Athena School
Encyclopedia
The Athena School is an independent, co-educational school located in Newtown
, an inner western suburb
of Sydney
, New South Wales, Australia.
The school is notable for being the only Study Tech
school in the area that serves K-10 and claims a 1:15 (or below) teacher-to-student ratio.
The school is affiliated with the Church of Scientology
with teachings based on L. Ron Hubbard's
philosophy of education, centred around the theory that children, like adults, need to "learn how to learn".
The school's teachers reportedly do not have formal teaching qualifications, instead they have completed a six month scientology course training them in L. Ron Hubbards training techniques.
A 2007 Herald Sun
article queried the school's abilities, citing the website which included misspellings including "mathmatics(sic)" and the book title "How to use a dictionay(sic)". In 1999, when asked by the state government for a copy of their curriculum, the Athena school refused access to it, citing that it "concerned the business affairs of the school and would have an unreasonable adverse effect on those affairs".
In March 2010 the Greens New South Wales
party lodged an official complaint about the school to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
due to an advertising leaflet which fails to reveal the school's link to Scientology.
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
, an inner western suburb
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales, Australia.
The school is notable for being the only Study Tech
Study Tech
Study Technology, or Study Tech, is a methodology for learning developed by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. Hubbard's "Study Technology" is used by Church of Scientology members as part of their training, and is also promoted outside the church by a church-affiliated...
school in the area that serves K-10 and claims a 1:15 (or below) teacher-to-student ratio.
The school is affiliated with the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
with teachings based on L. Ron Hubbard's
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
philosophy of education, centred around the theory that children, like adults, need to "learn how to learn".
The school's teachers reportedly do not have formal teaching qualifications, instead they have completed a six month scientology course training them in L. Ron Hubbards training techniques.
A 2007 Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
article queried the school's abilities, citing the website which included misspellings including "mathmatics(sic)" and the book title "How to use a dictionay(sic)". In 1999, when asked by the state government for a copy of their curriculum, the Athena school refused access to it, citing that it "concerned the business affairs of the school and would have an unreasonable adverse effect on those affairs".
In March 2010 the Greens New South Wales
Greens New South Wales
The Greens New South Wales is the state Greens party in New South Wales. It is a member party of the Australian Greens. The Greens NSW have one member in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly , five members in the New South Wales Legislative Council...
party lodged an official complaint about the school to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
due to an advertising leaflet which fails to reveal the school's link to Scientology.