Term 3, 2010
Tues 13 July 2010
to
Friday 17 September 2010
Useful Links
"Students practice democracy in action" on ABC
Come and See Morning Tea
Tour of classrooms, chat with parents and staff
Please be ready for a 10am start
Term 3, 2010 dates:
Tuesday 3 August 2010
Wed 18 August 2010
Thurs 9 September 2010
For more details and bookings please call 07 3378 5466
In August of 1967, six staff members of the University of Queensland, dissatisfied with the lack of alternatives within the State system of education and other non-government schools, called a meeting of like-minded people at the university. From this meeting the Brisbane Independent School Society was formed and a committee established to administer its affairs.
Part of the initial meeting notice set the tone for the governance and administration of the school, a criteria that still continues today:
Following the establishment of the Committee, a number of subcommittees were formed to report on legal aspects regarding the constitution of the Society, the location of suitable premises, education policy and fee structures.
Initially, difficulties were experienced in locating a suitable building for the school and it was not until August 1968 that premises were found and operations commenced at St Thomas Aquinas Church in St Lucia.A generous donation of 10 acres of land in the semi-rural suburb of Pullenvale provided the Society with the incentive to work towards the construction of its own school buildings.Within ten years the school grew from an initial twenty pupils to almost 100 drawn from the greater Brisbane area. This was due in part to the absence of other alternative schools and the radical climate of questioning and demand for change that characterised the seventies. By the end of the decade, there was a staff of four full-time teachers and three teacher aides, with a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:25 (small for those days).
With the establishment of the Montessori, Steiner and Pine Community Schools in recent decades, the student population has settled back into an optimum range with an average teacher-pupil ratio of 1:12. The structure of the school remains ungraded with each teacher having ongoing responsibility for a group.
As the educational climate has changed so too has BIS, aiming to remain a true reflection of the needs of the community. The democratic progressive philosophy outlined by the original committee remains at the heart of what we do at BIS however the school has adapted to ensure compliance with all curriculum and legislative requirements. Passionately committed to making learning a supportive and dynamic experience BIS still remains one of the few alternative schools in Brisbane.