Welcome to Katanning Senior High School – a proud Independent Public School in the heart of the Great Southern. It is my privilege to welcome you to our school community.
Katanning Senior High School is a Year 7 to 12 comprehensive senior high school with a population in Semester 2 2024 of 321 students, including 74 Aboriginal students. Support for Aboriginal students from Clontarf, Deadly Sista Girlz and Follow the Dream programs assist in closing the gap. An industry standard Trades Skills Centre, dedicated STEM facility, well maintained grounds and an inviting and visually appealing library, all contribute to making Katanning Senior High School a modern, vibrant and welcoming place to be.
In partnership with parents and members of the wider community, our school provides a seamless secondary school education and delivers a curriculum embedded in excellent teaching and learning. We take pride in delivering an excellent education in a caring, nurturing environment. We have a strong focus on numeracy and literacy, and our teachers are committed to helping all students to reach their full potential. We value children and their individuality. Our core values underpin all that we do. The school strives for children to be the best that they can be.
The school mission is to educate every student through the involvement of parents, staff and the community in a caring environment where academic excellence leads to responsible, productive citizens. The school stood solid in 2024 as a strong learning community, creating many opportunities for personal excellence. Teachers worked hard throughout the year to ensure that their instructional practices remained tight and continued to encourage students to share their academic success by learning to collaborate and problem solve. Planning for a Positive Behaviour Support Strategy is well underway and sees a different approach to teachers dealing with inappropriate behaviour where interventions are developed that focus on strengthening and expanding appropriate behaviours with a strong focus on teaching students how to behave appropriately and rewarding them when they do so. This is a program that supports a safe teaching and learning environment where students belong and strive to excel. Students’ academic and social needs are met within a Public School that values Achievement, Respect, Tolerance, and Perseverance. Students’ well-being is supported by two dedicated Program Coordinators, a school psychologist and chaplain in Student Services.
This initiative, coupled with a more prescriptive approach to organising student pathways will better enable student success. This approach will provide a more tailored and effective learning experience, foster a positive learning environment, optimize teaching resources, and reduce frustration or boredom. It is a strategy that aims to meet the diverse needs of students and facilitate their academic growth and success. 2024 has been an exciting year of planning for improvement and will see opportunities for every student to be successfully engaged in school and achieve a WACE certificate in Year 12.
Community partnerships have continued to thrive in 2024 with strong School Board and Parent and Citizen group advocacy, particularly in the area of fund raising and School Ball organisation. The relentless pursuit of excellence in all facets of school governance creates the pre- conditions for the provision of quality educational opportunities for the young people of Katanning continues to be the reason behind why Katanning Senior High School is able to deliver on its promise of being a strong community that creates opportunities for personal growth for all students.
Our motto, ‘Strive to Excel,’ applies to all students. Our highly professional and experienced teachers are committed to ensuring that all students strive to excel. Students can attend after-school homework classes across various subjects, including the Follow the Dream Program.
The school offers extensive extracurricular programs to enrich students’ experiences at KSHS, including Country Week, Bush Rangers, camps, excursions, and academic challenges.
Small class sizes at KSHS mean we have a lower-than-average student-to-staff ratio, ensuring plenty of individual attention and assistance for students when required, including a small and growing Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) cohort. Senior School students can access additional Australian Tertiary Entrance courses through the School of Isolated and Distance Education and UniReady Program delivered in partnership with Curtin University.
For students in the vocational pathways, Katanning Senior High School provides high-quality facilities, including a state-of-the-art Automotive Skills Training Centre. Our comprehensive Workplace Learning program enables students to access numerous work sites that partner with the school. This Vocational program is enhanced by the opportunity to complete Certificate qualifications within the Senior School timetable.
After leaving school, our students can successfully enter post-school pathways that include tertiary education, apprenticeships, traineeships, and employment.
I invite you to get to know our school further by exploring our website and don’t hesitate to contact us at katanning.shs@education.wa.edu.au if you have any queries.
Principal
Ian Masarei