Our Purpose
The power of parents
The two biggest areas of control are the school envirnonment, and the home environment. Every second that a child spends in each of these domains is spent perceiving, interpreting, learning, and practicing. They learn from what we say, and they learn even more from what we do.
Being a parent or carer of young people is a wonderful blessing, and also can seem like an impossible challenge. Everyone has an an opinion, but few know what it is like in your household.
Parents should be able to feel confident as role models, protectors, providers, companions, first aiders (for both mental and physical health challenges), safe spaces, instructors, counsellors, boundary setters. The Parent Institute believes that the resources can be found, or created, to allow this to be the case.
None of this can be achieved alone and so through partnerships within households, between households, and between home and school our young people can learn to thrive.
Upcoming Events
Developing Character & Enterprise at School
- Monday 9 September
- 7:00 - 8:15 PM
- Rhodes Theatre
In today’s rapidly changing world, our youth need more than just knowledge; they need personal growth, global awareness, and the skills to contribute meaningfully to society.
Revitalising Indigenous Languages in Australia
- Tuesday September 17
- 6:30 - 7:30 pm
- BCMA Theatre
In recent years, governments at the national and state level have sought to prioritise the revival of Indigenous language teaching and learning. Jasmine Seymour will speak about Indigenous language revitalisation and her ongoing work with Dharug.
On The Same Page: A special webinar for Year 10 families
- Monday 23 September
- 7:30 - 8:45pm
- Online Webinar
The Barker College Wellbeing Team have invited David and Katie Kobler of YourChoicez to present an online webinar designed to facilitate conversations amongst Year 10 families.
Past Events
Female Athlete Health & Understanding the Menstrual Cycle
- Tuesday 20 August
- 6:30 - 7:45 pm
- Rhodes Theatre, Barker College
A workshop designed to educate all families, athletes and friends, to support and empower female athletes to build confidence so they can reach their potential in sport and life.
Adolescent Cyber Safety in 2024 with 'ySafe'
- 5 August 2024
- 7:00 - 8:15 pm
- Rhodes Theatre, Barker College
The online world continues to grow and extend into all areas of our lives including that of our students. YSafe can give parents the knowledge and skills to support children as they develop in this technology-enabled world.
Adolescent Drug & Alcohol Education - with Tanya Cavanagh of 'Not Even Once'
- Tuesday 25 June
- 7:00 - 8:15pm
- Rhodes Theatre, Barker College
In 2024 Barker is partnering with leading drug and alcohol education provider, 'Not Even Once', to work with students, and on the evening of June 25, with parents.
Confidence is Key! A celebration of Mathematics at Barker
- Tuesday 4 June
- 6:00 - 7:40 pm
- Senior School Hub (Mathematics Building) - Barker College
Inquisitive minds of all ages are invited to the new Mathematics building on the evening of Tuesday 4 June to an interactive night exploring the wonderful world of mathematics at Barker.
Relationships & Consent Education - with Elephant Ed
- Thursday 16 May
- 6:30 - 8:00 pm
- Rhodes Theatre, Barker College
In 2024 Barker is partnering with leading relationships and consent education provider, Elephant Ed, to work with students, and on the evening of May 16th, with parents.
Year 7 Study Habits – An interactive seminar for parents and Year 7 students to attend together
- Tuesday 30 April 2024
- 6:30 - 7:45 pm
- Leslie Hall
Year 7 is an opportunity to develop effective study and learning habits. The Barker Institute will be hosting a workshop bringing parents and students together, that they may be on the same page and pursue study success as a team, using the best available information as a guide. The workshop will be run by Dr Matthew Hill, Director of the Barker Institute, drew on research and Barker-specific expertise to present hard-hitting facts about the way that the brain works and how to maximise study success despite our busy lives. Talking points will include Location, location, location Scheduling for success The why and how of using a diary Different types of study Maximising memory Momentum: Show up and start!
On The Same Page: A special webinar for Year 7 families
- Tuesday 2 April
- 7:30 - 8:45pm
- Online Webinar
The Barker College Wellbeing Team have invited David and Katie Kobler of YourChoicez to present an online webinar designed to facilitate conversations amongst Year 7 families.
Education beyond borders: what is Barker doing in humanitarian education?
- Monday 25 March
- 6:30 - 8:00pm
- Rhodes Theatre
The Barker Institute warmly invites you to hear about another initiative of the Humanitarian Program.
An evening of Engagement in Engineering
- Thursday 7th March
- 6:30 - 8:00pm
- David Gamson Centre - (Gamson Gym)
A fun and informative evening involving interactive STEAM challenges organised by our Year 12 students, followed by a panel discussion with both experts and tertiary students of engineering.
Discover Barker
- Thursday 29 February
- 6:00 - 7:00pm
- The Piazza, Kurrajong Building, Barker College Junior School
An informative session that will create an opportunity to further connect our community.
The Language of Friendship with UR Strong
- Thursday 22 February
- 6:30 - 7:45 pm
- Online Classroom
On Tuesday 20 February, Barker College Junior School is celebrating a Day of Friendship. On Thursday evening, Barker Junior School Students and Parents are invited to join together in an online classroom to continue the conversation about the language of friendship.
Year 11 Jumpstart - Webinar for Students and Parents
- Thursday 8 February
- 7:30-8:15 pm
- Online Webinar
An opportunity to meet key Barker staff members supporting Year 11 in 2024 and ask questions. Students and parents are encouraged to watch this webinar together.
International Human Rights Under Pressure - What can Barker do?
- Wednesday 8 November 2023
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Join us on 8 November in Rhodes Theatre to learn more about Barker's Humanitarian Programs at its first-ever public event!
Science Extension Public Lectures & Showcase
- Monday 23 October
- 6:00 - 8:15pm
- Barker College
New and improved for 2023. Free public lectures on the Science Extension Course with Poster Session. Come for revision for the HSC exam two days later, come for profesisonal development, come as you begin your Science Extension journey!
Barker Big Start Webinar - Year 12 2024 Students and Parents
- Wednesday 11 October
- 7:00-8:00 PM
- Online Webinar
Following the student retreat on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 October, a webinar will be held for commencing Year 12 student and parents to view together. Key information for the final year of schooling will be presented allowing families to plan effectively and be well prepared for the coming journey.
Teacher Coaches Appreciation Society - Barker Coach Meet
- Wednesday 30 August 2023
- 4:30pm - 6:00pm
The 2023 Coachmeet. This event aims to foster collaboration and bring people involved in coaching and professional development programs together to share stories about their school’s experiences.
Social Impact Economics and Entrepreneurship - An evening with Dr Nat Ware (Class of '06)
- Monday 21 August
- 6:30-8:00 pm
Since graduating at Barker, Nat has founder and directed two global social-impact organisations. Using examples from his personal journey, he will explain three different approaches to social impact, and answer questions about his research and entrepreneurial projects.
Science Week Celebration 2023
- Tuesday 15 August 2023
- 5:15pm - 8:15pm Science Quadrangle
Come and celebrate National Science Week at Barker College. All welcome.
Scientific Tinkering activities will be followed by Guest speaker Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Material scientist, engineer & inventor and 2022 NSW Australian of the Year!
Understanding "The Voice" - With Julian Leeser MP
- Monday 14 August
- 7:15-8:30pm
- Barker College
In preparation for the upcoming referendum, the Barker Institute warmly invites all in the community (not just those formally associated with Barker College) to hear from our electorate’s representative to Parliament, Julian Leeser MP, Federal Member for Berowra.
In Pursuit of Excellence: The diverse faces of giftedness at Barker
- Tuesday 30 May
- 6:30pm - 7:45pm
- The Piazza, Kurrajong Building, Barker College Junior School
This seminar will provide both an overview of gifted education theory and the opportunity to see its practical application within the Barker community
Truth Telling: Stories from the Kinchela Boys Home
- Monday 29 May
- 4:00 - 5:30 pm
The theme for Reconciliation Week 2023 is “Be a Voice for Generations”. The survivors from the Kinchela Boys Home live this mantra through their work in Truth Telling and their education program.
Making Good Arguments with Bo Seo
- Tuesday 23 May
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm
- Recital Hall, McCaskell Music Centre, Barker College
Former Barker School captain, World Schools and World University debating champion, Bo Seo, will speak with Mr Hood about ideas from his recently-published book, Good Arguments.
Raising Respect with Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones
- 2 May 2023
- 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm
- BCMA Theatre (Kefford Building)
Raising Respect: How online interactions and viewing habits impact our teens and their relationships.
Respect is one of the five Barker values which we aim to display through every individual and relationship in our school community. Being respectful requires both the desire to respect, and the knowledge of how to best demonstrate this respect. What teenagers do and view online is a key factor influencing both their attitudes and knowledge around respect, relationships, and consent.
Year 7 Study Habits – An interactive seminar for parents and Year 7 students to attend together
- Wednesday 26 April 2023
- 6:30 - 7:45 pm
- Leslie Hall
Year 7 is an opportunity to develop effective study and learning habits. The Barker Institute will be hosting a workshop bringing parents and students together, that they may be on the same page and pursue study success as a team, using the best available information as a guide. The workshop will be run by Dr Matthew Hill, Director of the Barker Institute, drew on research and Barker-specific expertise to present hard-hitting facts about the way that the brain works and how to maximise study success despite our busy lives. Talking points will include Location, location, location Scheduling for success The why and how of using a diary Different types of study Maximising memory Momentum: Show up and start!
The Barker Junior School Journey – Celebrating four years of research into the Barker Junior School difference
- Monday 20 March 2023
- 6:30pm - 8:00pm
- The Piazza, Kurrajong building, Barker College Junior School
The Barker Journey longitudinal study has now completed its fourth year. The subjects of the study are a group of students who celebrated the conclusion of their primary schooling in 2022. The significance of this milestone was underlined by the current Barker Journey cohort also being the first fully coeducational primary school year group to progress through Year 3-6 at Barker. This article presents an overview of the primary school phase of the Barker Journey project, 2019-2022. In so doing, it presents a longitudinal perspective on learning, teaching, and schooling that is distinctly student-based. These students are part of the generation labelled “Generation Alpha” and their narratives about how they have experienced going to school in the 21st century have provided valuable insights that deserve the attention of teacher and educational leader alike. The article provides a complementary analysis to the annually published articles that focus on student perspectives year-by-year. It explores the four-year development of five topics for investigation described in the methodology of the 2019 article – values, relationships, resilience, coeducation, and aspirations – and conveys its findings with an emphasis on the concepts of continuity and change as well as lessons and provocations for educators to consider.
Discover Barker
- Thursday 2 March 2023
- 6:00pm - 7:00pm
- Leslie Hall
On behalf of Mr Phillip Heath and the Barker Institute, we warmly invite you to Discover Barker. This informative session will create an opportunity to further connect our community as well as provide helpful information for families – both new and old.
The Lift Project: A year-long, evidence-based wellbeing project for the whole Barker community
- Monday 20 Feb 2023
- 7:00pm - 8.15pm
- Rhodes Theatre
Each month, the whole Barker community will be participating in one of the 10 modules of The Lift Project, which explores simple but science-based strategies for lifting your mood and your life. Students will engage in The Lift Project through in class and extra-curricular activities.
School TV
The Parent Institute offers support to families through an external provider known as School TV. Barker Families have full access to the School TV libarary with talks and interviews from leading specialists on topics such as:
- Understanding adolescence // Raising Girls / Raising Boys // Resilience // Blended Families //
- Sleep // Body Image // Eating Disorders // Managing Screen Time //
- Respectful Relationships // Bullying // Internet Addiction // Online Pornography // Youth Anxiety
Barker families can contact The Barker Institute for a direct link to access all content now.
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Parent Hope Project
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The Parent Institute is a provider of training as part of the Parent Hope project (see https://parenthopeproject.com.au/).
In Semester 1, 2024 Barker Junior School staff are being trained in the project in order to continue to support family practices at the school. This training will be extended to an offering for parents at Barker and in the wider community later in 2024. Benefits for parents include:
- Parents learning to manage their own anxieties and anxieties of their children
- Parents recovering confidence in their capacity to contribute to their child’s wellbeing and responsibility.
- Parents working as part of communities to foster emotional and social development of children
Read more about the Parent Hope project at Barker in our blog.
Lift@Barker
In 2022 and 2023 The Barker Wellbeing Team sought detailed feedback on Student Wellbeing Programs from Senior Leaders, Pastoral Care Teachers and Students. The team then sought the input of Dr Darren Morton of Avondale University. Dr Morton is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the Lifestyle Research Centre, and he developed a wellbeing program based on the positive psychology philosophy called The Lift Project. The Barker Wellbeing Team and Dr Morton then created a hybrid student wellbeing program called Lift@Barker. This is 10 module program with a duration of 10 months. Since launching this program at Barker, Dr Morton has worked closely with our school pastoral care teachers and students to ensure the appropriate implementation of the program. Lift@Barker is a whole school program for our students, staff, and families undertaken together as a community and is implemented in our Connect Time lessons.
Find out more about The Lift Project at The Lift Project website.
Barker families can also access Lift@Barker via Canvas links. Contact The Barker Institute for more information and direct access.
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Parent Hope Project – the Confident Parent Course begins….!
Supporting parents to be the best resource for their children
- Lisa Chalmers
- 24 May 2024
Event: Year 7 Study Habits 2024
Notes from an interactive workshop to help Year 7 students and their parents develop good study habits
- Dr Matthew Hill
- 30 April 2024
Character and Its Importance
Someone who has helped me think about character is the journalist David Brooks. Brooks says there are two kinds of virtues by which we tend to define ourselves.
- Mark Lovell
- 15 February 2024
Effective Character Education
Character education is more than the provision of an a well-intentioned, resourced, researched opportunities and programs targeting values, it involves a journey of becoming, where students learn to make wise moral decisions, think critically, live in harmony with others and be successful in challenges of life.
- Peter Gibson
- 18 August 2023
In Pursuit of Excellence: The Diverse Faces of Giftedness at Barker
Giftedness is a much discussed yet often misunderstood area of education. Within the Barker Community, we seek to support and celebrate giftedness across multiple domains.
- Matthew Hill
- 06 June 2023