Holroyd High School’s priorities include student-centred learning, a curriculum based on student needs, teaching methodologies to support students of non-English-speaking backgrounds, programs to build and value all students and their cultures, and effective school welfare and discipline policies. Holroyd High seeks to maintain a strong academic emphasis while catering through a wide range of vocational options for those students not intending to undertake tertiary studies.
Electives Years 7 to 10: Visual Arts, Music, Drama, French, Industrial Technology (Timber), Industrial Technology (Engineering), Commerce, Information & Software Technology, Food Technology, Textiles Technology, and Physical Activity & Sports Studies. The school has also designed a special course (Australian Cultural Studies) for NESB students who are recent arrivals to build their cultural understandings and literacy and language levels.
Electives Years 11 and 12: All English courses, all Mathematics courses, Music, Visual Arts, Drama, Arabic, Business Studies, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Senior Science, Legal Studies, Fundamentals of English, Economics, Modern History, Ancient History, French, Geography, Business Services (VET), Information Technology (VET), Hospitality (VET), Construction (VET), Metal & Engineering (VET), Retail (VET), Engineering Studies, Industrial Technology (timber products), Food Technology, Design & Technology, Textiles and Design, PD/H/PE, Community & Family Studies, Exploring Early Childhood, Photography, Sport, Life & Recreation and Certificate of Spoken & Written English (CSWE). In 2008, a vocational Work Ready HSC was implemented. Students also study TVET courses at TAFE, and community languages at The Saturday School of Community Languages.
Extracurricular activities: Chess, debating, drama, environment, choir, bands, sport, Student Representative Council.
Welfare and personal development: The school’s welfare and pastoral care program supports students in their learning. Students are actively encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour and learning. The three main platforms of the school’s welfare and discipline policy are “Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for my actions”. The school’s welfare team consists of counsellors, Year advisers, STLA staff, welfare team supervisor, ESL teachers and deputy principals. The school also has the assistance of community liaison officers (language) who assist in contact with parents. Peer support, peer mediation and peer tutoring programs provide students with the opportunity to improve personal relationship skills. A database is used to record and monitor off-standard behaviour, and communication with parents regarding attendance and school functions is through an SMS messaging system. A levels merit system operates, starting with merit cards and moving through Bronze and Silver levels to Gold merit awards.