Somerset College
About Somerset
Somerset College is a co-educational, independent, inter-denominational school in the Christian tradition catering for students from Pre-Prep to Year 12. Somerset's mission is to develop engaged global citizens, aspiring to excellence, demonstrating integrity and valuing difference. The College has a commitment to being a pioneer and leader in educational innovation, in accessing recognised national and international curricula, and in fostering and building links with local, national and international tertiary institutions and within the broader international community.
Our aim at Somerset College is to create an atmosphere where happiness, trust and understanding are just as much a way of life as are endeavour, competition and achievement. We believe that such an environment produces a stable academic climate which allows each student to develop his or her special talents by learning to respect excellence and striving to achieve it.
This philosophy has also attracted excellent staff who share this view of education. Under their guidance all students at Somerset College are provided with the necessary encouragement to fully develop academic skills, strength of character and a wide range of interests in areas such as sport, music and drama. A high level of individual commitment and participation is expected of all students.
Somerset College also places particular emphasis on appropriate standards of discipline, especially in relation to manners, speech and dress. The philosophy of the College ensures that these standards of behaviour come about as a result of high levels of self-esteem and self-discipline. The measure of any school lies in its readiness to help young people to grow, to develop their talents and to liberate their imagination. Somerset College happily accepts this challenge and seeks to create vital and resourceful young men and women.
Somerset's Facilities
Somerset College is situated on approximately 22 hectares of land in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
We are proud of our grounds and facilities, and invite you to visit us for a personalised tour of the campus.
General Facilities:
• The Arnison Building – the main administration centre for Somerset College
• Performing Arts Centre – comprising a 300 seat theatre, four classrooms and specialist facilities for the teaching of Music and Drama
• The Ray Building – featuring teaching areas, a gymnasium, climbing wall, dining room, alfresco eating areas, cafeteria and retail facilities.
• Knowledge and Information Precinct – incorporating the Somerset Library and flexible learning spaces
• The Great Hall – a large hall for assemblies, chapels and important ceremonies for Somerset College
• Student Services Hub – incorporating facilities for Senior School students such as lockers, meeting rooms and offices for key staff
• Refurbished Junior and Senior School classrooms
• In the Senior School – Science and Engineering Technology laboratories, an Art/Graphics Centre, a Year 11 Common Room and a Year 12 Senior Learning Centre
• In the Junior School – a Computer Centre, Engineering Technology Centre and Junior School Music Centre
• Early Education Centre
Sporting Facilities:
• A ten lane Tartan athletics track
• Olympic size swimming pool and two learn to swim pools
• Gymnasium with two indoor courts and a climbing wall
• Outdoor courts for Volleyball, Basketball, Netball and Futsal
• Artificial turf hockey field
• Five sporting ovals
• Tennis complex comprising of five courts
• Fully equipped Fitness Centre for student, staff and parent use.
The Somerset Curriculum
At Somerset College, we are dedicated to promoting excellence in all aspects of education. Our students embrace academic, cultural, social, spiritual and sporting opportunities.
The College believes that learning is more meaningful when students are active participants in the process. We give our students the tools to live in a world where there are various worldviews. Somerset College recognises the importance of developing students’ social skills and modes of human interaction (the journey outward) and learning situations that extend the physical, mental and spiritual abilities (the journey inward).
Somerset College is a non-selective school. Our only precondition is that students at Somerset adopt the culture of doing their best! We combine this aim with the highest possible levels of academic and pastoral care, a wealth of academic achievement programmes, the International Baccalaureate programmes and academic rigour. These are all balanced with a belief that adolescents will rise to the highest possible challenge placed before them. Somerset College is committed to close and consistent communication with parents, a talented and committed staff and a positive and friendly school culture.
Beyond the Classroom
Somerset College accepts students with a wide range of academic, sporting and co-curricular abilities. All students are of equal worth in the eyes of the College and the notion of excellence in education relates fundamentally to the desire to meet the needs of individual students. Students at Somerset College are encouraged to aspire to personal levels of excellence and to understand that they are all skilled in their own way. To enable this, the qualities of self-confidence, self-esteem, optimism and personal excellence are nurtured.
The cultural programme covers a diversity of activities from the creative to the visual arts and from the verbal to written expression. Cultural awareness and participation plays an integral role in a student's education.
The Co-curricular Programme at Somerset College covers most aspects of tuition that are considered complementary to the curriculum. This covers such areas as music, dance, ESL (English as a Second Language), speech and drama and chess. These offerings allow for the broadening of the students' experiences in the arts. The Arts is an important area of development for children.
Sporting activities play an important role in a student's life at Somerset College. The scope of these activities has broadened considerably over the years and includes Physical Education, team sports, individual sports, House sport and representative sports. All students at Somerset College from Years 4 to 12 are expected to participate in Interschool sport.
The Somerset Community
Somerset College is a community of families where care for one another is fostered.
At the centre of life in the College is a system of student support and welfare. It is at most times unobtrusive and executed by caring teachers coaching sport or giving guidance during camps and expeditions. Teachers provide assistance and directions in and out of the classroom.
We endeavour to help our students recognise that the world extends beyond the confines of our suburbs, state and country. Somerset College encourages this from the Junior School Global Awareness Day, right through to overseas travel. Language programmes and the teaching of the International Baccalaureate programmes also give our students a global perspective.
At Somerset, we believe it is important to give something back to the community. We achieve this through many avenues such as The Somerset Celebration of Literature, The Somerset Festival for Young Performers, community service, fundraising for charities and House sponsorship of children in other countries.