Bethlehem College, Ashfield

Bethlehem College is a high school for girls in Bland Street Ashfield, New South Wales originally founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity.Students are easily identifiable by the amethyst and navy school uniform - fondly known around the inner western suburbs of Sydney as "Ribena Berries". Bethlehem excels in their sport as well as academically. The Sisters of Charity ran the College until 1991, when it became a systemic Catholic School run by the Sydney Catholic Education Office.HistoryPrior to 1953 Bethlehem catered for girls from Kindergarten through to the Leaving Certificate in Year 11. In 1953 the Junior (or Primary) School amalgamated with the Parish St. Vincent's Primary which was also run by the Sisters of Charity but which also catered for boys from Kindergarten to Year 2 (3rd grade). The boys then moved on to many other Catholic schools with the majority proceeding to De La Salle, Ashfield, located next to Bethlehem.Bethlehem College was known for many many years as Bethlehem Ladies College; the nuns of the Sisters of Charity placing great emphasis on ladylike behaviour & dress both in school as well as to and from school. School rules included wearing of hats and gloves outside school; no eating or drinking in the street; and definitely no talking to boys on the way to and from school.Class sizes, at least until 1962, ranged from 80+ children in kindergarten to Year 2, 60+ girls from Year 3 to Year 6 and 50-60 girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 with quite small classes in Years 10 & 11 because most girls were expected to leave by society at the end of Year 9 (Intermediate Certificate) only the exceptional Academic Stream girls continued to Year 11 (Leaving Certificate) and then to teaching, nursing or rarely other university courses.