Principal Update

Message from the Principal

Principal’s Message: Celebrating an Exceptional Semester of Growth and Achievement

Semester 1 at Balmoral State High School has been one of outstanding achievement and continued growth. I am proud to share that our Semester 1, 2025 academic results—92.9% A–C across all year levels—are the strongest in our school’s history. This exceptional milestone is a direct result of the collective effort of our students, staff, and families, and the focused, deliberate work we are leading around student engagement, learner agency, and wellbeing.

Alongside this achievement, our ongoing emphasis on explicit instruction and clarity around learning tasks and evidence has been instrumental in supporting student progress. We are deeply committed to ensuring students understand not only what they are learning, but why, and how to improve. This clarity is helping our learners grow in confidence and capability.

Our partnership with The Resilience Project continues to shape a school culture where students thrive—not just academically, but socially and emotionally. Our aspiration remains clear: to foster 21st-century competencies in a supportive, forward-thinking environment that prepares students to navigate their futures with resilience and purpose.

Every day, I see this vision in action. Whether in junior or senior classes, students are focused, engaged, and striving for improvement. They can confidently explain what they’re learning, how they’re tracking, and what steps they need to take to move forward. This is true learner agency—students taking meaningful ownership of their learning journey.

At Balmoral, Inspiring Excellence is about more than strong results. It means cultivating continuous improvement and personal growth—developing globally competent citizens who are informed, capable, and ready to contribute in a changing world. We are proud to challenge traditional models of assessment and empower students to be active participants in evaluating their own success.

I’m incredibly proud of our school community and the purposeful work underway to build a learning culture defined by agency, belonging, and innovation.

Now Accepting Enrolments for Year 7, 2026

Thank you to the many families who have already submitted enrolment applications for 2026. This year, we’ve refined our enrolment process to ensure a more personalised transition for new students.

Our Enrolment Specialist, Lisa Hughes, is available to support families through tailored enrolment interviews, helping to build a student learning profile that will inform their transition and placement. Submitting enrolment paperwork early will ensure your child secures an individual interview time. Families can select preferred times for these interviews, which will help us better understand each student’s strengths and needs before their transition day later in the year.

Additionally, Ashley Boyd, Head of Department – Junior Secondary, will soon begin outreach visits to our primary feeder schools to commence this important transition process for our incoming Year 7 cohort.

Enjoy the Winter Break

As we head into the mid-year break, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all students, staff, and families in our Balmoral community. I encourage everyone to use this time to rest, recharge, and reflect.

We are looking forward to an exciting Semester 2, with new initiatives and opportunities to further enhance the student experience at Balmoral.

Timothy Barruad,

Principal