Adelaide Botanic High School
The new $100m Adelaide Botanic High School opened in 2019, providing 1250 students from inner-city suburbs with greater access to high quality secondary learning. The school will start with year 8 and 9 students initially, growing to 1250 students by 2022.
Adelaide Botanic High School showcases the best of public education and 21 Century learning, catering for the learning needs of all students through its extensive curriculum offerings. Grounded in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), local partnerships and research, our future leaders will also be agile, cooperative, flexible and imaginative. This is why at Adelaide Botanic High School; our unique environment is explicitly designed to nurture these qualities.
Surrounded by leafy green spaces, botanic gardens and the vibrant Adelaide Zoo, our students will become a vital part of a broader hub of universities, businesses, the museum, state library and performing arts facilities. From this exhilarating vantage point they will unlock the inspiration to view tomorrow as limitless, electrifying and immediate.
Learning opportunities at Adelaide Botanic High School begun with Years 8 and 9 in term 1, 2019.
As an educator and leader for 35 years, and a father for almost as long, I understand there are few decisions in life as important as the choice of school for your child. We want them to grow up to be healthy, capable adults; adaptable, resilient and prepared for life beyond school. And we will guide them there by embracing their curiosity, and granting them with independence and opportunities to collaborate. Then, we will look on with pride as they give back to their communities and the planet in meaningful ways.
As Principal of Adelaide Botanic High School, I’m thrilled to be part of an educational flagship for South Australia. From day one of 2019, each of our students have been immersed in a futures-focused learning environment. Their passions are be ignited as they find connections with the real-world creativity and inspiration that pulses around our inner-city cultural precinct. Our hand-selected teachers are building skills and understanding, and stir ingenuity through innovative research-based learning. Individuality is celebrated and potential realised across every discipline. And tomorrow’s leaders will emerge, ready to embrace new challenges.
As our vision for futures-focused learning becomes a reality, we’re excited to share it with you.
Key features of the design include:
Learning spaces have been designed to cater for a contemporary, interdisciplinary approach to learning which mirrors what students can expect when they enter tertiary study or the modern workplace.
While our staff and students come from far and wide, they come together with a true sense of pride and belonging – both in themselves and their school. This ensures our future leaders are part of a community that fosters a culture of learning, support and acceptance.
By encouraging young people’s natural curiosities, and granting independence and opportunities to share, we stimulate their thirst for exploration and knowledge. With this sense of wonder ignited, their only limits are the bounds of the imagination.
When we look to young people we see boundless potential. By instilling in them the feeling of limitlessness, we broaden the realms of academic possibility. Because we are looking at more than results, we are looking at how we can better Adelaide, South Australia and each other.
Honouring the foundations of the past, we’ve taken the best of today and built upwards. Long before the first plan was drawn, we asked: how can our school building create dynamic learning for every student? The answer: a meticulously researched, purpose-built environment where the architecture informs and enhances every child’s learning experience.
No need for excursions. Just step outside to explore beautiful gardens, museums, Adelaide Zoo and the State Library of South Australia. From the heart of Adelaide’s cultural, education and business precinct, our students will learn as members of an inspiring community of creatives, entrepreneurs and visionary thinkers.
The school motto “Tomorrow Today” is the foundation for curriculum planning at Adelaide Botanic High School. Traditionally the eight Australian Curriculum subjects have been taught separately with little connection between them. At Adelaide Botanic High School the Australian Curriculum subjects will be taught in four purposefully connected learning areas:
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Through an interdisciplinary approach Global Perspectives enhances the study of Languages, English, History, Geography, Business and Enterprise and Civics and Citizenship all underpinned by a strong focus on literacy. Students will develop an understanding of different identities and perspectives expressed in oral, written and multimedia texts. They will gain an awareness of self as a member of interconnected and overlapping communities and how this influences responses to global issues.
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Highly connected learning opportunities within The Arts will foster and nurture the natural curiosities and talents of our students. The facilities provide an inspirational environment for students to explore, imagine, express, collaborate, challenge, observe, critique, exhibit and perform.
Embracing our value of community students are supported and encouraged to connect with the arts in our immediate precinct and beyond through authentic learning design, enabling us to develop skilled communicators through visual and performing arts.
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Lifestyle Choices supports students to develop the knowledge and understandings they require to make healthy, safe and active choices that will enhance their own and others’ health and wellbeing. They develop skills to understand how changing social structures, community values, environmental issues and new technologies affect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Students will have the opportunity to discuss real problems, consider solutions and then test these solutions with an authentic audience. Within the area of Lifestyle Choices there will be opportunity for deeper learning in specialist areas such as, physical education and sports analytics, health, outdoor education and environmental science, food technology and hospitality.
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STEM is responsible for the great innovations that make our world a better place. It is this approach to learning that provides a way of thinking about the world that will benefit students in far-reaching ways.
Students will build contemporary skills to actively find and solve new and complex challenges, as they make purposeful connections across the wider learning community. They will explore real and virtual worlds in order to consider new perspectives.
Students will develop mastery in their high-level studies of science, technologies and mathematics and become the next generation of socially responsible, innovators and entrepreneurs. Through STEM pathways, today’s students have the opportunity to shape tomorrow’s world.
Students will still learn for example mathematics, science and technologies but instead of studying each separately they are made more powerful through purposeful connections and real world learning experiences.
The approach of this purposefully connected curriculum retains and promotes the passion and skills that our hand selected staff have for their teaching discipline as they work in a connected team with their students. Striving for excellence is at the heart of this approach bringing together engaging learning with academic rigour.
We would love to welcome you into our school community but there are a few steps before we are able to do so. The steps below will assist you with understanding this process.
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Adelaide Botanic High School has a single shared zone with Adelaide High School, allowing parents within the zone to nominate their preferred city high school.
A copy of the updated school zone map can be accessed here.
The Department for Education zoning information specific to Adelaide Botanic High School can be accessed here.
To confirm if your permanent residential address is within the shared zone, use the Department for Education School Finder Tool.
Where demand from families living in the shared area exceeds places available all applications will be ranked and if necessary students may be shared between the two schools.
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Year 8 intake – 2020
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements to be eligible for a Year 8 allocation through the Year 7-8 transition process:
The year 7-8 transition commenced at the end of Term 1 2019 (when families were provided with the Year 7-8 Transition Pack and ED176 form) and Year 7’s allocated to Adelaide Botanic High school were provided with Enrolment Packs in mid August 2019.
Enquiries for a Year 8 2020 commencement after mid August 2019 (in-zone only) are requested to complete the registration of interest form here, ensuring that it is clearly stated you are looking at a Year 8 in 2020 enrolment. Once this form is completed, it will be forwarded to the Department for Education (Felixstow office) to allocate a suitable school. If the allocated school is not Adelaide Botanic High School, you can then contact the school to be put on the Enrolment and Transfer Register, in case a place becomes available.
Shared zone
Families in the shared school zone can nominate their choice of school on their ED176 form and the reasons for wishing to attend the school.
When demand from families living in the shared zone exceeds spaces available, consideration will be given to:
Proof of residency
If you are applying as living in the shared zone, you must provide supporting documentation of your child’s permanent residential address prior to us confirming the enrolment.
This documentation must include:
Further information on enrolling in a SA high school and the year 7-8 transition process is available sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/schools/choosing-a-school/enrolling-in-high-school
Year 8 selective entry pathway for 2020
Students residing outside of the zone who show an interest and success in one or more of the STEM areas can apply for one of 20 places provided by Adelaide Botanic High School through the out of zone selective entry process.
The selected students will work with teacher and industry mentors focusing on individual student needs to encourage their connections and interest in STEM fields. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the STEM Special Pathways program beginning in Year 10.
Students will need to demonstrate an interest in, as well as success and commitment to the school’s focus areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics; a positive attitude towards learning, school and study; and a willingness to join with and contribute to the schools positive culture.
As part of the application process for 2020, complete the Year 8 Out of Zone Selective Entry online registration form.
Applications for 2020 Selective Entry have now closed
Applications close: Thursday 21 March 11.30pm
Testing date: Saturday 30 March 9.00am
Information regarding the ACER test can be found when completing the registration form.
For further advice please email us.
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Year 9 in zone enrolment
In 2019 there is the opportunity to register to attend Adelaide Botanic High School.
Students will need to demonstrate an interest in, as well as success and commitment to the school’s focus areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics; a positive attitude towards learning, school and study; and a willingness to join with and contribute to the schools positive culture.
As part of the registration process for 2019, complete the Year 9 online registration of interest form.
The registration of interest form can be accessed here.
For further advice please email us.
Proof of residency
If you are applying as living in the shared zone, you must provide supporting documentation of your child’s residential address prior to us confirming the enrolment.
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Adelaide Botanic High School is subject to a Capacity Management Plan to manage enrolment pressure.
A copy of the 2020 Capacity Management Plan can be downloaded below.
Everyone within the Adelaide Botanic High School community is expected to abide by the school’s policies.
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A vertical school nestled within the cultural precinct of the city of Adelaide brings with it a heightened need for responsible behaviour and respect to sustain positive relationships within our community.
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The Adelaide Botanic High School community is committed to working together to create a learning community which is safe, inclusive, conducive to learning and free from harassment, bullying, racism, discrimination and violence.
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The Adelaide Botanic High School uniform plays an important role in creating a sense of identity among students and the community whilst also supporting the safety and wellbeing of our students.