Welcome to the start of a new school year. It is a pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all our returning families, as well as those joining our community for the first time. The beginning of the year is always filled with optimism, and I look forward to partnering with you as we support every student in achieving their personal best.

As we reflect on the accomplishments of the Class of 2025, we do so with great pride. Their results were exceptional and speak to both their dedication and the unwavering support of our staff and families. We celebrated 100% QCE/QCIA attainment across 373 students, a remarkable achievement that reflects the strength of our senior programs.

Many students excelled in vocational pathways, with 278 students earning one or more VET qualifications, including 28 Diplomas, 142 Certificate III/IV qualifications, and 271 Certificate I/II qualifications. An impressive 76 students completed school-based apprenticeships or traineeships—an outstanding foundation for future employment and training.

Our academic outcomes were equally noteworthy, with 3 students achieving 100% in a subject, 23 students earning 98% or 99%, and 79 students achieving results of 95% or higher. We were also delighted to celebrate 16 students who achieved a perfect External Exam result, a testament to their commitment and perseverance.

These results do not happen by chance. I extend my sincere congratulations to our dedicated staff whose expertise, encouragement, and belief in our students made these achievements possible. Their tireless work continues to shape the success of our senior learners.

As we look ahead to 2026, I am excited for the journey we will take together. Our focus remains on supporting all senior school families as students set ambitious goals, explore pathways, and work toward their aspirations. I look forward to another year of growth, connection, and shared success.

Warm regards,

Peter Hughes Principal – Senior School

Key Contacts

Head of Year 12 – Ryan Jesser – rjess5@eq.edu.au
Head of Year 11 – Danny Brentnall – dbren11@eq.edu.au
Head of Year 10 – Emma Norton (Mon, Wed) - enort3@eq.edu.au Kate Patterson (Tues, Thurs, Fri) - kwhit427@eq.edu.au
Deputy Principal 11 & 12 – Mitch Kennedy – mkenn178@eq.edu.au
Deputy Principal 10 – Lieve Rimbaut – lrimb1@eq.edu.au

Our Team

Principal – Senior Schooling – Peter Hughes
Guidance Officer – Steve Jones
Inclusion Coordinator Year 11 & 12 – Jake McManus
Inclusion Coordinator Year 10 – Kate Fechner
Head of Department – Senior Schooling – Mick McDougall

Sign-in and Sign-Out Procedures

We appreciate there will always be occasions where students may be late to school and be required to leave early. Reducing the amount of these per Term and increasing student attendance is a high priority for us in the Senior School.

School commences at 9am each day. All students who arrive past this time should sign in at Y Block Student Services. All students signing in late require a written note from home.
Any sign-out early note needs to be written by a parent/carer and submitted to a Head of Year in Y Block by 8:45am. Only in emergent circumstances should parents be phoning/emailing the school to sign students out.

Assessment

Assessment Calendars for years 10, 11 and 12 will be uploaded to the school website during week 3 of this term https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au. Click on the curriculum tab and then under testing and assessment. This information will be useful for parents and students when planning their study timetable or any extended absences during school time.

Year 10

Year 10 students are reminded that their results in Semester 1 will determine their pathway and subject availability in Years 11 and 12. To study an ATAR pathway students need to be achieving at least a B level in English and Maths. If students wish to study Senior Science subjects, they also need to be achieving at least a B level in Year 10 Science, (Academic Excellence students will have slightly different cut offs).

Year 10s are also reminded that they can commence School based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATS) in Year 10. These courses provide students with paid employment and work skills, 8 QCE points (equivalent of 2 subjects) and a Certificate 3 qualification which may provide tertiary options. Please see Ms. Shreeve in Y block for further details.

Year 11

Year 11 students will be very busy in 2026 as Units 1 and 2 are completed across the first 3 terms. Students then commence Unit 3 (Year 12 work) in term 4.

Year 11 students are again reminded that they can commence School based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs) if they are not concurrently completing a VETis funded course. These courses provide students with paid employment and work skills, 8 QCE points (equivalent of 2 subjects) and a Certificate 3 qualification which may provide tertiary options. Please see Ms. Shreeve in Y block for further details.

Year 12

Year 12 students have completed their first summative assessment item from Unit 3 at the end of last term in most subjects.

This is a very important term for Year 12s; by the end of this term, they will have completed 50% of their Unit 3 and 4 assessments in all subjects except Maths and Sciences so it is important that they are prioritising their time appropriately.

Students are again reminded that all students need to be eligible to for a Queensland Certificate of Education to remain enrolled in Senior Schooling. For students in year 11 and 12 this means they must be passing at least 5 of their 6 subjects (regardless of whether they are completing a traineeship). All students who are doing VET subjects must be up to date at the end of each term. Time will be allocated during shutdown to ensure that these students are up to date. Students who do not complete their competencies will have their enrolment reviewed.

PBC Newsletter

Nil Sed Optima

Issue 8 · 23 Jan 2026

In this issue