History

Aviation High is located in Clayfield, Brisbane, near the Brisbane International Airport and Toombul shopping centre. It has had a number of name changes over the years; ‘Hendra Secondary College’, as it was known previously, opened on Tuesday 29 January 1963 as Hendra State High School.^[5] In 1990 the name changed to Hendra Secondary College, and provided education not only to high school students, but also to adults who could enrol in the school and participate in grades 10–12, in night classes.^[5] The Principal is David Munn who was appointed in Semester 2 2013.

School Sports

Aviation High has three sporting houses that compete against each other, Miller (green), Hinkler (red), and Kingsford-Smith (yellow), named after famous Australian aviators Robin Miller, Bert Hinkler, and Charles Kingsford-Smith respectively.^[7] The competition between the houses is tight in the annual Cross-Country, Swimming, Athletics and Intra-School sport.

Infrastructure and Facilities

The school has 11 main buildings, A, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, L blocks, the Hall, and the Canteen. A Block is mainly computer rooms, with one science lab on the lower level of the building.^[8] B block is where the communications department has many rooms, with the exception of a Technology lab, and a Computer workshop, leased to the Rotary Club of Nundah. A dedicated high-end computer roosm, where coding classes take place, and a recording studio, are also located in this block. C block is a multi-use block, with the administration office and many general-use classrooms being located here. D block is the Aeroskills Technology Block, where Manual Arts and Graphics takes place. The block has 3 workshops and one classroom - for Graphics. A laser cutter is located in this block. E block is an annex to A block, with a Multi Media Room (Theatre) and Career Education being housed here. H block is where the Hospitality kitchens are located, as well as theory classrooms, and a cabin-crew training area, with actual seats from a Boeing 767 being used for realism. J block is the dedicated Science block, with 4 science laboratories and a special room for Flight Simulator's inside J block. Most Science classes are held here, and are all fitted with smart-boards as standard. K Block is another name for the Library. The Library houses over 1000 books, and a gym underneath for HPE classes. There are also 2 annexes for classes to be held, or presentations to be given as well as a computer room.^[9] L Block is where Art classes are held. Inside is a studio, and a Mac Lab. Outside is a Fire-powered kiln, for clay works completed over the year. Next to L block is the Hall, which is used for Futsal, Basketball, Assemblies and (once) plane storage. The hall is well used. The Canteen is a popular place at Aviation High, with fresh food is prepared by a school-hired chef.^[10]

Location

Aviation High is located in Brisbane on Widdop St, Hendra, Queensland on an approximately 9 hectares (90,000 m²) sized block. The school is located near to Centro Toombul Shopping Centre which is a hub of public transport. The Toombul and Eagle Junction Railway Stations are only a few minutes walk away and the school has a bus stop outside, utilised by many students. Its unique location near the Airport Link Tunnel also allows several students not local to the school's catchment easy access to school.

Enrolment

The number of enrolments as recorded in May 2022 was 599 students,^[11] an increase of over 200 since 2015, when enrolment stood at 376 students. As a state high school, Aviation SHS is managed by enrolment management plan that requires the school to act as the state high school for a catchment area of suburbs, providing every child within the area a state school to attend. Any student who lives primarily within the school's catchment area is entitled to enrol at the school, with school reserving places at the school for children who move into the catchment area during the school year. The catchment area for Aviation SHS bounds the suburbs of Hamilton, Ascot, Clayfield, Toombul, Nundah, and the Brisbane Airport zone and surrounding suburbs extending to the Brisbane River.^[12] In addition, Aviation SHS is a selective independent school. Where there are positions available, out of catchment area students may apply through a selective entry process, requiring the student to sit an AGAT test, and attend a school enrolment interview.^[13]

Aviation Centred Learning

Aviation High tries to include aviation into its subjects where possible, this is achieved through aviation centred learning, where aviation themed questions are used to deliver the syllabus, such as aviation-related mathematics (e.g. Find the distance a plane can fly with x amount of fuel) and science. From year nine onwards, Aviation High also has classes dedicated to aviation (such as avionics and aerospace studies). There are lunchtime and after-school programs and activities such as, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Club, Flight Simulator Club, Hangar/Engineering Club, and more. These programs are accessible to all students from years 7–12.

Extra Curricular

Extra-curricular activities offered by Aviation High are often utilised by not only students but also members of staff. Two activities are key to the aviation focus the school has, the 'UAV Program' and the 'Rocketry Group'. The UAV program is a successful entrant to the annual UAV Outback Challenge, held at Kingaroy and Calvert in alternative years. The school won the event in 2009, and several students have received the Airmanship Award, for displaying diligence and sportsmanship during the 2-day event. The Rocketry Group participates in the Australian Youth Rocketry Challenge, winning the event in 2011. The UAV Challenge is held by Engineering Teacher Steve Wright and Aerospace (Aeroskills Technology) Head of Department Jack Clarke. It is widely utilised with several teams fielded each year, and supported by companies such as Hobby King, which donated several components when the UAV program was decimated by floods in 2015. The Rocketry Group is facilitated by the Science Department, consisting of a smaller group including Physics and Aerospace teachers. However, the group is used primarily for experience in componentry by junior grades before gaining the necessary skills for the more advanced UAV program.

Furthermore, the Combined Pilots and Learners group (CPL) have made their name in Canberra by sending a number of students to a tour of Canberra, visiting the Australian War Memorial and the Australian Defence Force Academy. The USA trip also is popular, with students traveling to NASA Space Camp, and later, California. A new tour has recently been announced, taking students to the Western Front and other historical battlefields in Europe. The tours now happen in alternating years.

Partnerships

The school has partnerships with companies offering entry into courses relating to aircraft maintenance and cabin-crew training, especially Aviation Australia, as well as partnerships with TAFEs for students to access vocational training.^[14]

Aviation High staff and students are at an advantage due to the close partnerships and relationships with aerospace industry partners, as well as direct-entry offers to courses at Griffith University and QUT, amongst others.