Onslow College

Story

Onslow College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. The school opened in 1956 to serve the city's rapidly growing northern suburbs. The current principal is Mr Peter Leggat.The Onslow WayThe Onslow Way differentiates Onslow College from other schools in that the college does not have prefects, Head Boys or Girls or college houses.To replace the 'responsibility void' left by lack of a prefect system, Onslow College has championed the peer mediation system, where trained students talk to their peers about incidents that have occurred at school, such as bullying, isolation or drug use. This allows students to feel more comfortable while discussing these issues, without fear of retribution which invariably arises in a staff member's presence.Students also have a large say in the running of the school. Each form class elects one or two representatives to a year level council, which then in turn appoint representatives to the school student council. Students can also put their own names forward for nomination for the board of trustees. The student members of the board of trustees are appointed by a vote by the entire student body.Students also sit on panels for job applicants, property matters, and many other facets of the running of the school.The Onslow Way is also identified by students as a reference to the style in which the school encompasses, of being a liberal school which encourages individuality and self-expression. Because of this, Onslow has strength in the creative arts and supports a very popular music department and high numbers of students taking part in drama, art and photography as NCEA classes.Uniform policyOnslow College is one of only two state secondary schools within the Wellington region that has no officially enforced dress code. The uniform code was removed after protest by the students during the late 60s and early 70s. Uniforms were seen by the students as a waste of their teachers' time and were slowly but eventually removed in stages; with the gloves and hats being the first to be removed. A schoolwide student strike was the major turning point in the removal of the uniform, an event which was attributed to the college's individuality and its unique 'Onslow Way'. Students only have to abide by the "non offensive rule" in which clothing items must not contain offensive images.