'We don't let students just coast':Inside Reddam House's unique approach to teaching

Midway through year 9 Murphy Pietranski quit her historic girls'school,with its sweeping harbour views and stellar facilities. She didn't want to wear a regulation hair ribbon,or have rules governing her earrings."It just wasn't the right vibe for me,"she says.

Pietranski moved to Reddam House,a not-quite 20-year-old school squeezed into no-frills urban buildings in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Reddam House at Woollahra,where the school's kindergarten to year 9 students have their classes.

Reddam House at Woollahra,where the school's kindergarten to year 9 students have their classes.Christopher Pearce

There,she could choose her jewellery and wear her shirt untucked. But she was also expected to maintain a grade-point average of at least 60 per cent,measured by a weekly test,and have her place reviewed if she slacked off.

Yet she was happier."At a lot of those private schools,it's about how you look,''says Pietranski,18,who left last year with an ATAR of 99.75."Here,we have more freedom."

In the world of eastern suburbs private schools,where reputations are built in sandstone over more than a century,Reddam House has been an enigma.

It made a splash;within a few years of opening in 2001,Reddam hit the Higher School Certificate top 20 schools,and has since become the only school regularly in the top 10 that does not require an entrance test. Last year,it also became Sydney's first major school to eschew $5 million in annual government funding and become a fully for-profit enterprise.

Reddam opened in 2001 and hit the Higher School Certificate top 20 schools a few years later.

Reddam opened in 2001 and hit the Higher School Certificate top 20 schools a few years later.Christopher Pearce

Yet the school keeps to itself."They're a bit of an unknown,"said one principal,on the condition of anonymity."They don't participate in any of our associations. I've never met the principals."

Among Sydney parents,however,early caution about Reddam has given way to enthusiasm. Last year,there were 170 applicants for 25 year 7 places."[The students] love school,"says co-principal Dave Pitcairn,in his first extensive interview."It's been a word-of-mouth thing."

Reddam was founded by Graeme Crawford,who built his reputation in South Africa in the early 1990s after rankling the educational establishment but delighting some parents with his intensive approach to teaching."He made[students] work hard,he knew how to motivate them academically,"says Pitcairn,who went to university with Crawford."He'd get them into after-school tutorials. He'd push them."

Crawford founded many schools,including Reddams in Britain and South Africa. If they have a common creed,it's that all students must be motivated. Bad attitudes are not tolerated."We have high expectations. Teachers don't teach to average,and we don't let students just coast through,"Pitcairn says."[That] translates into a good attitude in the classroom,it translates into preparing to the best of your ability,rather than not caring."

Principal Dave Pitcairn with students at Reddam House in Bondi.

Principal Dave Pitcairn with students at Reddam House in Bondi.Janie Barrett

Reddam knows exactly how students are faring because of its weekly,50-minute"cycle tests",sat by students from year 3. The tests,in a different subject each week,are designed to ensure the students achieve 60 per cent if they do the required work,but can score higher with extra effort.

For teachers,the test ensures students understand the material,have done their work,and are trying. For students,it creates familiarity with exam conditions,so the HSC does not seem so daunting,says Pitcairn.

But if a student does not achieve 60 per cent,"this is time to act,"he says."Phone the parents,chat to the student,put remediation in place ... identifying if the student is able but didn't prepare thoroughly,isn't able,or didn't try."

A failure to try is the greatest concern,says Pitcairn. The school has a"positive culture ... that can be broken down reasonably easily by the sort of students who don't care,don't come prepared,don't try,go into class and are disruptive and spoil the atmosphere.

Students Miles Bornman and Marcus McDonald in a science class at Reddam House in Bondi.

Students Miles Bornman and Marcus McDonald in a science class at Reddam House in Bondi.Janie Barrett

"And those students are the ones I will counsel very,very seriously about,'is this the right place for you? Change your attitude to what we believe is our culture,we are here to help you do that. If you are not prepared to do that,then it's not going to be the right place for you'."

To many educators,cycle testing"would be anathema",says one expert,on the condition of anonymity."The general view of educators would be that it would be excessive or artificial."However,depending on how it was conducted,it could be a"time and cost efficient way to keep reliable data".

One principal worried that the school's response to sub-par results would leave students feeling dispensable."Kids are not perfect. You can't just give up on them. There are messages that are important,and being dispensable is not one of them."

Pitcairn disagrees."[Students] know that they are not slipping under the radar,"he says."And I think that works. Sometimes it feels oppressive,but at the end of the day it's actually a caring[attitude] ... they appreciate it eventually."

Mia Achhorner and Tahlia Glasser in the drama space at Reddam House in Bondi.

Mia Achhorner and Tahlia Glasser in the drama space at Reddam House in Bondi.Janie Barrett

At the end of the year,those who achieve an 80 per cent average get"half colours"- a form of piping around their blazers - and if they get 85 per cent,it's full colours. Those who achieve 93 per cent,or excel in sports competition,wear an honours blazer of a different colour.

Since it was introduced,those numbers have sharply increased."Students strive for it,"he said."They like the recognition."

Reddam is divided into two campuses;K-9 classes are at Woollahra,and the year 10-12 students study at North Bondi. Neither has the kind of sprawling grounds enjoyed by other private schools in the area,limiting its capacity to expand.

The school uses venues at Centennial Park and the University of NSW for sport,and the North Bondi campus rents space from Galilee Catholic Primary School. Over the Christmas holidays,the school also purchased a building adjacent to the senior campus.

Year 12 students Harrison Segerstrom,Mimi Silberstein,Emanuel Shariev and Mia Achhorner.

Year 12 students Harrison Segerstrom,Mimi Silberstein,Emanuel Shariev and Mia Achhorner.Janie Barrett

In kindergarten,admissions are decided based on a first-in,first-served basis,and those students move through to the high school. But for intakes in older years,the school takes into account elements such as the child's past academic performance,and their motivation for learning.

Critics say Reddam practices a form of selection through its cycle testing and admissions process,even though it has no entry test."There's no magic in schools,"says one.

But Pitcairn says students are chosen for their aptitude,rather than their results alone."I look at the all-round child,"he says."More than academic achievement,I'm looking at academic attitude and aptitude. Enthusiasm,their attitude to learning."

Reddam's fees range from $21,835 for kindergarten to $34,995 for year 12,similar to fees for St Catherine's at Waverley ($35,873) and Knox Grammar ($34,770).

The school decided last year toeschew an annual $5 million in government funding and become the first major Sydney school to be a profitable entity.

It did so to be part of the Inspired group,a global association of 63 schools - all of them for-profit,and many founded by Crawford. The school had been constrained by its not-for-profit status from participating in many of the group's activities,so decided the $5 million annual sacrifice was worth it.

"We run the school efficiently,there's not a lot of grounds to manicure,"says Pitcairn."We felt we were a poor cousin to all these other schools getting together,and having exchanges."

Being part of that global network will give Reddam Sydney access to Inspired's international programs such as a partnership with Berklee College of Music in Boston,and a deal with Crimson,a company that helps students apply for international universities.

James Zheng,18,arrived from China when he was in year 9,and graduated Reddam last year with an ATAR of 99.95. Back in China,the pressure was external."Teachers would pressurise you into studying,"he says. At Reddam,"you have to put the pressure on yourself. It suits me better."

The Sydney Morning Herald's second annual Schools Summit is this Thursday,February 20. Information and ticketshere.

Jordan Baker is Chief Reporter of The Sydney Morning Herald. She was previously Education Editor.

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