Sport 

The BDC Philosophy of Sport

Sport plays a central role in the college’s mission to support and nurture students with diverse needs and to create dynamic, caring and optimistic individuals. Involvement in sport develops students’ confidence and resilience through physical, technical and mental stimulus, and provides exposure to teamwork and leadership opportunities.  

Sport at Bishop Druitt College encourages participation, respect, inclusivity and enjoyment, and promotes positive health choices, self and social awareness, and leadership. At the core of our sport program is participation, with every student involved in sport at Bishop Druitt College.  

PDHPE and Tuesday School Sport

In the primary school all students participate in a compulsory PDHPE program.  Students are involved in a weekly sports program that focuses on skill development and encourages a positive attitude to physical activity.  Primary students also engage in regular PE sessions throughout the week.

In the secondary school all students in Years 7 - 10 complete a compulsory PDHPE program in accordance with the NESA guidelines. Additionally, all students in Years 7 - 10 also participate in the Tuesday sport program that is separate, yet supports the development of skills from PDHPE.  

Students in Years 7 - 8 have set sports with some opportunity to select the sports they wish to be involved in on Tuesdays.  The range of sports available to students increases in Years 9 & 10.  These programs are compulsory and any costs involved for student participation are charged to parents via the Parent Lounge.

Representative Sport

The opportunity to engage in competitive sport in the primary school is ensured for all students through the inter-house competitions.

Bishop Druitt College is a member school of the North Coast Independent Schools (NCIS) association for inter-school sporting competitions.  Participation in these competitions is decided in a number of ways. For many of the sports, including swimming, athletics and cross country, students are selected after successful performance in the relevant school carnival.  

Entries for swimming and athletics are done electronically via Meet Manager software. These entries are required 1 week prior to carnivals and changes are not permitted on the day. Swimming nominations are completed by parents (primary) and students (secondary) and then sent back to parents/students for checking.

There is also a challenge process for students who did not meet the selection requirements during a team trial or inter-house carnival due to genuine illness, attendance at other sporting trials or due to special reasons as identified by the Sports Administrator, Head of School or the Principal. Students who miss the initial selection process are required to submit a verifiable performance within one week of the required timeline. Students must complete and submit a sport selection challenge form to the Sports Administrator within that week.

Opportunities to enjoy sport and to develop skills, sportsmanship and team spirit are enhanced by the involvement of qualified development officers and coaching staff for a variety of sports. College teams participate in inter-house, local, regional and state-wide competitions, and talented students have access to representative pathways within the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) framework.  

Students’ behaviour and attitude at school will also be considered when allowing them to represent Bishop Druitt College in sporting activities.  A student who has a recent history of poor behaviour or unexplained absences will not be allowed to represent the college. The Sports Administrator is to present the team list to the relevant head of school prior to the team being announced, to ensure these protocols are addressed.

Team sport nominations are via Schoolbox.

A notice will be put in Schoolbox with a link to the form for all eligible students to nominate for any sport they would like to have the opportunity to play. Some sports will require a trial process, as team numbers are limited, but this should not discourage students from trying a new sport. It is a process we have to follow to make it fair for all students.

Most representative sports are for students from Year 5 – Year 12 and occasionally we have gala days that include students from Year 3 – Year 12.

Playing representative sport is a choice made by the students and parents of the college.  As such, parents agree to the charges that will be incurred if their child is selected for and competes in representative sports. Representative sport includes local, inter-school, regional, state and national competitions.

The college will also support individual/team sporting pursuits including: AFL, rugby league, athletics, cricket, cross country, equestrian, golf, hockey, squash, surf sports, swimming, tennis and mountain biking.

Participation

The Sports Administrator is responsible for publishing information regarding sporting events and teams. The TASS Parent Lounge is the portal through which information, permission, medical document review and payment for sporting events is administered.

To ensure that all of the above is addressed, Bishop Druitt College will no longer be using paper permission notes. This change is due to new state registration requirements concerning the storage of student data and school procedures.

Uniform

Students must travel to their competition in either their Bishop Druitt College sport uniform, or their school uniform. Team uniforms cannot be ordered or purchased without the express permission of the Principal.

Student Behaviour

Bishop Druitt College rules and regulations regarding student behaviour apply to all students when representing the college in sporting events. Good sportsmanship is expected.

Expectations of Spectators

Bishop Druitt College students participate in school competitions as school students. That is the context in which the school competes. In all sports there will occasionally be decisions made that we might wish to contest.  Spectators are expected to allow those contentious matters to be handled by the relevant coach or the sports administrator. Criticisms of other teams, coaches, individuals or officials are unwelcome and contrary to the Bishop Druitt College philosophy of sport.

Sport Code of Conduct

Adults play an essential role in supporting sport at BDC. Children learn best by example. Therefore, codes of conduct provide clear behavioural guidelines and promote a quality environment in which both the sport and the participants can flourish.

The following codes of conduct apply for all BDC sport programs:

Players

• Play by the rules: they are there for the good of all.
• Never argue with an official: if you disagree, discuss the matter with your coach or teacher after the game.
• Control your temper: verbal abuse, racial or religious vilification of other players, or provoking an opponent or the other team are never appropriate.
• Be a good sport: applaud all good plays by your team, opponent or the opposition team.
• Treat all players fairly: treat all players as you would like to be treated.
• Do not interfere with, bully or take unfair advantage of another player.
• Cooperate willingly: cooperate with your coach, teammates and opponents. Without them there would be no game.
• Play for fun: play for the ‘fun of it’ and not just to please parents and coaches.

Coaches and Teachers

• Be reasonable in your demands: consider young players' time, energy and enthusiasm levels.
• Avoid over-playing the talented players. The 'average' players need and deserve equal time.
• Keep winning in perspective: maximise participation because children participate for fun and enjoyment.
• Stress safety: ensure that equipment and facilities are safe and appropriate for age and ability levels.
• Consider maturity levels: match up practice schedules, activities and degree of competition.
• Develop team respect: for opponents as well as for the judgement of officials and opposing coaches.
• Recognise the importance of injury: seek and follow the physician's advice concerning injured players.
• Keep informed: follow the sound principles of coaching and skill development, and the development of children.
• Teach sporting behaviour: create opportunities to teach appropriate sports behaviour as well as basic skills.
• Get priorities right: ensure skill learning and appropriate behaviour are the priority over competition.
• Teach fair play: help children understand their responsibility to play fairly.

Parents and Spectators

• Encourage children to participate regardless of ability.
• Encourage participants to always play by the rules.
• Never ridicule mistakes or losses.
• Remember that participants learn best by example. Applaud good play by all teams.
• Never publicly disagree with officials. If you disagree, raise the issue privately through appropriate channels.
• Actively discourage racial abuse.
• Recognise the value and importance of volunteer coaches, managers and umpires/referees. They give their time and resources to provide a game for young participants.
• Remember that participants play for fun and are not miniature professionals.
• Condemn the use of violence in any form, be it by spectators, coaches, officials or players.
• Encourage players to accept the referee's/umpire's decisions.
• Demonstrate exemplary behaviour by not using foul language, or harassing players, coaches or officials.

Outdoor Education

Experiencing rites of passage through outdoor education is an integral part of college life at BDC. This is delivered via annual experiential learning opportunities, camps and journey-based expeditions that begin in Year 1 and progress through to Year 12.

The BDC outdoor education program varies significantly from the standard recreational camps as it provides students with new skills at a level suitable to their abilities. The skills, experiences and relationships developed during these opportunities provide students with the confidence to face future challenges both during and beyond school. 

Outdoor education is led by our college staff and assisted by qualified specialist instructors from some of Australia’s premier outdoor education providers.  Annual camps are compulsory components of the Bishop Druitt College experience.

OUR OUTDOOR EDUCATION EXPERIENCES AIM TO SUPPORT STUDENT GROWTH THROUGH:

• Helping our students to learn more about themselves
• Supporting and role modelling positive ways to interact with others
• Providing an opportunity to explore nature
• Building leadership and mentoring opportunities and skills
• Building an adventurous spirit

Research shows that one week of camping without electronics resets our biological body clock and synchronises our melatonin hormones with sunrise and sunset.

Outdoor Education Dates