The school provides intensive English language, settlement, orientation and welfare programs to secondary aged, newly arrived permanent, temporary resident and international students.

[2] Settlement support and partnership programs are provided for the school's culturally and linguistically diverse parent community.

The school's motto "Harmony and Progress" reflects the proactively inclusive education and welfare programs designed to enhance student resilience and achievement.

[4][5][6] Students attending the school can come from as many as 100 different countries, bringing with them a great diversity of languages, customs and beliefs.

Some students will choose to begin other courses of study at other institutions, such as Technical and Further Education TAFE, and some may go directly to the workplace.

[10] In 1856, "temporary" pre-fabricated galvanised iron buildings were imported from Liverpool, England and erected on the Cleveland Street site.

[10] Due to new ideas in education such as manual training and the teaching of science, the school received another building addition with specialist rooms called "shops".

The site at Cleveland Street became an annex to the new high school, but with a separate function, that of providing intensive English language tuition for newly arrived migrant students.