Brisbane School of Distance Education, Coorparoo | Fees, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

SHOUT OUT TO THE QUEENS, BEK AND NAOMI (they taught me everything)!!!
I love this school so, so much. The flexible style of learning allows me to be able to do other extracurricular activities. My leadership journey here has allowed me to gain so much confidence, I have made so many friends and built so many life skills. The teachers are awesome and are always willing to help and answer questions.

TLDR: If you value your children’s education, and your sanity; for the love of all thats good don’t send your children here.

Our experience at BSDE in the teaching/learning areas:
~Zero awareness of travelling families needs.
~Attendance system is BROKEN. Notifications several times a day, that my kids are not in attendance, while I am WATCHING them participate in class. We have alarms to make sure we’re never late for any class. My daughter has been absent two days so far this year, and her attendance rate is around 50% MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! I have received lectures from staff members about their attendance, ‘state requirements’, and not meeting my responsibilities. The condescension and implication that I am unable to provide for my children’s well being, or educational needs is utterly repugnant.
~Constant technology issues. Sometimes their system is the issue (they will infuriatingly NEVER admit this). State wide issues (less often, but major). Sometimes its us: PC needing update/ repairs, internet drop outs (triggers further absence notifications). IT assistance is hit and miss.
~Zero insight into HOW students work online. (One example: my children are constantly “in trouble” for not being in class. When they are actually just doing assigned work in another tab; their only mistake is not being clairvoyant (teacher has spoken to them in an active chat box on another page). They are then punished, for non-reply; and sent into another “room” without access to their classmates etc. I am then again, notified of their “absence in class”. Punishing my child with removal and marking them absent, is helping how exactly? I’ve had a teacher mark my child absent after an internet dropout, and then refuse to correct this after reconnection to the class; beyond ridiculous to be punished for a wifi drop out!
~Speaking of teachers/HOD’s: don’t get me wrong there a few great staff trying to make the best of a terrible system. They get it. Unfortunately many I have dealt with just don’t care. They are there for a pay check, and you are getting in the way of a box they need to tick. They tend to assign blame first; to you or your child, for both theirs and “the system’s” shortcomings. They WILL gaslight, emotionally manipulate, and use veiled threats with appeal to authority to attempt to intimidate. They do not investigate issues, or offer solutions.
~Lack of updating and upgrading course content. My year 7 student is repeating everything her brother did 2 years ago.
~Over time, my students have become bored & frustrated. My kids used to be excited about learning. BSDE has killed that, and this is the primary reason we have chosen to cancel our enrolment.This is not the school for you; if you want an individualised, flexible, engaging learning environment for your children. One size fits all here!

Experience with admin & accounts:
~Enrolment takes 6-8 weeks – to bounce your forms around various departments. When it finally gets to accounts, they will issue your invoice. Allow another 2-3 weeks to process your payment. THEN! You will need to wait a further 2-5 days before being contacted by IT & individual teachers to gain access to classes and academic resources.
~No chance of getting someone on the phone, and a simple email query, can take between 5 weeks and 3 months for a reply; if this instance doesn’t help you, you reply, and the process starts again. Some examples: Last year we waited 9 months for a student card (valid 12 months) to arrive. They “lost” the photographs etc I had to resend them, and they wanted to charge me again! A special order year 6 shirt ordered in January, arrived in August. It took 7 months to get an address changed, a further 3 to confirm they have changed it (after a parcel went missing); and they STILL send mail to the wrong address.

Posting this for two reasons.
~None of my concerns were ever acknowledged, let alone were permitted into a open dialogue with any staff member, only dismissed.
~To help other families; there are far BETTER choices out there for their children’s education.

We enrolled our son in year 8, after attending a dismal High School in Orange NSW. The learning here is top notch. However you require discipline and be a self starter, otherwise this may not be suitable for all. If your choice of schools is good, then consider them over distance learning. For us, it’s great. Our son is learning and flourishing.

Thank you so much BSDE for creating a beautiful and comprehensive learning environment for my child who almost given up schooling because of her medical condition. Thankful also for my child’s former State Highschool that directed us to enrol in this school. I have never seen my child so excited for school days until BSDE stepped in. Thank you BSDE!

After failures of both public and private traditional high schools to provide a safe and supportive educational environment for our child, who was contemplating leaving school early and in a very dark place, BSDE stepped up. We have the utmost praise and gratitude for the caring and amazing teachers, support staff and community of BSDE, my child has regained their confidence, graduated and is keen to follow their dreams. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you BSDE!