The College's Mission

Somerset College is an independent, Christian, inter-denominational school serving a community of families. It strives for excellence by nurturing pupils towards achieving their potential in the many varied aspects of life. The College has a commitment to being a pioneer and leader in educational innovation, in accessing recognised international curricula, and in fostering and building links with local, national and international tertiary institutions.

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 pupil 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 pupils 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 pupils.

The school also places particular emphasis on appropriate standards of discipline, especially in relation to manners, speech and dress. The philosophy of the school 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 happily accepts this challenge and seeks to create vital and resourceful young men and women.

CURRICULUM

The school is dedicated to promoting excellence in all aspects of education embracing Academic, Cultural, Social, Spiritual, and Sporting Endeavour.

The College believes that learning is more meaningful when pupils are active participants in the learning process. To facilitate this, it seeks to enable pupils to live in a world where there are various worldviews and to know how to create meaning through the tensions and positive aspects of difference. The College recognises the importance of developing pupils’ social skills and modes of human interaction (the journey outward) and learning situations that extend the physical, mental and spiritual abilities (the journey inward).

PASTORAL

Somerset College is a community of families where care for one another is fostered.

The College encourages individuals to achieve their personal best and to understand the importance of perseverance, discipline and the pursuit of excellence. The focus of Somerset College is to empower young people through idealism and hope and to aid them in their quest for self-identity, self-knowledge, self-discipline and self-fulfilment.

The College accepts pupils with a wide range of academic, sporting and co-curricular abilities. All pupils are of equal worth in the eyes of the school and the notion of excellence in education relates fundamentally to the desire to meet the needs of individual pupils. Pupils 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.

It is a central tenet of the school’s philosophy that individual achievement is fostered by encouragement, a strong emphasis on pastoral care, healthy and constructive competition, recognition of individual achievements and attention and care for the differing needs of individual pupils.

SPIRITUAL

Somerset College is an inter-denominational Christian school with its beliefs founded in the historic creeds. While accepting that pupils will be drawn from diverse faith traditions, the values of the College will be expressly Christian.

From its inception the ethical and religious foundation of the College has rested on its commitment to a Christian base. This has been implemented through inter-denominational Christian services, religious education and extensive personal development and pastoral care programmes provided to its pupils. Embedded in these services is the aim to develop faith, morality, ethics, stewardship, social justice and self-responsibility.

The Christian influence pervades activity at the College and forms the basis for an educational focus which endeavours to show care, respect and tolerance for the individual.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The College has a commitment to offering high levels of physical facilities and professional services, which in turn, provides the necessary support and impetus for the school’s commitment to excellence.

The College seeks to be a local leader in fields such as library information services, technology, literacy and numeracy initiatives, sporting innovation, international education, music, the creative and performing arts and personal development. Achievements in academic work, including international studies, public speaking, cultural activities (choral work, drama, creative writing, music) and sport continue to be recognised and valued by the local and wider community. In order to reach these aims, staff professional development and up-to-date physical facilities occupy a high priority within the College.

Over time, Somerset has evolved as an educational institution of international standing and repute.

VISION AND PLANNING

The school has a commitment to reviewing its role in creating, innovating and reflecting academic, cultural, economic and technological changes.

The School Council has, at appropriate intervals, implemented necessary review processes that are relevant to the vision and the changing needs of the school. This will continue in the future.

It is also important to recognise that future growth of the school will be related to its development as an institution rather than as a result of an increase in pupil numbers. All attempts will be made to maintain the pupil body at approximately 1,100 from Early Eduction Class to Year 12.

EDUCATIONAL SYNERGIES

The College is dedicated to establishing, developing and consolidating co-operative relationships with institutions of secondary and tertiary education, both nationally and internationally.

The future of the College will be enhanced by an environment of scholarly endeavour and an organisational structure which allows for an easy flow of ideas, vitality and enthusiasm into the school and into the wider community.