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Summer Bay High School

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H&a high school 1988

Summer Bay High School in 1988.

Summer Bay High School is the main high school in Summer Bay. Opened in the early 1970's, it has been the main school for the inhabitants of the town. Over the years the school has undergone several refurbishments and has also had many teachers pass through. Many of the younger characters from the series have been educated there, including some memorably rowdy individuals. See below for a list of past pupils.

Some of the teachers have been no angels either. Alongside the sound ones have been bullies such as the cane-wielding Alan Stone and power-dressing, power-hungry Lois Crawford. Notable principals from the past include Donald Fisher and Sally Fletcher. Displaying its true Summer Bay credentials, the Stewart Tree, planted by an ancestor of Alf's, stands in its grounds.

The school hasn't been seen on the show for some time, largely due to there being a scarcity of teenagers in modern-day Home and Away. Will it return in the future? Stay tuned.

History[]

Summer Bay High School was built in the 1970s to serve the ever growing population of Summer Bay. When the series started in 1988, Walter Bertram was the long-term headmaster. His deputy was Donald Fisher. Donald had held that position for a decade and was eager to finally land the top job. He finally got his wish later in 1988 when Walter's ill-health forced him to retire.

1988-2003[]

Episode 660

Alan Stone supervises an exam (episode 660)

In January 1988, the Fletcher family moved to Summer Bay and their foster children Carly Morris, Lynn Davenport and Steven Matheson started attending the school. Shortly afterwards, rebellious local Bobby Simpson re-enrolled in the school. Other original characters seen attending the school at the beginning were Matt Wilson and Roo Stewart. Lance Smart and Martin Dibble were recent past pupils but they had been expelled. Over the coming years, many many more youngsters passed through its doors.

In late 1991, the school was upgraded when it amalgamated with Mangrove River High. This resulted in Donald Fisher being temporarily replaced as head teacher by Lois Crawford. She had been drafted in from outside and was unpopular from the very beginning. She was eventually moved on by the department after one trouble-making episode too many, and Donald was reinstated as head. He left his post briefly in 1999/2000 to accompany his wife Marilyn and cancer-stricken infant son Byron to the USA to try and save him. He was replaced temporarily by Fred Spiers and then by Judith Ackroyd.

In 1995 the school was damaged by a bush fire. In 1996 an earthquake hit. After this, the school was renovated and revamped.

In 2002 the Department tried to close the school and suspended Donald Fisher. Paris Burnett was drafted in to replace him. When Donald uncovered some incriminating evidence about the department's mishandling of the situation, the school was saved. Donald was reinstated and the locals held a party to celebrate.

2003 -[]

H&a high school 2014

The school in 2014

Donald finally retired as head teacher in 2003 and over the coming years, numerous people took over his old job. The most noteworthy of these was probably Sally Fletcher who was a past-pupil of the school. She first took the job from 2003-2004. The last known head teacher is Maggie Astoni. She was forced to quit her job for health reasons and later moved away.

The school was occasionally used for other purposes. In 1994 Haydn Ross attended a Gambler's Anonymous meeting there.

Principals over the years[]

Known Teachers Over the years[]

Other Staff[]

Pupils over the years[]

Memorable Info[]

Summer Bay High Uniforms collage

When H&A began in 1988, the school uniform worn by female students was a blue dress. That was changed at the end of the first season and when the show returned in 1989, it had been changed to the iconic one that's better remembered now. At the height of the show's popularity in the UK, the students at an English girl's school voted for a uniform which closely resembled the Summer Bay High one (they've since changed it😢). Male students wore a white shirt, school tie and jeans. Occasionally students would wear a maroon or white sweatshirt over their uniform but that was rarely if ever seen after 1990. As time went on, the students at Summer Bay High began to play fast and loose with their uniforms. Would Donald Fisher have stood for Bella Nixon's interpretation of the uniform, as seen in the collage on the right?

The real-life locations used for the school changed over time. Sometimes other locations were used. For a 1991 episode where Blake Dean and Haydn Ross were forced to clean the school toilets, they used the toilet block from the real-life Surf Club.

Photo Gallery[]

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