About Central Southland College

Location

We are  in Winton, a lovely small town (pop 2000)  30 minute's drive north of the  southern city of Invercargill (pop 50,000), in the province of Southland, New Zealand.

That makes us only 1.5 hour's drive from Queenstown, the same to Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri, and just a hop and a skip to Stewart Island.  We enjoy a sunny and temperate climate, just out of reach of coastal winds.

Our School Community

We are the local secondary school for a very wide area of Central Southland, including the small towns and districts of Winton, Otautau, Nightcaps, Ohai, Dipton, and Hedgehope, together with a huge area of farmland.  Most of our students travel to school by free school bus.  We enjoy a high level of community confidence, and  positive relationships with parents, community sports coaches, local businesses, and contributing primary schools.  Our school community is approximately 12% maori.
After hours, our school is used by lots of community groups such as basketball competitions, the swimming club, sewing classes, and so on.

General Facts

Our roll is approximately 500, we are co-educational, and offer courses from Year 9 (age about 13) to Year 13 (age about 18).  We are rated as Decile 7 by the Ministry of Education, for funding purposes.    CSC opened in 1965, and is situated in a quiet corner of the town.  Teaching facilities are up-to-date, and include a superb Technology suite, Library, Gym, swimming pool, laboratories, hall, drama suite, and much more.  Playing fields and grounds are spacious and pleasant.

School Values and Expectations

At CSC we expect everyone to work towards their "Personal Best" is every way. Our motto "Ad summum" means "to the heights", or aiming for your own personal goals, and learning to be the best you can be.

As a people-oriented organisation with learning as our core business, the way we treat each other and work together is of the utmost importance.  Our over-riding value is respect - self respect, respect for others, and respect for the environment around us. We maintain a positive tone, orderly routines, and clear expectations of behaviour. Coupled with a high quality of pastoral care, excellent teaching, and loads of extra-curricular activities, these ensure a positive and safe environment for learning.

ERO  (Education Review Office) in its recent review, paid tribute to these school qualities in its October 2008 Report. View the report .

Qualifications, Results, and Destinations

Students at CSC study towards NCEA, the NZ "National Certificate of Education Achievement."  This makes courses of study available over three levels, with many different styles of assessment - internal, external, written, and practical.

Central Southland College academic results are consistently at or above national averages for similar schools in NZ.

In addition, a very high proportion of our leaving students go straight to either further study, (university or polytechnics)  or to fulltime employment.

Extra-curricular and Special Programmes

We have a wide range of programmes and activities to help personalise opportunities for individual students as much as possible.

These include Gateway, STAR, Youth Apprenticeships, transition to work and work experience, extensive career planning advice and guidance, Peer tutoring, outdoor camps, and many social activities.

Our cultural programme is proudly spear-headed each year by enthusiastic musical Major Productions and "Stage Challenge" dance presentations, while the opportunities for sporting involvement are astonishingly wide.

Students' progress through their school career is followed and mentored by a personal "Dean", a senior staff member who follows them throughout their years here. This person develops a close relationship with both the students and their parents, and provides the co-ordinating face to a holistic approach to social, learning, behavioural, and personal needs.