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When principal Tony Ibrahim began at Cronulla High School 20 years ago, some students wore Ugg boots to school and they had a reputation for ditching class for a surf. In those days, the school relied on out-of-area enrolments. “The locals just weren’t choosing to come here,” said Ibrahim.
There was a perception that the school was “rough”, he said. Back then, the wearing of the uniform was “very ordinary”.
But Ibrahim saw potential. “I said to staff, ‘Let’s just control what we can control. Don’t worry about what other schools are doing. Let’s just get our backyard in order.’”
Today, the school has to turn away some out-of-area students. Since 2006, its population has almost doubled.
As numbers have climbed, so have results. When Ibrahim arrived, fewer students finished year 12. Those who headed to university mostly went to Wollongong.
Now, more than 60 per cent of graduates go on to tertiary study, including at Sydney University, UNSW, and UTS.
“We are constantly trying to meet the changing needs and expectations of our community,” he said. “We aimed at improving our results and with that comes more opportunities for students.”
More than 70 per cent of Cronulla’s HSC students receive band 4, 5 and 6 results – that is, marks above 70. Its annual reports show it comfortably outperforms the state average in HSC mathematics and English standard as well as business studies and PDHPE (now called health and movement science).
Early on, Ibrahim was shocked to discover teachers were refusing to return exams to stop students sharing the questions with others, in order to reuse the papers the following year. “I put a stop to it,” he said. “Staff tried to justify it by saying that other schools are doing it. And I said, ‘No, we’re not other schools’.”
Ten years ago, the school began using explicit teaching practices and quizzing students in real time online or by asking them to hold up their answer on a whiteboard. It enabled teachers to see who had understood a new concept and who needed more help before the class moved on.
Ibrahim has also made subject selection student‑driven. He included local offerings such as fitness and marine studies, and made surfing a weekly school sport.
The school offers extracurricular opportunities, including international study trips for creative and performing arts. It remains sports-mad; alumni have represented Australia in water polo and touch football, and played in the NRL, supported by a partnership with the Cronulla Sharks.
When Ibrahim crosses the seagull-dotted playground, students call out to him, and Ibrahim banters back.
“He knows every single person’s name,” said year 12 student Skye Dawson. “Because he is so present a lot of students have respect for him. We are willing to listen and comply.”
When later asked about his name recall, Ibrahim laughs.
“It was easier when it was only about 700 kids,” he said. “So I wouldn’t claim to know the 1200 names, but I think I’d do OK. I like to take an interest in kids and develop some type of rapport.”
This rapport is built on accessibility. His office sits in the middle of a main thoroughfare and students can knock on his door at any time, for anything.
When the building was designed, architects suggested cutting off the principal from the student flow. Ibrahim refused.
“I said ‘nuh-uh’ – we don’t work like that here,” he said. “The door has got to be open … otherwise, I am just like a used-car salesman.”
At parent-teacher nights, he tells families: “I don’t want you to leave tonight thinking Cronulla High is perfect. We are not. But what I will guarantee is we learn, we put our hands up, and we won’t sweep things under the carpet.”
The school’s culture is reinforced in small ways. Good behaviour earns merit certificates; collect enough and students can trade them in for cash, funded by the P&C.
Ibrahim has watched the needs – and habits – of his students shift. Staying ahead of those changes, he says, is crucial.
For example: e-bikes. The school was fielding “30 to 40 complaints a week” from neighbours about student riding. Assemblies and reminders “were going in one ear and out the other”. So Cronulla High introduced an e-bike number plate system.
Students must undertake a two-hour online training course and exam. Once they get 100 per cent in the test, they are given a licence and number plate which must be attached to the bike whenever they ride in uniform.
Since introducing the system, complaints have plummeted. Asked if he intends to spend another two decades at the school, Ibrahim smiles.
“I don’t think I’ll see another 20 years, but I’m not going anywhere. As long as I still feel that I’m contributing in a positive way, I’ll be here.”
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Emily Kowal is an education reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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