Denomination Roman Catholic Principal Hilary Johnston-Croke Phone +61 2 9388 6000 Founded 1971 | Chairman Bryan Curtin Staff ~90 Motto Cor Unum (Latin) Gender Single-sex education | |
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Type Private, Day and Boarding Established 1882 (Convent of the Sacred Heart)
1909 (Kincoppal)
1971 (Kincoppal-Rose Bay) Address New South Head Rd, Sydney NSW 2029, Australia Similar Kambala, Cranbrook School, The Scots College, Loreto Kirribilli, Sceggs Darlinghu Profiles | ||
Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart (Kincoppal-Rose Bay), is a private, Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Rose Bay, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Established in 1883 through the amalgamation of the Convent of the Sacred Heart and Kincoppal, today the school is non-selective, with a co-educational primary school and a girls only high school, catering for approximately 905 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, including 146 boarders.
Kincoppal-Rose Bay is a member of an international group of schools conducted by the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic teaching order, established by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat in France in 1800. The school is also affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).
History
Kincoppal traces its origins to the establishment of two schools. The first, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Rose Bay, was founded in 1882. The other, named Kincoppal was established at Elizabeth Bay in 1909. In 1971 these two schools were amalgamated on the Convent of the Sacred Heart campus and became known as Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart.
In 1882, five religious from the Society of the Sacred Heart travelled from England on the SS Orient to establish a school of the Sacred Heart in Sydney. They selected the residence of Claremont on the Vaucluse, New South Wales peninsula, to begin their task of offering students the educational vision of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, the founder of their Society.
The original building, leased in 1882 and later purchased by the Society of the Sacred Heart, was a private home, built in 1851. The first permanent school building, completed in 1888, was the five level central facade. The Chapel, a masterpiece by the architect John Horbury Hunt, was begun in 1897 and completed in 1900. Buildings were gradually added to meet the needs of school, community and novitiate. The Secondary school was a full boarding school until the 1960s, when day students were admitted.
The primary day school was located in the main school building until 1951 when an adjoining property, was purchased. The building was set up as a primary school and named Barat-Burn. This building was demolished and replaced with the present Junior school in 1966.
In 1982 the school celebrated the centenary of its foundation and the arrival of the first religious in Australia. To commemorate the occasion Sister Leila Barlow wrote and published "Living Stones", a book reviewing the spirit, tradition and events of the school's first hundred years. In 2007, the school celebrated 125 years of Cor Unum, highlighting its unique history, dynamic present and future visions.
The name 'Kincoppal' literally means 'Horse's Head' in Gaeilge (Irish), the anglicisation of 'ceann' (head) and 'capall' (horse). The school got its name from John Hughes, the original owner of the 'Kincoppal' property at Elizabeth Bay, who named his residence after a rock in Sydney Harbour, that, when visible from a certain view, looks like a horse's head.
Today, Kincoppal comprises a fully co-educational Junior School P-6 for day students, and a Senior School for girls 7-12, with both day and boarding students attending from metropolitan, rural and international destinations.
Campus
Kincoppal-Rose Bay is situated on a single campus in suburban Rose Bay, overlooking Sydney Harbour. The school features a mix of 19th century and modern buildings, gardens and fields.
Current facilities of the school include:
Houses
There are four primary houses at Kincoppal Rose Bay, all of which originate from aboriginal words. Each year separate junior school and high school carnivals are held, these are for both swimming and athletics, and all students compete for their house. There are house captains in both the junior school and high school, who arrange cheers for the students to participate in. At the carnivals there is a spirit cup (for house cheers) and a points cup (the winner of the most sports at the carnival. In house colours students also participate in interhouse singing competitions.
In the boarding school, there are three primary houses, all of which are named after a significant contributor to the Society of the Sacred Heart. Throughout the school year, inter-house competitions are undertaken, where all girls wear their respective house shirt. During first term, a 'In-Weekend' occurs, where all boarders must stay in the boarding house for the entire weekend. It is here that the first competition takes place with a trivia night including all boarders from years 7-12. This contributes to the awarding of house points, to which the winning house is given a trophy at the end of the year.
In popular culture
Kincoppal-Rose Bay has been used as a set for a number of films including Looking for Alibrandi and Our Lips Are Sealed. The school has also featured in numerous television series', including "Spirited" and "Spyforce".