Principal at Denison College of Secondary Education and at the beginning of 2008 Mark Piddington’s tenure as the new and current Principal commenced.

Since establishing itself at Woolloomooloo, the school has experienced a rapid growth in students and staff. In June 2009 we had more than 180 teaching staff, 24 support staff and almost 1400 students.

Study days, individual student visits, open days and presentation days provide excellent opportunities for students to meet their teachers face to face, participate in exciting and engaging learning activities, interact with other students and be rewarded for their efforts.

Study Days

All faculties offer a variety of study days throughout the year to truly engage students in their learning experiences. Some examples of our study days include: science experiments, hands on computer training, guest speakers, art and music classes, drama workshops and textiles lessons.

Upcoming Study Days (click the orange button in the key)

Showcase of previous Study Days

Open Days

Open days provide a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to reconnect or make new connections. Every year SDEHS organises the Big Day In and each year this event just gets bigger and better. In 2008 the Big Day In was hugely successful with more than 200 students, parents and supervisors in attendance. Some of the activities on offer were: rock climbing, NASA videoconference, music workshops, drama demonstrations, extreme science experiments, IKI magic fitness class with an instructor,  Histrivia and broadcasting from Dubbo.

We’ve received some fantastic feedback from the participants this year and we recommend that students, parents and supervisors DO NOT miss out on next year's event.

We have various other open days such as Harmony Day, which are open to all students.

Upcoming Open Days

Showcase of previous Open Days

Excursions

The diversity of learning experiences for students at SDEHS is expanded through the number of excursions it offers each year. Faculties regularly organise excursion to destinations such as: Fort Denison, Art Gallery of NSW, Nicholson Museum, Sydney Theatre Company, Camden Park Environmental Education Centre, Museum of Contemporary Art, NSW Parliament House, Newtown Cemetery, National Maritime Museum and even the cinema for peer support days.

Showcase of previous Excursions

Individual Student Visits

SDEHS is proud of our record in bringing quality, individualised education to students who cannot attend a face-to-face school. We endeavour to provide every opportunity for the students’ success.

At school: We welcome students to come and visit their teachers at our school site during normal school hours. Please contact the student's teacher and/or year advisor in advance.

Getting Here

At home, school or centre: We have a very active field service program, where teachers go out and visit the students in their homes or schools or at a centre. Students and parents/supervisors need to contact the student's teacher to arrange a visit.

Video Conferencing

Videoconferencing is an emerging technology that all Department of Education and Training schools will use in the near future as part of the Connected Classrooms initiative. SDEHS has been at the cutting edge of using this tool to communicate with students and between staff members since 2005.

e-learning at SDEHS

E-learning has always played major part of teaching and learning at Sydney Distance Education High School. We have hosted online lessons on our school webpage since 2002. In 2006, SDEHS introduced the use of Moodle to handle the management of our learning materials and online student/teacher communication. We trialled 4 new complete courses in 2006-2007 and are currently developing a variety of other courses to enhance our curriculum. We are constantly revaluating this process to make it the best system possible to meet the needs of our students. To access our courses go to e-learning.