Blackheath and Thornburgh College

Blackheath & Thornburgh College has been an integral part of educating young people in North Queensland for over 100 years. Throughout this time we have fostered strong community foundations, outstanding co-curricular opportunities and invested in the future of the young people in our care.

Success differs for each individual but is founded in the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. BTC provides the ideal setting for students to realise their potential in an inclusive and supportive community, where we celebrate and support each individual on their journey toward success. Our staff work closely with students and families to assist them to look beyond the classroom exploring the relevance of today’s learning in tomorrow’s world.

At BTC we offer weekly and term time boarding from Year 5 to Year 12. Our boarding facilities offer a secure and stable environment for your child. Let us be their home away from home.

We welcome you to book a tour and experience the BTC difference. Blackheath & Thornburgh College’s vision is to be innovative, creating opportunities and expectations for students and staff to excel; where passion and aspiration is encouraged and nurtured and where successful people of the future are created.

We are ‘what we live’. The ‘hidden curriculum’ is more than what is taught in the classroom; it is about the lessons we learn through involvement in and interaction with others. Experiences both at home and at school combine to make our children ‘what they live’. We must work together as a community if we are to inherit a world where sincere regard and consideration for others is to be paramount. It is the aim and prime intention of Blackheath & Thornburgh College to underwrite the ‘hidden curriculum’ with the values of social conscience and justice for all.

The times in which we live require a diverse and lateral approach to what has been the norm. It does not require change for change sake. Rather, an openess to explore the many possibilities that are now available to the delivery of education. Technology is in many ways defining the course for educational instruction and delivery. If circumstances deem it appropriate, we are now able to move away from chronological-based progression in schools and customise, on the basis of readiness, the learning experiences for each individual. This is not to ‘lessen’ the value or importance of traditional education. Progressive education necessarily incorporates the valued elements of that which is being ‘progressed from’ and builds upon these to create opportunities that are relevant and responsive to the rapid changes occurring around us.

The teaching of fundamental academic basics in exercise of the mind should retain importance within the overall package. We are embracing a highly dynamic situation where the students of today may change careers many times during their working lives and it is beholden upon schools to create individuals who are well equipped to deal with this change. Fundamental to this development is the celebration of academic achievement and excellence. We must build solid foundations if our young people are to critically meet the challenge.

Blackheath & Thornburgh College does not advocate an obsession for making changes simply ‘because we can’. As educators we must consider carefully the nature of the education we provide to ensure that whatever is currently driving the ‘hidden curriculum’ is not in fact eroding the values that we purport to instill. It is the delivery of education that remains dynamic – the underlying need for and essence of what is taught remains unchanged.

Blackheath & Thornburgh College is responding to the ever-changing requirements of education in ways that will make the transfer to future generations of the values and ethos of a fine school sustainable.

There are many excellent reasons why BTC is the right choice for you and your children:

We are a small, intimate college currently catering for 280 students, including 110 boarders. We really are focused on the individual; with small class sizes and teachers who get to know every student, we ensure we can open up opportunities for every child.

We promote cultural diversity, with students from a range of cultural backgrounds and locations. We aren’t a specialist school that focuses on particular subjects or educational areas at the expense of others. We take a whole-of-school approach, providing a fully-rounded, high quality educational programme with opportunities for children to develop a vibrant enthusiasm for and expansive knowledge of a wide range of subjects and interests.

Small class sizes means a firm teacher-student bond. Each student gets the attention and commitment they need, using latest technology, interactive tools and of course, passionate teaching.

We are one of the very few schools in Australia to adopt the Arrowsmith Program – and the only Australian Boarding School which runs it. This unique and proven approach to address academic skill deficits in children who have difficulty learning, intervenes and strengthens the weak cognitive capacities that affect learning and has proved immeasurably successful.

We are a small College, proud of the strong and personal connections we make across the campus. Our students know each other and interact across ages, not just classes. Our Principal and teachers know not just students’ names but also their individual stories and histories.