The Importance of Community

From the Head of College, Scott Bedingfield

Welcome back to Term 2. It was wonderful to see our students return yesterday, refreshed and ready for a term full of learning and adventure. Last Friday, we were proud to have Oxley students and staff take part in the ANZAC Day March and Service in Bowral, marking 110 years since Gallipoli. It was a moment of deep reflection and thanksgiving for the men and women who have served this country — many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. Thank you for supporting this important community occasion. At school, we also held a moving student-led assembly on Tuesday to commemorate the day with thoughtfulness and respect.

Community has always been central to who we are at Oxley College. It shaped our foundation and remains the heart of our new 2025–2027 Strategic Vision: A positive impact through sharing the values and experience of an Oxley education in communities near and far. We saw this in action during the break where students participated in two different Round Square trips – one on the other side of the country and another on the other side of the world. Students in Years 7 and 8 travelled to Perth and Bunbury to attend the “Footprints of Unity” Global Conference, where they engaged in cultural exploration, outdoor adventure and deep learning on Noongar Boodja country. At the same time, a group of senior students took part in Round Square Inspiring Voices: The Big Baraza at the University of Oxford. In remarkable venues including the Oxford Union and the Sheldonian Theatre, they participated in courageous global conversations, building leadership, listening, and oratory skills with students from all over the world.

Closer to home, the Oxley community continues to flourish. On the last day of Term 1, over 450 grandparents and grandfriends joined us for Grandparents’ Day — a wonderful celebration of connection across generations. This term, I warmly encourage you to join us for several exciting community events, including:

P-12 Mother’s Day Breakfast (8 May)
P&F Meeting (14 May)
Foundation Night (22 May)
Centre for Ethics Lectures with A C Grayling (12 May), Peter Greste (29 May) and Stan Grant (19 June)

Finally, I’m pleased to share that exciting progress has been made on our campus building projects over the break. We remain committed to ensuring the very best learning and working environment for our students and staff. Oxley’s Business Manager, Em Cassin will be sharing more about the new classrooms in her article.

I hope this shorter term brings continued growth for our students and many opportunities for our community to come together. We have much to celebrate.

‘Growing Our People’:

Professional Learning at Oxley – Term 2, 2025

From Deputy Head of College, Mark Case

At the start of this year, I wrote about the introduction of Professional Learning Plans for teaching staff, including the creation of strategically aligned goals and increasing collaboration between staff. The 2024 MMG Education Survey identified this as an area for development:

In our 2025-2027 Strategy, we have made a commitment to ‘Growing Our People’ – as part of this, we have made it a priority to “develop a culture of strategically aligned professional learning and growth”. One of the strategies that will help us to develop such a culture is peer observations – where teachers observe each other’s classroom practices and engage in reflective discussions.

John Hattie, the renowned educational researcher who is best known for his book “Visible Learning” in which he synthesized 800 meta-analyses covering over 80 million students, identified ‘collective teacher efficacy’ as one of the most powerful influencers on student achievement:

Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) refers to the shared belief of teachers in their collective ability to positively impact student learning and achievement: when teachers work together and believe in their combined capabilities, they can significantly enhance student outcomes; peer observation is a highly effective means of developing this. It promotes a culture of collaboration and support, provides opportunities for sharing best practice and encourages continuous professional reflection and development.

Throughout Term 2, teachers across the College will be visiting each other’s classrooms as we engage in these peer observations as part of our commitment to developing a collaborative culture of professional learning and growth.

Practical Strategies for Neurodivergent Students

Dr Andrew Frankland returned to Oxley on Monday 28 April to deliver a workshop on Strategies of Neurodivergent Students, following his very well received presentation to staff at the start of the year. Dr Frankland spoke about the means of achieving success for neurodivergent students, through regulation, connection and learning. He also ran a Q&A session, discussing practical strategies such as classroom layout, assisting students with regulation and promoting positive engagement, and other measures to equip staff with research-based techniques to create an inclusive learning environment.

Student Extended Leave Applications

As part of our drive to improve the efficiency of our administrative processes, applications for extended leave during term time will shortly move online, rather than via paper submission; the existing link will be updated to take parent/carers to an online form.

Building Project Update

From the Business Manager, Em Cassin

Exciting Milestone: New Classrooms on the Way!

We are delighted to share that the next exciting step in Oxley’s campus development will happen this week! Over the weekend of Saturday 3 May and into Monday 5 May, a total of six new modular classrooms will be craned into place.

These fresh, flexible spaces are an important part of our vision for a dynamic and contemporary learning environment at Oxley College. Designed to encourage collaboration, creativity, and connection, the new classrooms will provide outstanding spaces for our students and teachers now and into the future.

On Saturday, the first four classrooms will be installed, and on Monday, two more will arrive — right in the heart of a regular school day. It promises to be an exciting moment for students and staff to witness, as the crane lifts these impressive new buildings into place!

Thank You to Our Community

We would like to sincerely thank all our families, students and staff for their patience, flexibility and support during the construction phase so far. We know that temporary disruptions to parking, access and familiar routes around campus can require extra planning and patience, and we are deeply grateful for the way our community has embraced these changes with such good spirit.

A few weeks ago, we also updated our worksite hoardings with the rendered images of the new classrooms. We encourage you to take a look if you haven’t already as they offer a glimpse of the inspiring learning environments we are building together.

Traffic and Access Changes – Monday 5 May

To ensure the safe delivery of the final two pods on Monday, please note the following temporary arrangements for Monday only:

• Railway Road will remain open, with traffic staff on site to assist vehicles onto site.
• A temporary carpark and turning circle will be available on Governors Field.
• Our community will be guided on how to access the school via a pedestrian walkway from the carpark to the school entrance near the Pavilion.
• The Senior School drop-off zone will operate as normal and may also be used by Junior School families.
• Some areas — including the main driveway parking, the Junior School carpark, part of the Junior School playground, and the Peter Craig Centre — will be closed during crane operations.

You will be assisted by parking and walking wardens on how to enter the school so please enjoy the morning drop off and defer to them for directions.

Full details of the changed traffic conditions can be found through the link below.

We appreciate your understanding and care as we work together to keep our community safe during this busy and exciting time.

Thank you once again for your support. We can’t wait to see these new classrooms buzzing with learning, energy, and life!

We are also delighted to officially welcome some new members to our College Services team. Emma Reilly has joined us three days a week on Reception, and Justine Smith, who many of you will recognise from her previous casual work, is now with us in a permanent role — supporting Reception two days a week and dedicating two days to Alumni and Development . Rachel Martin joins us as the new Canteen Supervisor, and Chris Moerkerken joins our IT Department as ICT Manager. I hope you join me in welcoming these new staff members to the Oxley community.

Senior School Update

From the Head of Senior School, Tristan Bevan

The term has started well with our ANZAC assembly, and it was great to see the Pipe Band and so many students representing the College at the ANZAC Day March in Bowral.

In line with the ‘S’ for Service in the Round Square Ideals, I am happy to credit those who attended two hours of service hours towards their House Colours application.

Foundation Night & Reunions

We are very much looking forward to the first round of the ISA sporting competition this weekend and Foundation Night in Week 4. I am excited to inform that Zac Moran, College Captain and Oxley Award winner from 2015 will be back to speak as an alumnus who left 10 years ago. We also have College re-unions occurring on Saturday 24 May, so if you know anyone from 1985,1995, 2005, 2015 or 2020 make sure they contact the college to let us know they are coming. I look forward to seeing a number of Alumni return that I have taught over the years.

Academics Update

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and commenting on Year 12 Half Yearly Reports. There are some exceptional reports. All reports identify areas of strength and provide feedback for next steps for students. It is very important for this cohort to continue to work together to improve over the next two terms and into the study camp and study leave. A growth mindset throughout the rest of the course is essential as, irrespective of the outcome of Early Entry applications, the better each individual does in the external HSC examinations, the better our school moderated marks will be which benefits everyone. It should also be highlighted that Oxley is a small player in a much bigger pond, and while students may be busy competing against each other, they are really in a competition against approximately 70,000 students across the state.

Students often focus too much on their rank, when the distance from the top is a better indicator for success. Higher achieving students want to get as close to the top as they can and avoid the downward pull of the average. Average students (for the cohort) want everyone to do as well as possible so that average is as high as possible. For students in the lower half of the cohort, they want to be as close to average as possible and as far from the bottom as they can.

For example, in this set of data, assuming that the subjects moderate and scale equally: Julian ranking last in Subject B would be a better outcome than Chester ranking third in Subject A.

Year 11 will receive their Half Yearly Reports later this term and we have feedback in the form of Student/Parent/Teacher nights for Year 8 and 9 and Half Yearly Reports for Year 7-10.

Year 7-10 will have Half Yearly Examinations later this term and the focus for Learning to Learn and Study Skills will be in preparing for examinations. The final assessment for students finishing Year 12 in NSW is still a written HSC, so these examinations should not be a cause for stress and anxiety but an opportunity for practising skills and learning from mistakes.

The pace of life at Oxley is always fast, with plenty going on and it is wonderful to see so many students making the most of the opportunities available.

Differentiation in the Junior School Classroom

From Head of Junior School, Heidi Shvetsoff

At Oxley College, we believe every child is unique — with their own strengths, interests, learning styles, and pace of learning. As educators, it is both our privilege and our responsibility to ensure that every student, from our littlest Kindergarten learners to our capable Year 6 leaders, feels seen, supported, and stretched to grow. One of the key ways we do this is through differentiation. Differentiation is something I am frequently asked about by parents.

So, what exactly is differentiation?

In simple terms, differentiation means tailoring our teaching to meet the different learning needs of our students. Rather than expecting every child to learn the same thing, in the same way, and at the same time, our teachers thoughtfully plan lessons that offer multiple ways for children to engage with learning, make sense of ideas, and show what they know.

This doesn’t mean every child is doing something completely different. Instead, it means we provide flexibility and choice within a shared learning experience. For example, in a writing lesson, some students might be supported with sentence starters while others are challenged to use complex vocabulary or different writing structures. In Mathematics, some children might work with hands-on materials to explore a new concept, while others solve open-ended problems that require deeper reasoning.

How do we do this in the classroom?

Our teachers use a range of strategies to differentiate, including:

• Adjusting the level of difficulty of tasks based on where each child is at.
• Offering different ways to learn, such as using visual aids, storytelling, technology, or group work.
• Providing different ways to show learning, like drawing, speaking, building models, or writing.
• Flexible grouping, where students work with a variety of peers — sometimes in similar ability groups, sometimes mixed — depending on the learning goal.
• Personalised goals, especially in areas like reading, writing, and numeracy, so that students are always working on something meaningful for them.

Why is this important?

When we differentiate, we are saying to each child: “You matter. Your learning needs matter and we believe you can grow.”

For students who need more support, differentiation ensures they don’t feel left behind. It allows them to access learning in a way that makes sense to them and builds their confidence. For students who are ready to be extended, it means they are challenged appropriately and inspired to go further.

Ultimately, differentiation helps all children to experience success, growth, and joy in learning — no matter where they start.

We are proud of the way our teachers at Oxley work together to create inclusive, responsive classrooms where every child can thrive. We also value our partnership with you, as parents and carers, in supporting your child’s learning journey.

If you ever have questions about how your child is being supported or challenged at school, please reach out to your child’s teacher or our Director of Curriculum, Mrs Alison Rasheed. We are always here to listen and to work together.

Changed Traffic Conditions – Saturday 3 May & Monday 5 May

In line with the building works currently in progress around campus, the coming week will see some major progression with the installation of the new classrooms.  These new classrooms will arrive at Oxley by truck and will be craned into position.

The safety of the entire community is our priority during this time and we ask that you read the information below carefully to see how you may be impacted.

Saturday 3 May – Morning

• An external Traffic Management company will be managing car and pedestrian traffic on Railway Road on Saturday.  There will be one-way traffic going along Railway Road for the entire day.  Please expect there to be some delays during this time.

• All buses for Saturday Sport will depart from the Senior School Pick Up Zone. Parents may drop students at the Senior School Pick Up Zone via the second driveway, which will be operational until approximately 9.30am.

• The First Driveway will be open all day for car and pedestrian access to the College. The Coffee Cart will be in operation outside the PCC, however most of Founders Field will be an exclusion zone.

• Parents needing to access Bray Fields can still do so, however you may experience some traffic delays outside the College.

• Parents and Students are asked to follow the directions of Traffic Control as well as signage in place to ensure everyone’s safety.

Saturday 3 May – Afternoon

• The Second Driveway will be closed in the afternoon. Parents picking up students from buses are asked to park in the First Driveway only.  Buses will drop off on Railway Road, near the entrance to the First Driveway.

• Traffic Management will remain in place for the entire day.  We ask that you follow their directions at all times.

Monday 5 May – All Day

• Only approximately one-third of the First Driveway, closest to Railway Road, will be in operation for the whole of Monday.  The exclusion zone for the First Driveway will extend for the remainder of the First Driveway, including the turning circle, the Junior School Staff Car Park and the Junior School Playground. 

• A section of Governors Field will be roped off to allow for parents and staff to park.

• A student drop off / pick up zone will be established in the section of the First Driveway that is still open.  A turning circle will be put in place on Governors Field to facilitate turning around.  Please follow the directions of staff and Traffic Management to access.

• For pedestrian access to the Junior School, parents and students will need to walk across Founders Field and past the Pavilion, through the Maths Courtyard, up onto Elvo Lawn to the colonnade outside the Year 4 classrooms, and into the Junior School quadrangle.  There will be staff to guide parents and students.

• Pick up for Junior School students will still happen at the regular time however pick up will be from the temporary pick-up zone at the bottom of the First Driveway. A turning circle will be put in place on Governors Field to facilitate turning around.

• On this day, Year 7 and 8 students should be picked up from the Senior School Pick Up Zone.

• The Second Driveway and Year 12 parking will be unaffected on Monday 5 May.  All buses will operate as normal.

• Traffic Management will remain in place for the entire day.  We ask that you follow their directions at all times.

There are 3 separate maps that show each of these plans in detail.  These have been uploaded to the Oxley website and can be found by these links:

Traffic Alterations – Saturday 3 May AM

Traffic Alterations – Saturday 3 May PM

Traffic Alterations – Monday 5 May – All Day

If you have any questions or are unsure of any details, please do not hesitate to contact the College.

Kind regards

Em Cassin
Business Manager

Social Sciences at Oxley

As cyclone Alfred hit Australia’s east coast, Donald Trump announced tariffs on more than 130 countries, and debates around international migration to Australia continue, many are left grappling with the complexities of our world.  At Oxley, we help students to understand these complex issues and ensure that when they finish their Oxley journey, they will be challenge ready. Social Sciences courses including Geography, Commerce, Global Studies, Business Studies, Economics and Legal Studies play a key role in ensuring that Oxley graduates are equipped to take on everything the world throws at them.  We want students to show courage to ask difficult questions, we want them to be kind and respectful by appreciating that there are many differing perspectives, and we want them to seek wisdom by delving deeper into the issues.

In Term 1, Year 10 Geographers travelled to Warilla as part of a unit on Environmental Change and Management to see first-hand the $15 million reconstruction of the Warilla Beach seawall by Shellharbour City Council. The seawall, built in the 1960s, was no longer adequate to cope with pressures of coastal development and the increasingly common East Coast Low weather events.  As images emerged of the severe coastal erosion caused by cyclone Alfred later in the term, students could empathise with different stakeholders and offer ideas about what could be done to replace the 4 million cubic metres of sand that had been eroded from Gold Coast beaches.

Later this term, Year 8 Geographers will travel to Warragamba Dam as part of ‘Water in the World’ unit. They will develop an appreciation of the role of the dam in times of drought and in flood management. The Warragamba Dam provides over 80% of Sydney’s drinking water and given the Wingecarribee River that flows past Oxley ends up in the dam, students will appreciate that local actions can have impacts well beyond our local area.

In Week 3, students in Year 7 to Year 10 will have the opportunity to take part in the Australian Geography Competition, a contest for Australian secondary school students, assessing their geographical knowledge and skills. The Competition is completed online and consists of multiple-choice questions testing geographical knowledge and skills. In 2024 over 54,000 students from 607 schools took part in the competition and in 2023 we had a student whose result placed them in the top 1% of their age group in Australia.  Stage 4 and 5 Geography and History are semesterised, so all students have been provided with the opportunity to take part at this time as the competition only runs in Term 2 each year.  If you have not already done so, please complete the relevant permission on the Oxley App.

Although the news can be unsettling at times, I encourage parents and carers to make time each week to discuss some of these complex issues to help students make sense of the world.  In the words of Barack Obama “The study of geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.” 

Ruth Shedden
Head of Social Sciences

Junior School Sports Update

We are excited to welcome students back to Term 2 sport! Please see below the key start dates for Junior School Winter Sport programs. Parents of students participating in these programs will receive a reminder email with further details prior to each start date.

We look forward to a fantastic Term 2 of sport!

• Wednesday 30 April
  • Morning Athletics Training sessions commence
  • Junior School Wednesday Afternoon Sport Training resumes for Hockey, Netball, and Football teams
• Saturday 3 May
  • Junior School Saturday Winter Sport Matches resume for Hockey, Football, and Netball teams
• Wednesday 7 May
  • K-1 Multi-Skills Sports Program (Football Focus) commences

Wednesday Afternoon Sport – Wet Weather Cancellation Procedure:

As the Winter Sports season resumes this term, we would like to advise parents of the procedure for managing any potential Wednesday sports training cancellations.

Ideally, the Sports Department will notify families of any training cancellations in advance. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the weather, there may be instances where a decision is made on the day.

Please make sure to thoroughly go through these procedures with your children to ensure they understand the expectations, which are crucial for the safety of all students participating in Wednesday afternoon sports training.

In the event of a same-day cancellation:

• Parents and carers will receive a broadcast notification from the Sports Department by 1.30pm.
• Class teachers will inform students of the cancellation and provide necessary instructions.
• All students will be dismissed at their regular pick-up time and will be directed to the Junior School Turning Circle.
• For students not collected by 3.30pm, supervision will be provided in a designated classroom until 4.30pm. Details regarding the location of the supervision classroom will be included in the initial broadcast. Alternatively, parents can contact Reception before 4.00pm on 02 4861 1366 for more information.
• Important: Students will not have the option to catch the bus home. Parents cannot authorise their children to take a bus; instead, they must collect their children by 4.30pm at the latest.

Thank you for your attention to these procedures to ensure clarity and safety of our students during such events.

IPSHA Codes of Conduct for Junior School Sport

As the winter sports season resumes this weekend, we would like to remind families of the importance of upholding the IPSHA Codes of Conduct for players, coaches, and spectators. These guidelines are essential in fostering a positive and respectful environment for all participants and supporters.

Parents and carers will soon receive further information from the school outlining the IPSHA Codes of Conduct. We encourage you to take the time to familiarise yourselves with the spectator guidelines and to review the player expectations with your children. It is important that both students and parents understand and uphold these standards, ensuring Oxley is represented with pride and respect.

We would also like to emphasise the crucial role parents and carers play in modelling positive spectator behaviour. Your support and adherence to these guidelines contribute significantly to creating an encouraging and respectful atmosphere that reflects the values of our school community.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support in promoting a positive sporting environment.

Fran Dorczak
Head of Junior School Sport

URStrong Friendship Program

We are excited to share some wonderful news about Oxley’s participation in the URSTRONG Friendship Program. This award-winning program is designed to empower children with essential friendship skills, fostering a culture of kindness and respect within the Oxley community.

URSTRONG is a whole-school strategy that has been implemented in schools worldwide, connecting students, parents, and teachers with a common language of friendship. The program is based on the belief that children with healthy friendships perform better academically, have higher self-esteem, and build stronger connections.

Through a series of engaging lessons and activities, URSTRONG teaches children how to build and maintain healthy friendships, manage conflicts with kindness, and increase their overall resilience.

Weekly Lessons for K-4: Our K-4 students have been participating in weekly lessons that cover key concepts from the URSTRONG curriculum. Here are some of the topics they have been exploring:

Friend-o-Meter: This tool helps children understand how they feel about their friendships and what they can do to improve them. It encourages self-reflection and helps students identify the qualities of a good friend.

4 Friendship Facts: These facts provide children with a clear understanding of what to expect in their friendships. They learn that friendships have ups and downs, and that it’s normal for friends to have disagreements.

Mean on Purpose: This lesson helps children differentiate between conflicts that are accidental and those that are intentional. It empowers them to stand up for themselves in a kind and respectful way.

Friend-o-Cycle: This concept teaches children how to resolve conflicts and strengthen their friendships. They learn strategies to “put out Friendship Fires” and make their friendships closer and stronger.

We believe that the URSTRONG Friendship Program will continue to have a positive impact on our students, helping them develop the social and emotional skills they need to thrive. We encourage you to talk to your children about what they are learning in these lessons and support them in applying these skills in their daily lives.

Thank you for your continued support in making Oxley a nurturing and inclusive environment for all students.

Peter Ayling
Deputy Head Junior School

Centre for Ethics – Upcoming Events

The Oxley College Centre for Ethics is the home of ethical inquiry and critical thinking at Oxley.

This year will be delivering an ambitious program of events for both our students and the local community in the Southern Highlands. These events will feature distinguished speakers and leaders from diverse fields, including philanthropy, higher education, non-governmental organisations and industry. You can find out more here: Oxley College Centre for Ethics – Oxley College

Professor A. C. Grayling

Making Peace in the Culture Wars

“It seems like we can’t talk about anything nowadays… Whether it’s war or something utterly inconsequential, the internet is primed for furore. And the results can be horrifying – from online pile-ons and doxing to job loss and, in some cases, death. But how did we end up here? Nuanced and historically grounded, A. C. Grayling searches for middle ground in an otherwise incendiary debate.”

Professor A.C. Grayling is a British philosopher and author of about 30 books on philosophy, biography, history of ideas, human rights, and ethics. He is the founder and Master of New College of the Humanities, now Northeastern University London. Known for his accessible and engaging style, Professor Grayling is an excellent communicator who brings complex ideas to life for a wide audience. He has been a prominent voice in public discourse, frequently appearing in British media to discuss philosophy and public affairs.

In a world increasingly divided by cultural and ideological conflicts, Professor Grayling’s wisdom and perspective are more relevant than ever.

When: Monday 12 May 2025, 6.30pm

Where: Oxley College, Burradoo

Cost: $15

Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/CZUGC

More information: ethics@oxley.nsw.edu.au

Professor Peter Greste

The Grey Zone:

How 9/11 created a conflict over ideas that is undermining democracy

Professor Peter Greste explores the zone of tolerance — the space between the blacks-and-whites of polarised extremes that is essential to democracy, but that now appears to be unravelling. The rise of far-right parties in Europe and Latin America, and the recent elections in the United States have all seen the Grey Zone shrink. The startling rise in the murders of journalists is another symptom of the problem. Professor Greste draws on his 25 years of experience as a correspondent, and his time in Egypt, to discuss the Grey Zone, and why we need to protect it.

Peter Greste is an Australian journalist, author, and media freedom activist, currently an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland (UQ). He gained international attention in 2013 when he was arrested in Cairo on terrorism charges while working for Al Jazeera, leading to a seven-year sentence that was widely condemned as an attack on press freedom. His ordeal and subsequent advocacy for media freedom are depicted in the 2024 film The Correspondent, directed by Kriv Stenders.

When: Thursday 29 May 2025, 6.30pm – 8.00pm

Where: PCC, Oxley College

Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/CXUPD

More information: ethics@oxley.nsw.edu.au

Volunteers Needed

Diverse Learning Volunteers

Our Diverse Learning Department is seeking expressions of interest from our Oxley community regarding volunteer support for 2025. There are a range of areas across K-12 where your involvement would be greatly appreciated. If you have some time available and would like to support our students in a practical and much needed manner, we would love to hear from you.

Pre-K Volunteers

Our Pre-K students would love to connect with people in our community who can give an hour of their time once a week in the Pre-K classroom. The volunteers and Pre-K children will be involved in fun, engaging and entertaining activities and form strong bonds with our Pre-K children.

Please email office@oxley.nsw.edu.au with your contact details if you would like to know more about these opportunities.

Pre-K – Year 12 Mother’s Day Breakfast

The Oxley Mother’s Day Breakfast will be held on Thursday 8 May (Term 2, Week 2). We warmly welcome all mothers, mother figures and carers to join us.

Please book via the link below by Monday 5 May:

Oxley Art Prize (Formerly Portrait Prize)

The entire Oxley community is warmly invited to submit entries to the 2025 Oxley Art Prize (formerly the Portrait Prize).

The Prize has had a change of name to allow for a broader range of subjects and this year the theme is Landscape. Entries will be displayed at an exhibition in the Pavilion on Foundation Night in Term 2.

Entries should be submitted to the Art Department or Reception by Thursday 15 May 2025.

‘Future Council’ Preview Screening

The producers of the soon to be released film ‘Future Council’ have generously invited the Oxley community to a special advanced screening of this incredible film.

Touted as ‘School of Rock meets ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, Future Council takes eight kids on the ultimate school excursion: a road trip across Europe to meet with powerful leaders and find solutions to our greatest ecological challenges.

Oxley student Ruby Rodgers (Year 10) was one of the cast members embarking on this great adventure – reminding us that any of us can use our voices to inform and inspire others.

When: Wednesday 7 May, 6.30pm
Where: Orchestra Room
Tickets: Free – please book via https://www.trybooking.com/DBIGO

Due to licensing restrictions, this screening is only available for Oxley students and their families.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Upcoming Dates & 2026 Term Dates

This is a modified version of events. Please see the Calendar icon on the Oxley App for the full College Calendar.

Open Morning – 16 May 2025

Share the date!

We look forward to welcoming prospective families who are considering an Oxley College education on Friday 16 May.

Visitors can look forward to tours and Q&A sessions led by our students, along with meeing key members of staff.

Open Morning is a wonderful opportunity to explore our vibrant learning spaces, gain insight into the depth of our subject offerings and see how we nurture both academic rigour and character development. At Oxley, we believe education extends beyond the classroom, fostering integrity, resilience, and a love of learning in every student. 

If you know anyone who might be interested, they can register below or via the Oxley College Website.

The Oxley College 40th Birthday Book

to think, to dare, to dream

The Oxley College Book: to think, to dare, to dream is now available for sale. This beautiful, hard cover, coffee table book has been lovingly created to mark Oxley’s 40th Birthday milestone and is full of stories, photos and memories.

Purchase your copy today by following the link below: