Travelling to and from Barker from Manly was tough, I did that for my years of 7,8,9, and 10…read more I then asked my parents if for years 11 and 12 I could go into boarding (my cousins and my older brother were all boarders and they loved it) so that I could use the extra time (what used to be travel time) to help me have the time to do: - Study - Musicals - Plays - Volleyball - Prefect Tasks - and of course Rest and Relaxation. Boarding provided me with the Time to do all if these things and all I needed was the motivation to do them. Now any meal away from home can't be nearly as enjoyable, however for the chefs to be cooking three meals a day (lunch provided for ALL BARKER STAFF) is very impressive and the quality of the food was perfectly acceptable. To be honest, if I had my time again to go through school - I wish I boarded in year 10 as well. I have formed long lasting friendships an I'm still in touch with guys that Havnt left yet, and the guys that were in my year. I'm proud to have been a Barker Boarder. here's a pic just for fun

Due to my parents living overseas at the time, I decided to enroll at Barker College as a boarder…read more While I LOVED the school itself, the boarding facilities and the way in which it was run was simply mind-boggling and dreadful. The house mistress and master have since been replaced, despite being one of the better things about the place. Barker College put more effort and money into their roses and gardens than they did the boarders. The food was worse than what you would feed to a pig (think diseased apples, salad crawling with bugs and grey meat). Once a term we would have an end of term dinner where the headmaster would attend. This was the only time the food was decent- perhaps because he wouldn't eat anything less. When the parents were invited to these end of term dinners, they were under the impression the food was excellent. Despite the girl's boarding school having had a renovation, the place has a dreadful reputation. 33 girls in one small house and "Mothers of the Day" (teacher supervisors who are on a power trip. I definitely recommend other boarding schools like PLC and Abbottsleigh. Barker College has no activities on the weekends apart from the once a term dinner. There are bars on the windows and there is little light- possibly the most depressing place to spend a few years!

I attended this school for 6 years from 2009 and 2014. I loved my senior years from 2013 to 2014,…read morealthough my experience during junior years was quite bitter-sweet. Some of the teachers I had were appalling, a few notable examples being one math teacher who would set an exercise at the beginning of the class without any instruction or explanation, and proceeded for the rest of the class to sit on his computer and not interact with the students at all. Another math teacher I had had a very thick Asian accent and would not be understood at all, and I was at a complete loss during my year with him as my teacher. Thankfully, however, the bad teachers I had at this school were heavily outweighed by the good ones. All my teachers in my graduating year were fantastic and made me the person I am today and inspired me tremendously. The employment of some bad teachers is also not necessarily the school's fault, as it may be hard to find good teachers as a public school. Both the school headmistresses I had were fantastic too and were very warm and loving people who gave me endless support. However, I often felt as though this school neglected junior students from years 8 - 10. Year 7 was exciting since it's your first year of high school and everything is new and interesting and many activities are planned to help you settle in. However, after that, I felt as though the school largely ignored students from years 8 - 10 and didn't care much for them, as they focused almost entirely on years 11 and 12. This was very difficult for me, as I went through major emotional turmoil during my junior years and was in great need of support from the school and my peer. I expect many other students my age also had similar experiences, as the impression I got during these years was that many of us were at a loss and experiencing emotional troubles, while we were largely unsupported by the school. This problem could be solved by the introduction of well being programs and information being given to students on how to handle stress and emotional issues. This support was given to me in years 11 and 12, but by then I was largely independent and had gotten over most of my issues, and thus no longer desperately needed support. I think this school could also be improved by less focus on workload during junior years, and more focus on communication, self-esteem building and countering bullying. Overworking students during such a fragile period during their adolescence is not a good idea. Emotional support and a reasonable amount of school work to keep them occupied is what they need. Students also need to feel cared for as individuals, which I know is difficult to accomplish with such a large school. To parents looking to potentially enroll in this school, I would definitely recommend it. It is one of the best public schools available and being all-girls has tremendous benefit for female confidence building and self-esteem. The teachers are very good overall for public school standards and the academic results of this school are fantastic. I am currently studying Law at university and my ability to get into this program out of high school was heavily aided by the support and feedback given by my teachers here.

Perfect... I love this school, the winners of sports competitions, academic endeavours and much…read moremore, kind teachers and staff, and produces so many people who go on to do great things.

Awesome teaching good school also the teaching methods are best for the kids this is the best…read moreschool forever l would recommend this school

First of all, the teachers didnt teach ANYTHING. they just let us run around playing. There was an…read moreincident where the students smashed 2 windows, and wasnt fixed until 2 weeks later.

Great school, lovely teachers, excellent facilities. Couldn't ask for more as the parent of a child…read morejust starting out on their education journey.

Incredible school. Lots of good things to get your kids, (or if you are a kid, yourself), ready for…read morethe big journey ahead. Great teachers and you'll make a lot of friends there.

former student and have seen the transformation over many years this school has A/C for the…read morestudents and extensive facilities and also caters for special needs children. Multiple generations of my family have attended and most of us have good things to say about it as an experience.

One of Sydney's most outstanding Primary Schools without a doubt!…read more Four generations of our family have passed through this school with one member currently there in year two. The school is staffed by dedicated and concerned teachers from the brilliant Principal down and the standard of teaching and education are fantastic. We feel privileged to be associated with the school...