30 May 2022
The Secondary College of Languages is the largest provider of face-to-face languages education in NSW.
Classes are held during the school term at 14 high school centres across NSW, a number of which are in close proximity to Homebush.
Students from public and non-government schools are eligible to enrol at The Secondary College of Languages in their background language.
All courses follow NESA syllabuses. All senior courses are Board developed or endorsed and contribute to an HSC.
Courses offered include: Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bosnian, Chinese, Croatian, Filipino, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Macedonian, Maltese, Modern Greek, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Vietnamese.
Each year a large number of students from all year groups at Homebush Boys High School study their background language at one of the many campuses of the Secondary College of Languages. Many students in Year 11 and Year 12 include their SCL language course as part of their Preliminary and HSC course requirements.
Anargyros Kallos, Year 12 student and School Captain, has studied Modern Greek at the Secondary College of Languages the whole way through high school and has obtained excellent results each year. This year he will complete his HSC in both 2 Unit Continuers Modern Greek and Extension Modern Greek. He will soon complete the first of his HSC examinations in Modern Greek, being the Oral Examination. Anargyros has thoroughly enjoyed his time studying at the Secondary College of Languages and highly recommends the college to other students, who like himself, are keen to develop their background language.
Studying at The Secondary College of Languages - A Wonderful Experience
The Secondary College of Languages offers students from language backgrounds other than English a variety of opportunities which are different to those offered at Homebush Boys High. It provides opportunities for students to broaden their academic experiences, and develop social skills that are particular their cultural background.
As the son of migrants, learning a second language has consolidated my own sense of identity. This is an important experience I have also observed among my peers who, like myself, study their background language at SCL.
Australia takes pride in its multiculturalism as does Homebush Boys High, but it is not possible to offer here the vast range of community languages important to our students and their families as our school is privileged to have enormous cultural diversity. This is why The Secondary College of Languages is such an important resource available to all students at Homebush Boys High, as it offers a wide range of community languages for study.
Learning another language is important for all students but this importance increases enormously when the language studied is that of the student’s cultural background as it exposes students to their cultural background and history, and expands the student’s general knowledge of their culture heritage. This is the opportunity provided by SCL.
As with any school experience, one of the most enjoyable experiences of attending SCL is that it allows the building of friendships and provides opportunities for students to engage socially outside of the day school environment. It therefore allows students to broaden their social networks.
Language learning is an excellent way to engage students with different cultures and provide a learning experience with other numerous benefits which are not provided by day-schools. Attending SCL every Saturday morning from 8.30 am and studying my background language, which will now count towards my HSC, has truly been an exceptional experience that I believe all students with a background language other than English should consider experiencing.
Completing both 2 Unit Continuers and Extension Modern Greek at The Secondary College of Languages has been a wonderful experience. The College has prepared me exceptionally well for my upcoming HSC examinations in these two subjects. The Secondary College of Languages has given me the opportunity to not only develop my background language skills, but also enabled me to use my existing skills and knowledge in this language to contribute towards my HSC. I highly recommend studying at the Secondary College of Languages. It provides students with background languages other than English with an alternative study option.
By Anargyros Kallos Yr 12
Any students wishing to enrol to study a language at the Secondary College of Languages in 2023 should see Ms Symonds in the HSIE staffroom or email her at louise.symonds@det.nsw.edu.au for more information regarding applications.