HillSide Christian College

Stefan Heinz

4 months ago

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Amazing strong Christian College with genuine supportive staff and leadership. Would highly recommend to everyone.

Cameron Gibson

8 months ago

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We’ve now withdrawn two of our children from Hillside Christian College after they struggled significantly both academically and emotionally while attending. Within weeks of moving to new schools, we saw huge improvements in their grades, mental health, and overall happiness. Unfortunately, Hillside failed to pick up on patterns of behaviour that should have raised concerns. For example, one of our children was regularly given Panadol at the same time and day each week clearly avoiding a particular class but the school didn’t question it, despite a care plan being in place. Worse, we were never notified any of these times. When raised with the principal, the concerns were dismissed, and we were told the teachers were doing a good job despite the clear lack of follow-up or communication with parents. Every child is different, but based on our experience, Hillside did not offer the support, insight, or responsiveness that children deserve. I’d strongly encourage other families to ask the hard questions and explore alternatives before enrolling.

Johnquay

9 months ago

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Terrible Experience – Wouldn’t Recommend I attended Hillside Christian College from Year 7 to Year 10, and it was honestly one of the worst experiences of my life. The school community is so small that it feels isolating—if you’re not part of the “in” group, you’re either invisible or bullied. Teachers clearly had favourites (usually the well-behaved girls), and if you struggled with learning you were treated like a burden. Boys were constantly blamed for things the girls did while staff looked the other way. No real support, just punishment Kids who were struggling emotionally got detentions instead of help. If someone finally snapped after being taunted, only the kid who lashed out got in trouble never the instigator. Older students bullied younger ones unless you copied their behaviour. Total mess. Privacy? Forget it. Staff would dive into your search history without warning and confiscate your device, yet teachers sat on their own phones all lesson. I get that rules are rules, but the double standard is insane: they can scroll Instagram in class with zero consequences, while the moment you glance at your phone it’s taken away. Benched like prisoners The school’s “bench” system was practically a prison sentence. If you broke a rule sometimes as minor as wearing the wrong socks you’d be forced to sit on a bench for the entire recess and lunch, barely allowed to leave even for the toilet. I watched kids get benched for a whole day over uniform slip-ups. Instead of a safe environment, it felt like they were training obedient machines. Chronic under-funding Every classroom is a demountable shed, and it shows. By Years 11-12 there’s almost no subject choice maybe two decent courses, the rest random fillers taught by overstretched teachers juggling multiple classes they clearly didn’t understand. Want certificates or diverse career pathways? Not here. It felt like the school wanted every student funnelled down one narrow path, and it wasn’t a good one. Outcomes speak for themselves I don’t know many Hillside graduates with solid jobs or uni offers. A couple of high-flyers succeeded only because they pushed themselves far beyond what the school could offer, but most of us were left behind. My grades jumped as soon as I moved to another school, which says it all. Since leaving, I’ve felt happier, supported, and actually able to learn. If you’re looking for a safe, well-resourced, and fair environment, steer clear of Hillside Christian College.

Gillian Paton

a year ago

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My daughter started in year 7 and was instantly accepted with open arms. Beautiful students and teachers, with the highest respect for each other, learning and nurturing. Highly recommend.

Tâmara Caldas

2 years ago

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Our family is very happy to be part of the Hillside College community! My daughter goes to the school and I feel she is seen and heard there. I also feel supported by the caring staff in my struggles as a parent. Highly recommended!

D M

3 years ago

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It's a lovely little school however there's a couple of negatives that people need to be aware of. 1 - There's only one entry and one exit for the school on Hawtin Road. It often takes a good 10 minutes to simply exit the carpark on a good day. On bad days it can take a good 20 minutes or even more if you get a very cautious parent that's too scared to take the smaller gaps in traffic. You also get many inconsiderate parents that like to park in places they shouldn't and block traffic for everyone, however you get that at every school. 2 - Some of the kids at the school are real little troublemakers. Unfortunately much of it stems from the fact their dad is at Shalom House (drug rehabilitation facility) and they've had such a dysfunctional upbringing. 3. The school offers education from Kindergarten through to Year 12. Class numbers in primary school are average size (around 30 students), however unfortunately class numbers drop dramatically once they get in the upper years of high school. Class numbers for year 12 have been in the mid teens in recent years, which is far too small and intimate.

Anneliese

Edited 5 years ago

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The only school I've ever heard of where high school students actually want to go back in and talk to their teachers during the first week of school holidays! An exceptional school with exceptional leadership. This school upholds high standards and values and tries to build up students of excellent character. A lovely setting with lots of trees and greenery and the children always seem happy - even at the end of the day. The school is very supportive of its families and takes care of them during difficult times. Great sense of community. Students are supported in whatever field they wish to pursue. They will go out of their way to customise the education to the students needs and goals - they offer a great deal of flexibility despite being a small school.

ruvimbo gotora

6 years ago

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The school is lovely I have learnt so much and the teachers actually take time to make sure every child is ok.this school has also helped me improve with all my school subjects ,most children think of school as a boring place u must attend but at hillside there is none of that. With making sure every child is educated they also make sure very child is having fun because I’m telling you from experience that we work really hard but we still find a way to be happy . I am a student at hillside and I like the school so much that On holidays I end up missing school ...just something to think about if your considering enrolling your child in the school

Anony Mous

7 years ago

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Completed all of my primary schooling and half my high schooling here. The high school is incredibly underfunded. There was nowhere near the facilities or staff needed to properly educate the (albeit small) high school classes the school had enrolled. Classes were taught in old demountable buildings and all teachers were teaching more than one subject, even if said teachers did not have training in the subjects they were teaching. I was taught math at one point by an art teacher who had zero qualifications in math teaching, and would spend the entire lesson having personal conversations with the class before assigning homework to the class and telling us to read the chapter. Most teachers that were actually trained in and skilled at the subjects they were teaching were fired, while teachers who were teaching multiple subjects (even when they were inept at teaching them) were kept on. The range of courses available at the school was incredibly small, and nowhere near the amount needed to properly educate upper high school students, or prepare them for university. The gaps where the school could not provide actual education were filled with religion classes. I knew students who had multiple religion classes a day in which they had to sit and read bible verses (not that there's anything wrong with religion, only the classes were used as a fall-back option for the school in place of actually giving students a range of classes, and the nature of the classes were counterproductive). Most students I knew who were actually serious about their education and proceeding to uni left well before year 11. There was a bad bullying culture at the school when I attended. According to friends who attended the school longer than I did, there is still a bad physical and verbal bullying problem at the school, especially in the younger high school years. This problem was also present in the faculty. While there were good teachers in the employ of Hillside, there were always several teachers who would pointedly single out and pick on specific students and degrade their school work, or even their looks. This problem extends to the principle too, who has been quoted in articles stating he believed that the school should be able to discriminate against certain students (seriously, google it.) So, in summary: do not send your child here if you genuinely want them to receive a quality education in a safe environment. Hillside Christian College does not have the facilities or staff necessary to provide this, and has a bullying problem to boot. The positive reviews on google have been posted by board and staff members, who of course would give their own business a positive review. Speaking from personal experience, my grades and passion for learning shot up as soon as I left this school, and I know of many others who say the same. That speaks volumes about the schools environment, and says enough I think.

Talitha

9 years ago

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Our son attended 3 year old kindy here. Great school! The staff were incredible and he went from being very shy to being confident and well adjusted. The class was just the right size and the teachers went above and beyond in the care they showed. They discovered what made him tick and encouraged him to better himself both in character, personal skills and academically. In my son's words he loves "...the trains, the playground and Mrs R because she is kind." And if I was 30 years younger I would be playing on the nature playground too! It's amazing!