Barker College

In the Junior School, Barker is authorised by the International Baccalaureate to teach the Primary Years Programme (PYP), an inquiry-based framework for children from Pre-K to Year 6 that connects learning with real-world and global contexts. Secondary students follow the New South Wales curriculum, culminating in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in Year 12. As a Round Square school, Barker also offers exchanges with partner schools around the world and international conference opportunities.

English is the language of instruction throughout the school. As an IB PYP school, the Junior School frames learning with an international outlook, and Round Square membership provides opportunities for international exchanges and contact with partner schools abroad. The school website does not list the modern foreign languages taught, so families should confirm current language options with the admissions office.

The school is organised in three sections on one campus. The Junior School covers Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6 and follows the IB Primary Years Programme framework. The Middle School covers Years 7 to 9 and acts as a bridge to subject-based study, with a strong House-based pastoral structure. The Senior School covers Years 10 to 12, where students choose courses aligned with their strengths and sit the NSW Higher School Certificate. Main entry points are Pre-K, Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 5 and Year 7.

Barker offers coeducational boarding for students in Years 9 to 12 in refurbished, air-conditioned houses on the Hornsby campus. The boarding community is deliberately small, with around 60 places, so staff know each boarder personally. Boarders have supervised evening study with tutoring support, take part in weekly chapel and have access to the school's facilities. Brothers and sisters can board together, and Indigenous boarding scholarships are offered with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.

Barker describes itself as a Christian school within the Anglican tradition that aims to combine strong learning with care for each student's wellbeing. Its motto, Honor Non Honores, invites students to value honour above prizes. The school's stated values are commitment, compassion, courage, integrity and respect, and its vision is to be a leading Christian school with a global outlook that gives young people hope and the capacity to make a difference.

Sport is compulsory from Year 3 to Year 12. Junior students compete through IPSHA, while secondary teams play in the ISA and CAS competitions with pathways to CIS and state representation. The programme covers over twenty sports, including AFL, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rugby, rowing, tennis, volleyball, water polo, swimming and diving, athletics, fencing, equestrian, golf, squash, taekwondo, snowsports and surf life saving. Beyond sport there are orchestras, bands, jazz and choirs, school plays and an annual musical, robotics teams (VEX and FIRST), debating and public speaking, cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.

The campus in Hornsby has been the school's home since 1895 and continues to be developed under a long-term master plan. It includes a chapel, a dedicated Music Centre used by hundreds of students each week, a purpose-built VEX robotics laboratory and a full-size FRC robotics facility, sports fields and boarding houses with air-conditioned rooms. Approved works include a new aquatic and tennis centre with an indoor pool and rooftop tennis courts, plus a performing arts and examination centre. Barker also owns The Grange, an outdoor education centre at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains.

Barker runs a private bus network with several routes across Sydney's northern suburbs and the Northern Beaches, and the campus is a short walk from Hornsby and Waitara train stations. A Health Centre, counsellors, a chaplaincy team and an Individual Learning team support students, and there is a gifted education programme. Scholarships of up to full tuition are offered for entry into Year 7, along with music and Year 10 scholarships. Students wear the school uniform, sold through the on-site Plume Store.