Welcome to Donnybrook District High School
Donnybrook District High School is a combined rural school (Kindergarten – Year 10), situated on two sites that lie 1.5 kilometres apart. Donnybrook District High School services the communities of Donnybrook, Kirup and Balingup. In spite of our distance, we are very much one school.
The Junior Campus at Mead Street caters for Kindergarten to Year 6, while the Senior Campus at Bentley Street caters for Year 7 to Year 10.
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to strengthen the links between both campuses by an increasing focus on sharing staff (and facilities) and combining for whole school events. This has been particularly successful and well received by the Donnybrook school community.
A key objective of our school is to take advantage of the very fact that the school isn’t a traditional Primary or Secondary school, rather a combined K-10 school. Through careful planning and innovative thinking, we are able to capitalise on some points of difference and begin to offer our students a truly unique educational journey. Understanding of, and developing relationships with, students and parents is our core business. Our cohort numbers allow us to ensure individualised pathways and learning for each and every student. We have a deep understanding of where students are at and where they need to go. We have recently been recognised by as one of the top 5 Kindergarten facilities in the state in our National Quality Standards Review and our Early Years (K-3) and shows that we are establishing early literacy and numeracy concepts which set students up for a successful educational journey.
The Year 6 Option program takes place on the Senior Campus and ensures a year-long transition from Primary to Secondary. This diversity of curriculum, and access to subject specialists and facilities for our Junior Students, is innovative and ensures a seamless transition from Primary to High School.
Our Secondary Campus offers a diverse curriculum where we employ creative ways of teaching our core curriculum to transform the learning experience of our students. This helps to prepare them for the opportunities and careers of the 21st Century It helps our students collaborate, challenge, discover, fail, grow, think and reflect. An intensive Literacy and Numeracy Support class is also available according to identified need; for Year 8s and 9s in 2021. Core classes are also adapted to differentiate for extra support in other year groups.
We provide the unique opportunity for all Year 9 and 10 students to choose subjects that will lead to a future they wish to pursue in Year 11/12 or after formal schooling has been completed. Students can complete a Certificate I in Business, a course in Catering (including a Barista Certificate), a STEM Engineering course or a Youth Emergency Services Cadet program. This ensures a clear pathway for students to Upper School Vocational courses. A specialised extension course is also offered for students who may wish to pursue an ATAR pathway. Senior Campus staff have established networks with large Senior High Schools in Bunbury to provide additional support around preparation for the Upper School curriculum. From 2021, all 9s and 10s will also participate in a portfolio based program of Career Education to support them to make choices about future pathways.
In addition, we recently received funding for a Science Lab on the Primary school site which ensures our primary students access the Science Curriculum more readily.