When the Minister announced the formation of the new senior school in Cannington he invited Mr Lyndon Rowe, Chief Executive of the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce (Inc) to Chair an Interim Board to advise on the establishment of the new College. By appointing business and community members to the Interim Board, the Minister indicated his desire that these members would bring their business and community perspectives and expertise to the establishment of Sevenoaks.

The Board’s initial vision was that: Sevenoaks Senior College will be acknowledged as a state and national leader in senior secondary education through enterprise education initiatives, school – industry links, work-based learning and applications of information technology in the delivery and management of education programs. This vision set the future for a unique learning environment to support students future aspirations. 350-370 students enrolled annually in the initial phases of Sevenoaks as a senior college.

Sevenoaks' success in its foundation years was the result of the interface with industry and business leaders who planned and created the direction for the College. It was recognised very early that senior schooling was more than a pathway to university and that all students’ aspirations should be met. This ground-breaking work under the Foundation Board Chair, Lyndon Rowe (2000-2006), ensured a strong vision for the College and its students – Find Your Future.

The focus on pathway planning in an enterprise environment has enabled enduring success for our students. David Wood, our Foundation Principal (2000-2006) was the architect of the pathway planning model for our students whilst at the same time, he and his Vice Principal, Di Turner, developed the Young Adult Ethos and the Advocacy support program which remain enduring features of Sevenoaks. Mr Wood left the College in 2006 to assume the appointment as CEO Curriculum Council during a period of unprecedented curriculum reform. He was succeeded by Dr Kathleen Partridge.

In 2010, Sevenoaks was one of 34 schools announced as an Independent Public School (IPS) which paved the way for a decentralised model of school governance. With an already well-established College Board comprising key stakeholders from universities, industry and business, and community representatives including parents, the Board transitioned seamlessly to the IPS model. Principal, Dr Kathleen Partridge (2006-2021) was instrumental in the success of this application which placed Sevenoaks as a lead Independent Public School in Western Australia.

Another significant development during this period was the WA government gradually raising the school leaving age in 2006 from 15 to 16 years of age and then in 2008, from 16 to 17 years of age. These changes required further development of programs at Sevenoaks to accommodate the range of learners who would remain in schooling.

Dr Marnie O’Neill assumed the role of Board Chair from 2011 and remains in the position to date as our longest serving Board Chair. During her tenure, there have been significant developments for Sevenoaks. Dr O’Neill led the Board through the implementation of IPS and presided over the first Independent Public School review which provided a positive report with no recommendations for remediation required.

Another major impact on the College was the arrival of the half cohort across 2013-2014 comprised of students who had enrolled in 2002 as year one students with birthdates only in the first half of the year. Managing the impact of the half-cohort on the one-line budget and staffing profile of the College was achieved through a well-constructed financial plan to ensure sustainability of program services and delivery.

During the same era, Principal, Dr Partridge with the Board, applied for and was successful in application to the federal government funding for an industry standard Trade Training Centre. The centre opened in 2013 with students enrolling in Certificate courses in engineering and automotive which enabled access to apprenticeships with key industry partners. Concurrently, this resulted in a focus on developing partnerships with industry and training to support the outcomes of students within the Trade Training Centre.

A self-assessment school review was led by Ms Edwards during the 2020 which resulted in the 2022-2024 Business Plan being developed through the collaborative processes of all staff. The College was commended on the progress it had made and the vision for the next phase of the College.

During 2021 the Minister announced a review of secondary schooling in the Cannington/Maddington localities. The Public Consultation Review was to determine if the current model of delivery was meeting the publics’ expectations of schooling. The Principal Ms Edwards and Dr Marnie O’Neill, alongside the Board Chairs of Cannington Community College and Cannington Education Support Centre, formed an alliance to promote the value of the schooling model to the local community.

The Community endorsed the structure of the three co-located colleges with their existing functions as the model which best served the needs and interests of the community, rather than the proposal to revert to the standard schooling structures which had been eliminated in the Local Area Education Proposal in 1999. Community voice was heard and the Colleges were endorsed as the best structure to meet the needs of the local community.
The only loss was that of Yule Brook College who were endorsed to enrol Year 11 and 12 students into their Big Picture Academy. Students wishing to enrol at Sevenoaks, were still entitled to do so should they not wish to follow the Big Picture Academy pathway.
Adding to our key strategic initiatives a new STEM centre was announced in 2021 to support our students’ aspirations in this key area. With industry standard equipment and facilities, the vision for the centre was developed by Ms Edwards in consultation with the Board and the engineering teacher.

Its mission is to train low income youth in employable technical skills and connect them to good jobs in their communities through school-based, industry-supported skills training. Through the TEC Consortium, students develop a greater understanding of the Automotive and Engineering industries, STEM related pathways and develop authentic technical and soft skills.

Partnerships with community groups and organisations also emerged particularly for our Aboriginal students. The Graham Farmer Foundation Follow the Dream program supported aspirant university students with tutoring and personal organisation. The Clontarf Football Academy was linked to football representation, aligned to attendance to school for our young men. The Wirrapanda Foundation (now Waalitz Foundation) provided mentoring to our young Aboriginal women through the Deadly Sistas program. We also established a community partnership with Yule Brook College as a part of the Aboriginal Innovative Schools strategy, Moort Baraning Waangkiny - Communities Coming Together.

A partnership with BGE to implement their RAP resulted in significant scholarship opportunities for Aboriginal students during school, but also tracking into TAFE, University and into employment in STEM fields. This partnership meshed well with the 2013 Aboriginal Innovative Schools Agreement negotiated by Principal, Dr Karen Read and the local community.

In partnership with Communicare, Parenting WA and Canning Coalition we established a young parents’ program to support teenage parents so that they could continue with their education. The Young Active Parents Program (YAPP) was successful in gaining $50,000 ETPP funding to support the development and ongoing delivery of this program. In 2012, ten young mums were enrolled in the program. The program provided continued support with several students continuing on to TAFE and university.

As time has progressed, pathway planning has been enhanced with new opportunities provided for students to explore their future in a changing world of work requiring new skill sets and new technologies. Partnerships with universities, industry and business continue to be critical in our efforts to support our students with their aspirations as we work in partnership with them to find your future.

Find your future also focuses on transition to employment through school based apprenticeship, workplace experience and a new microcredentials program which allows students to experience a number of possible transitions to employment.

During 2023 the Canning City Council commenced a redevelopment of the Canning Town Centre which has the potential for higher enrolments and therefore opportunity to increase the program offerings.

This brief history demonstrates the ways in which the vision and values of the College are actualised to ensure a school community focused on: inclusion; participation and opportunities for all students;
integration with the local, regional and national community partners; and, a diversity of programmes to ensure that all students can find their future.