Educational Facilities within the Inverell District
The Inverell District offers a full range of educational facilities including:
- Family Day Care Service plus in-home care service
- 2 Pre Schools, mobile pre-school services
- 2 Primary Schools
- Private Catholic School (K to Yr 10)
- 2 High Schools
- TAFE
- Adult & Community Education
- University Access Centre
- Vacation care during school
- 3 Long Day Care Centres
Family Day Care
Family Day Care provides quality care for children up to 12 years of age in the homes of Family Day Carers. A Family Day Care service provides care through a network of approved Family Day Carers, who are organised and supported by a professional co-ordination team. In Family Day Care, the hours of care are flexible and can be matched to your family's needs. Types of care provided include:
- full-time carepart-time care
- casual care
- weekends
- overnight if needed
- before/after school
- vacation care
- care for children of shift workers
In Home Care
In Home Care provides care in the comfort and security of the child's own home. Care can be provided to:
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families with sick children or those who are recuperating from illness;
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parents who work outside normal business hours, shift workers, business owners and farme
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child care for families who live in a rural/remote area where distance/isolation prevents access to other forms of childcare.
Preschool
Preschool education is an important start to a child's schooling and Inverell offers several preschools for parents to choose from. Those such as Kindamindi Preschool and Jack and Jill Preschool offer services for children aged two to five years and provide a warm, caring, happy and educational atmosphere for children to develop in. There is time for free play indoors and outdoors, with plenty of equipment, and times in groups experiencing music, languages, creativity and craft, with quiet times for rest and also motor skill development and making friends. Preschools help your child to gain benefits such as learning to co-operate and make friends, to make choices, develop skills, expand their learning and exploring how to be creative and have fun.
Primary and High School
The Inverell Shire has two main government primary education facilities in the district, as well as several smaller schools in the surrounding towns and villages.Inverell Public School and Ross Hill Public School provide excellent education for the children of Inverell with strong traditions and standards of schooling, along with the best available resources and equipment. Both situated on spacious and attractive grounds, with committed teaching staff and adminsitration, both of Inverell's main primary schools provide a second to none public education.
There are three main high schools in Inverell. Holy Trinity School is a co-educational Catholic School catering for students from Kindergarten to Year 10. Holy Trinity School is an educational institution based on Christian values. Holy Trinity sets very high standards and continually achieves results above the state average in the School Certificate and Basic Skills Tests. Excellent results are also achieved each year in national Maths, Science, and English competitions. A broad curriculum is offered across the school so that students are able to reach their full potential.
Inverell High School and Macintyre High School offer a broad based curriculum to cater for the needs of all students. Both High Schools encourage each child to excel in their chosen field whether it be academic, cultural or sporting. Both schools have produced year 12 students who have been awarded the Minister's Award for Excellence and each have had students achieve excellence in the Higher School Certificate and have been numbered among the top 3% in the state of NSW. Both High Schools have incorporated support systems to cater for children with mild to servere disabilities, integrateing these students into mainstream education.
In the smaller villages within the Inverell Shire, individual and caring attention is given to the students at Ashford Central School, which offers schooling from K to 12, Bundarra Central School, Delungra Public School, Gilgai Public School and Gum Flat Public School.
Inverell University of the Third Age
Inverell University of the Third Age is an educational facility for senior citizens.
This year we have offered U3A members the possibility of enrolling in 23 activities, including French, German, Philosophy, Cryptic Crosswords, Art, Bush Ramble, Bird Watching, Pilates, Line Dancing, Ukulele and other opportunities for socialising such as Morning Coffee, Armchair Travel and Craft.
We endeavour to offer free courses to cover a wide range of activities to enhance health and lifelong learning for Inverell residents who are in their "third age", ie, they have gone through the first age of childhood and schooling, then the second age of employment and rearing a family, and now they are in their third age and, hopefully, are looking for positive activities at minimum expense to occupy their retirement and improve their health, social interaction and brain activity.
The Inverell University of the Third Age (U3A) is completely run by volunteers, all course leaders offer their services totally unpaid, and members may enrol in as many courses as they choose with no course enrolment fee. Some courses attract a small fee ($2) to cover the expense of hiring a venue, and any course requirements are at the expense of the member. The annual membership fee for the Inverell U3A is only $20 per person.
Adult and Other Education
Educational facilities in Inverell do not end with primary and high schools. Inverell TAFE Campus offers a wide range of educational courses for adults and young people, including the HSC. TAFE Inverell offers courses reflecting both local and state wide needs in building and construction, information technology, business services, general education, gem faceting (unique in NSW), arts and media, welding, personal & community services and rural and mining courses. For more information you can contact TAFE Inverell campus on the link above or search our educational listings for contact details.
Also available is Community College-Northern Inland with a campus in Inverell which is 1 of 7 campus’ in the region. The College believes learning can take place at any stage of someone's life or career. Learning can be for social, personal or vocational reasons and can involve people with widely different educational backgrounds. Recognising the essential role of learning throughout life, the Community College at Inverell offers a wide range of courses for adults. Vocational courses range from Aged Care, Children’s Services, IT, Hospitality, Civil Construction and WHS. Some of their leisure courses might include Beginner Photography, Reflexology, Family History on the Internet, and Investing on the stockmarket to mention just a few. To enrol or enquire about further courses, use the link www.communitycollegeni.nsw.edu.au or search the educational listings for Community College-Northern Inland for contact details and further information.
The University of New England is located in Armidale which is only one and a half hours drive from Inverell and provides a complete tertiary education facility within easy access to Inverell.
The New South Wales Department of Education and Training site provides informative information on public schools, their facilities and activities. With sub headings such as Finding a Public School, Learning At School and Supporting Students, parents can find all they need to know in regards to public schooling for their child. The site also has a calender, and list of events, with featured articles such as Arts and Sports in Public Schools and the A-Z of going to school from uniforms to immunisation.
Other sites include:
Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Professional Teachers Council of NSW
NSW Board of Studies
HSC Online
Helpful Websites for School Projects
Government
Australian Federal Government - This site offers easy to access information on the Australian Federal Government. It also has links to over 500 others sites.
NSW State Government - Find information on the Premier of NSW, the Governor, Parliament, legislation and a government directory. There are links to indigenous information, seniors, women and youth. Cateogories include Business, Culture & Recreation, Education, Emergency Services, Environment, Health, Law and Transport.
NSW Parliament - For Schools- Plenty of information on services, resources, how to visit Parliament House on a school excursion, and leaders and emblems of Parliament House.
Local Government and Shires Association - Education Kit- Waste Away, Children Voices which is a compilation of stories, statements, poems and art by children on reconciliation, Volunteering, What Councils Do and Where to find your Local Council can all be found on this site.
NSW Attorney General's Department - School Projects- This site may be especially useful for students studying legal studies. It contains information on the legal system, crime and the law, environment law, family law and workplace law. You can find out your rights, also find information on births, deaths and marriages, going to court, crime and the Attorney General.
NSW Department of Health - School Projects- Look for common health problems searching alphabetically, find local services, research statistics, and look into young people's health, aged health and many other medical issues.
State Electoral Office - School Information- The State Electoral Office is helpful in providing information on the electoral process, showing a simulated election, election results and plenty of quick facts on elections.
Australian Bureau of Statistics - The ABS is an essential source for all sorts of statistics, about all sorts of topics, from population to science and technology.
Science
NSW Department of Mineral Resources - Educational Resources- This site covers the environment, safety, commodities, surveys, maps, and mining, and plenty on how Mineral Resources develop scientific info for environmental management.
NSW Bureau of Meterology - Help for Students and teachers- If you're looking for information on the weather, climates, or weather forecasting check on this site. You can order brochures, find your nearest Bureau of Meterology office, and tackle projects such as making a pet cloud, and making home made dew.
State Forests of NSW - Kids & Schools- State forests are responsible for looking after the millions of hectares of forest in Australia. You can join the Wild Forest Adventure to find out lots of interesting information on the plants and animals in Australia's State Forests.
CSIRO - Enquiries: Education- Double Helix Club- The Biggest scientific organisation in the world has a great site for looking into all things scientific.
Bright Sparcs Register of Australian Scientists - Over 4000 scientists are listed here for their contributions to Australians sciene and technology. You can find out who they were, what role they played, where they worked, who they worked with, what they worked on and what they achieved.
Questacon - Questacon for kids is full of great stuff like games, a virtual tour, science shows and the Q Club. They also have a section for teenagers with Photonics, study resources, smart moves and science in depth.
ABC: The Lab - check out the Science Forums, Health, The Planets, In Space and get all the BIG QUESTIONS answered at the LAB.
Extreme Science - Discover time, space, weather, the earth, creatures, maps, technology and plenty of free stuff and cool links at Extreme Science.
Environment, Wildlife and Conservation
Australian Wildlife - School Projects- Ask Dr Ann any Wildlife question you have in mind, or just browse the information on Australian wildlife and conservation. You can even make an email pal or look at the Wildlife Gallery.
Australia Conservation Foundation - Earthkids- If you need any info on anything anti-nuclear, on biodiversity, climate changes, forests, genetic engineering, Land management, marine life, river life or salinity- look here at the Australian Conservation Foundation.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service - What animals live near your house? You can find out right here. Along with anything you need to know about nature, wildlife, our heritage and history, with animal fact sheets and info on bushfires.
Yarra Valley Water- Water School - Water School is a great place to learn about saving water, where water comes from, where it goes, Water pollution, the water cycle, water quality, sewerage and water ecology.
Aboriginal Culture
Aboriginal Australia - Educational Resources- Tons of information of the Aboriginal culture.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) - ATSIC gave provide information on Aboriginal programs, Issues, Fact & Myth and The Aboriginal People.
Libraries
National Library of Australia - a reference guide bigger than any other, with contacts for libraries around the country.
NSW State Library - student's page- Educations kits, programs and services, HSC Resources and Sydney Morning Herald quick searches can all be found at the site for the NSW State Library.
Reference Section
Encarta Online - Search categories which include Science and Technology, Life Science, Geography, History, Social Science, Religion, Philosophy, Art, Language, Literature, Performing Arts, Sports, Hobbies and Pets.
Encyclopedia Britanica - This is a great basic search, by word and is accompanied by related internet sites for each topic.
WorldAtlas.Com - Heaps of information can be found at World Atlas. More than just maps, you can get info on the continents, flags, currency exchange rates, times around the world, find any island, country or territory, latitudes and longitudes and map clip art for free.
Miscellaneous
Picture Australia - Australia in pictures. Put in your search word and find pictures, both new and old of Australia, its people and its culture.
A Guide to Australia - For all Australian culture, geography, Science, Education, Tourism, Towns, Cities, Trade and Commerce.
United Nations- Cyber School Bus - Jump on the Cyber School Bus for information on all UN Countries, an introduction to the United Nations, Quizzes, Games, discussions, events and a gallery of art by kids from all over the world.
National Geographic - Adventure, animals, nature, maps, news and photos all on the one site at National Geographic.
Pascal Press - Home Study Site with information on all topics for Kindegarten to Year 12.
Please search our Community Listings for more information.
