Barker is a fully coed Anglican day and boarding school, 25 km north of Sydney. 

Curriculum

No two days at Barker are ever the same. Students are constantly challenging themselves – and being challenged – as they grow, expand their minds and learn to think big, practically and independently.

From Pre-Kindergarten through to the Senior years, students are exposed to a range of diverse opportunities and experiences. Through this, they’re able to develop resilience and adaptability within a supportive environment. By celebrating the differences in every student, Barker is a place where every student belongs, is valued and loves to be.

Facilities

Set on 50 acres, Barker offers outstanding facilities including Drama and lecture theatres; Music and Design Centres; dedicated Science building; Aquatic Centre, and several playing fields, including a purpose designed Sports and Learning Precinct featuring five court spaces, gym and exercise spaces, rooms for dance and general purpose teaching areas. Currently under construction is a new Maths and Senior Students Hub scheduled to open early 2023.

Co-Curricular Activities

The experience inside the classroom is only one part of a Barker education. Co-curricular activities deepen the school experience for all our students, and from the arts to the sporting field, students are encouraged to challenge themselves and uncover their talents.

For Pre-K to Year 6 students we offer a broad range of sporting, cultural and recreational co-curricular activities. Throughout Years 7 to 12, our students have even greater opportunities to pursue their passions. As well as Drama, Music, Cadets and over 20 different sports, Barker students can challenge themselves in the areas of robotics, debating and public speaking.

Our Secondary School students also take part in compulsory Outdoor Education Camps. In this unfamiliar environment, students connect with the natural world while building leadership and teamwork skills.

Boarding Information

Coeducational boarding is a unique experience offered to our senior students, starting in Year 10. By learning, growing and living together, students form bonds that will often last a lifetime.

Families can consider keeping their children closer to home until the end of Year 9 and then elect to enter boarding from the start of Year 10. Barker offers a number of programs that aim to support the boarders to find their role as citizens of the world. The programs have a focus on the development of life skills, personal resilience, mental fitness and encouraging students to develop their individual strengths.

Wellbeing

There is an established and active pastoral care House structure for all students from Pre-K to Year 12. Students attend chapel once a week and Connect Groups twice a week. Good cross-school mentoring and supportive relationships are important for the wellbeing and sense of belonging of young people at Barker.

A Range of Opportunities

The experience inside the classroom is only one part of a Barker education. Co-curricular activities deepen the school experience for all our students, and from the arts to the sporting field, students are encouraged to challenge themselves and uncover their talents.

For Pre-K to Year 6 students we offer a broad range of sporting, cultural and recreational co-curricular activities. Throughout years 7 to 12, our students have even greater opportunities to pursue their passions. As well as Drama, Music, Cadets and over 20 different sports, Barker students can challenge themselves in the areas of robotics, debating and public speaking.

Our Secondary School students also take part in compulsory Outdoor Education Camps. In this unfamiliar environment, students connect with the natural world while building leadership and teamwork skills.

Boarding at Barker

Barker Boarding dates back to Day one, where The Reverend Henry Plume established a small, Christian living environment, to help students achieve their best.

Today, boarding at Barker College is a unique experience for Senior students only and with a maximum student population of 60, it is a tight-knit community.

The Barker experience attracts boarders from the suburbs of Sydney through to country regions of NSW and beyond. The coeducational environment and small boarder numbers allow for the development of close peer relationships, whilst also providing accessible academic and personal mentoring opportunities.

Families can consider keeping their children closer to home until the end of Year 9 and then elect to enter boarding from the start of Year 10. During the Senior years, the boarding environment has proven to be of benefit to many students as they focus on their academic program whilst maintaining a busy but balanced life. The necessity to develop independent-living skills and resilience is supported by strong Pastoral Care networks and programs.

A Barker education is shaped by our focus on preparing for a life beyond the school gates. We seek to expose
our students to diverse opportunities and experiences, so that they are able to develop resilience and adaptability
within a supportive environment.

There are two distinct differences at Barker College. One is that it’s a school that deliberately and intentionally allows
people to thrive in a holistic sense – emotionally, physiologically, physically, academically. 

The second thing is that we have a firm coeducational identity and a firm expression of that. It’s a view that
everybody can find a place and thrive irrespective of interests, skillset or capacity and be committed to doing
that in a way that brings young men and young women together for the proper expression of human interaction and identity.

We have a beautiful heritage at Barker, yet we are preparing students for a future that will be far less defined by gender roles than in the past.

The Christian heritage of Barker is the inspiration for our values and purpose. We draw on the rich narrative of the life
of Jesus yet welcome all traditions into our diverse community.

This is an exciting time to be considering a Barker education for your child. The School’s culture is inclusive, innovative and full of hope for the future. We are very excited about the years that lie ahead and extend a warm invitation to you to come and visit us so that we may show you what Barker has to offer your child.

Phillip Heath AM
BA (Hons), MA (Hons), DipEd, FACE, FACEL

Tour our School

We invite you to join us on a tour of the School. Regular tours of Barker are run throughout each School term.  Barker does not have an Open Day, as we prefer to show you around the School on a normal working day. To book a tour call (02) 8438 7207 or visit https://www.barker.college/enrolments/book-a-tour

Barker College is located at the junction of the North Shore and Central Coast railway lines, and just at the start of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway.  The School operates several private bus services from the Northern Beaches, Terrey Hills, St Ives, Lower North Shore, Arcadia, Northbridge, Balgowlah and Narrabeen.

Barker offers a number of Scholarships including Academic, Co-curricular, Boarding and Music Scholarships to students entering Year 7 and boarding in Year 10.  In addition to the Scholarship Examination, the School uses school reports, NAPLAN results, questionnaires and other criteria in its decision regarding the awarding of scholarships.  Apply for Scholarships online at www.barker.college

View our latest HSC Results for 2022 https://issuu.com/barkercollege/docs/hsc_2022_results

Barker College Maths & Senior Studies Hub

The construction of Barker’s new Maths Hub and Senior Studies Centre is a harmonious addition to the campus, with the form and natural materials creating connections between the new and old architecture. The building’s scale and contemporary form respect the adjacent Rosewood Centre and the broader campus’ masterplan.

Due to open in May 2023, this project is a complex build as the building actually has three sections. Some clever engineering by Buildcorp has ensured that the ground slab has been designed as a suspended slab with a void between the underside of the slab and the soil. This was required as the building ground slab is over uncontrolled fill, meaning without such a solution, the soils can shrink and swell, exerting upward pressure on the concrete ground slab causing it to crack. The cavity or void, creates a free zone that allows the ground soil to swell without any heave or upward pressure on the concrete slab.

The Student Hub and Dining Commons will encourage social interactions on the ground floor by creating active edges where the students can enjoy meals and socialise on the boardwalk shaded by trees and overlooking the playing fields. The teaching and learning on the two upper levels are designed to adapt to a mixture of styles, with 22 traditional classrooms interspersed with breakout spaces for student-led small group activities.

Several interesting design features by the architects, Architectus, are being incorporated into the building. The timber structure has environmental and sustainability benefits because of its low embodied energy and the fact that it has sequestered a significant amount of carbon during its lifetime of growth. The mass timber structure, exposed from within the building, establishes a subtle connection with nature. Biophilic qualities facilitate increased productivity and improved focus and concentration for both the students and teachers.

In celebration of Barker’s collaboration with Yolngu artists in north-eastern Arnhem Land, the design also integrates a traditional crosshatch style into the soffit of the Breezeway, which will be visible from the main entrance.

The building also reflects the sustainability goals outlined in Barker’s Sustainability Charter through collaborative design and engineering. The mixed-mode ventilation will provide good air quality and improve energy efficiency with a series of louvres in the building that will support a hybrid approach to space conditioning using natural ventilation and mechanical systems. The façade’s high-performance glazing and thermally efficient insulating spandrel panels are designed to optimise daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day and heating during the winter. Inside, operable blinds will provide solar protection and glare control.

Schools like Barker benefit from the support of previous generations. Many of the buildings that our students and staff enjoy today have been provided by past generations of effort and ingenuity. This generation will leave a legacy for our Senior students for learning and wellness, making the full Barker experience so much richer.