Aberfoyle Park High School has a long and proud tradition of academic success and provides a range of subject and extra curricula offerings to engage all students within a culture which embraces and encourages excellence. We support all students to achieve their personal best in a safe, positive and caring environment and foster innovation and creativity in our student programs.
The school has particular strengths in three important areas. Information & Communication Technology provides cutting edge development and learning opportunities for students and staff alike. The Visual and Performing Arts program showcases quality students achievement and fosters community engagement and the IGNITE program for gifted and talented students strongly promotes excellence of achievement through innovative teaching and curriculum. (Please use the links above for more detail.)
Our school community's agreed values of Respect, Care & Compassion and Honesty are the foundation of our philosophy. As a school community, directly teach and model respectful relationships, promote care and compassion and foster honest behaviour. Our values permeate everything we do.
Aberfoyle Park High School is one of the largest secondary schools in South Australia and is located in the foothills of southern Adelaide within 30 minutes from Adelaide's city centre. In this spacious location, the buildings are surrounded by multiple sports fields in a beautiful, tree filled setting. The school is situated next to the Aberfoyle Hub Centre which provides easy public transport access as well as a range of retail, commercial, local government, religious and professional services. Aberfoyle Park High School is uniquely integrated with the Happy Valley Sports' Complex, the Hub Recreation Centre, and local Council library that provide our students with extensive additional sporting, gymnasium and information and research facilities.
Ignite
Aberfoyle Park High School is the official Department of Education and Children Services (DECS) school for gifted students in the southern metropolitan area of Adelaide. DECS provides extra resources for the innovative Ignite program designed to cater for the academic, social and emotional needs of gifted students.
Students are selected on the basis of performance in Mathematics, Creative Writing, English Comprehension and Abstract Reasoning as assessed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) followed by an interview.
The Ignite program has been specifically designed to meet the needs of gifted students. The program offers:
compacted curriculum, completing years 8 and 9 in one year
subject acceleration where required
enrichment and extension activities
Features of the Ignite Program:
Gifted students are able to work with intellectual and social peers
Aberfoyle Park HS teachers have been trained in gifted education and present papers at state, national and international conferences
Parent involvement, a strong feature of the program, is welcomed
An ethos and environment which fosters the success of gifted students
History of success
Ignite students can access varied Music and Visual and Performing Arts programs and extensive Sports and Athletics options. The school’s vibrant International program fosters student growth in socio-cultural awareness and fluency in three languages other than English. Ignite Field Studies take students to Canberra, Kangaroo Island and the Flinders Ranges to engage in curriculum-driven activities.
Aberfoyle Park HS, nationally recognised for excellence and innovation in ICT, offers a wide range of computing courses. The school is implementing a One2One Ignite Notebook Program so that each year 8 Ignite student has access to his/her own laptop during lessons.
The co-curricular program provides further opportunities for extension and enrichment with activities such as:
debating
national competitions in Mathematics, Science, Informatics, English
workshops specifically designed for gifted students
a number of clubs including the chess club
Tournament of Minds
Youth Opportunities – a personal leadership program
Student leadership and representation on a number of school committees
