The Australian Science and Mathematics School (ASMS) is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

public senior

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

for Years 10–12 located on the Sturt campus of

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

in Bedford Park, a southern suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, the capital of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. As the school is unzoned, it attracts students from all across the Adelaide metropolitan area as well as some regional and interstate locations, in addition to international students. The goal of the school is to prepare its students for

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, particularly in the fields of

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

. The ASMS is unconventional in its approach to education, emphasising a love of learning in both students and teaching staff; students are given the freedom to take control of their own education. ASMS aims to make students aware of their own learning and for them to become self-directed in the way they complete academic tasks.

Overview

The Australian Science and Mathematics School was opened in 2003 and has a total of around 380 students. As the school is designed to provide an adult environment for senior school students, there is no

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...

policy, which promotes a variety of culture and social styles and structures. A key feature of the ASMS is the productive relationship between the school and the Flinders University, on which the campus is located; the ASMS shares many resources with the university, including the library, cafeteria, student services, transport, recreational areas and car parks, in addition to booked access to lecture theatres and specialist science and support facilities. Furthermore, students at the ASMS in collaboration with Flinders University's Science and Technology Enterprise Partnership (STEP) may be involved in research projects in the business, industry and university sectorshttps://www.flinders.edu.au/swirls/partnerships-and-projects.

Curriculum

The ASMS is a specialist science and mathematics school, however it offers a comprehensive curriculum which covers all learning areas necessary for students to achieve their

South Australian Certificate of Education The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia. The SACE Board of South Australia (formerly known as the Senior Seconda ...

(SACE) qualification. The Year 10/11 curriculum is organised into interdisciplinary Central Studies; these alternate every year to ensure that a student will not do the same subjects twice. The Year 12 curriculum consists of standard SACE Stage 2 subjects, such as the various Mathematics, Science, English and Humanities subjects. In 2022, the 10/11 students took part in the first "Field Trip Week", which involved activities both outside and inside the school premises. The goal of this week was to extend the students' knowledge in their current Central Studies. The ASMS also hosts an International Science Week (ISF), in which international and domestic students come together with ASMS students to explore areas of science. Projects are presented at the end of the week. Additionally, the school has "''Curiosity in the Community Week''", allowing students to engage with the community and apply science topics.

Adventure Space/Passion Project

The ASMS also provides special activities for Year 10 and 11 students in the form of Adventure Space. Examples of these include Dance, Cryptography, Robotics, Aviation, Australian Space Design Competition, Paramedical Pathways, Electronics, Creative Writing, and Palaeontology. While not assessed, they do provide an opportunity to interact with university life, as well as an opportunity to take part in learning focused productive extra-curricular activities. As of 2021, the ASMS has renamed this program to 'Passion Project", where any personal or group project within school limitations can be undertaken, rather than specific areas.

References

External links

Flinders University website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Science And Mathematics School Public schools in South Australia Educational institutions established in 2003 Gifted education Special interest high schools in South Australia 2003 establishments in Australia