Hale School

Bishop Hale's Collegiate School was designed by Richard Roach Jewell in 1858 and is situated on St Georges Terrace. The buildings eventually became known as The Cloisters. In 1914, the School moved to a more spacious site at Havelock Street, West Perth, opposite the Parliament of Western Australia. Finally, in 1961, the school relocated to its current 480,000 m² (120 acres) premises in Wembley Downs.

The new Teaching and Learning precinct on the site of the old boarding houses near the south entrance to the campus was officially opened on 1 July 2009. The main feature of this project, a new Library Resource Centre includes a dedicated Year 12 study area and Gifted and Talented and Curriculum Support rooms facing a central courtyard. Beneath the library is a new clothing store, IT department and Old Haleians' Boardroom.

While the library was open for student use from February 2009 school year,[12] the official opening ceremony was not held until 1 July 2009, when it was officially opened by Andrew Forrest and unveiled as the Forrest Library.[13] It honours members of the Forrest family, from Sir John Forrest to Alexander Forrest, and on to Andrew Forrest himself, who had been educated at Hale.

Also included in this precinct is a new cafeteria with internal and external seating opposite the library and a new Teaching and Learning building. The classroom block ('F-block') consists of 17 teaching spaces for History, English and languages, as well as two language oral work rooms and new office space for teaching staff. Another important feature is a set-down and pick-up road that runs from a new 50-bay carpark adjacent to the chapel, along the front of the classroom block, past the Library undercroft, before rejoining the main drive.

In 2010 the Australian Institute of Architects awarded the Forrest Library an Architecture Award for Public Architecture.[14]

John Inverarity Music and Drama Centre

The John Inverarity Music and Drama Centre comprises a large auditorium/theatre, backstage holding rooms, two main rehearsal studios, percussion and string studios, two large music teaching rooms and 19 music practice rooms. It was first opened for use in January 2001.

The centrepiece of the complex is the timber-lined recital auditorium which accommodates 353 patrons on stepped tiers with a flat performance area 17 m wide and 12 m deep. The auditorium design has been dictated by the requirements to have natural acoustics for music. This has been achieved through the use of a traditional 'rectangular box' design with a maximum ceiling height of 8 m. The auditorium can be tuned for different instruments and various music/drama performances to achieve desired acoustic qualities. This is accomplished by a system of moveable full-height wall reflectors, suspended ceiling reflectors and rotating wall panels with differing degrees of absorptive linings. The ceiling loft is mechanised with 27 variable speed automatic winch lines which give a great degree of flexibility for a range of shows.

The construction of a new Middle School facility commenced in January 2009 and was completed in January 2010. The Middle School site is located adjacent to Unwin Avenue, between the John Inverarity Music and Drama Centre and the Memorial Hall. The building contains 16 classrooms for Year 7 and 8 students. The Year 8 Classrooms are on the ground floor and the Year 7 Classrooms are on the first floor. The main entrance, reception & administration offices for the Head of Middle School, Deputy Head, Head of Curriculum & Head of Pastoral Care are located on a separate intermediate level, which is at street level with Unwin Avenue. Other staff facilities are located on the ground floor. In addition, the facility incorporates one of the School's existing buildings ('L-block' classrooms) which were refurbished as music, drama and science classrooms for the Middle School. The ground level of this building was refurbished as a Middle School Science Classroom (and store room), with the upper level refitted to house a Drama classroom, Music classroom (with store room) & 4 music practice rooms.

The refurbishment of this building commenced in October 2009 but was not completed in time for the commencement of the school year in February 2010. The new building replaced the 'C-block' classrooms and Senior School Library that previously occupied the site and were demolished in December 2008.[15][16]

The Hale Junior school was originally built when the Wembley Downs campus was opened. Today, it has classes from Pre - Primary up to Year 6, with around 400 students enrolled. It was demolished in 2017 to give way to an award - winning new campus. Some awards include 'Architecture Award for Education Architecture, Western Australia 2019' and 'Learning Environments WA Chapter, Category 2: New Construction / New Individual Facility over $8m'. It features a modern design with the year groups split up into a 'Lower Junior' (PP to Year 2), 'Middle Junior' (Year 3 and Year 4) and 'Upper Junior' (Year 5 and Year 6). All buildings have open areas, called 'breakout spaces', where students can work together in small groups or presentations can be held.[17]

Hale School students at a football match 1929

Hale School campus includes various sporting facilities, including:[18]

• an eight lane 25-metre heated swimming pool[19][20]
• a ten lane 50-metre heated swimming pool[19][20]
• a gymnasium, with basketball, badminton, volleyball, squash and rock climbing facilities
• weights room
• rowing ergo room
• 16 tennis courts: 12 plexipave, 4 grass
• 4 football fields
• 4 plexipave outdoor basketball courts
• 5 cricket ovals with turf wickets
• 32 cricket practice wickets: both synthetic and turf
• 4 soccer fields
• cross country tracks
• 2 rugby fields
• track and field facilities
• aquaturf surface hockey field with clubrooms
• 3 additional grass hockey ovals
• a rowing fleet housed at Cygnet Hall on the Swan River (off campus)

In 1885, the school entered a team into the West Australian Football Association (WAFA) for its inaugural season, but were forced to withdraw two rounds into the season due to a lack of players.[21]

Hale School has hosted important teams over the years, including the English Rugby Team on occasions, namely for training during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The school hosted the English Cricket Academy, including international cricketers Michael Vaughan, Owais Shah, Stuart Broad, Rikki Clarke and Jon Lewis for nets sessions and practice matches, as seen on the front page of The West Australian on 29 November 2006.[22]

Hale also employs a number of coaches to lead and assist with their co-curricular program.

Former students have served in all conflicts since the Boer War with many having distinguished military careers.[31]

Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, Hale Class of 1995, son of Major General Len Roberts-Smith, is currently Australia's most decorated soldier, having been awarded the Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry.

One hundred and twenty four Old Haleians have died in conflicts since the Boer War. A Memorial Grove at the School site, honours these men with 124 plaques and a sculpture with an "eternal flame" theme. The great hall of the School has also been named Memorial Hall. The Hale School Museum contains important military and civilian records relating to the School and the state of Western Australia. A small Museum display is also located at the Old Hale School, now the Constitutional Centre of Western Australia, on Havelock Street, West Perth.