In August 2005 a fire completely destroyed Kelso High School. In the wake of the destruction the NSW Education Department sought community consultation as they began to look at new ways to provide enhanced public education to the Bathurst community. These community collaborations, which involved more than 200 people resulted in consensus around a model that called for the establishment of a collegiate, with two-year 7–12 campuses at Kelso and Bathurst High. A feature of this collegiate model was that each campus would maintain its own identity, but the establishment of shared curriculum and resources would increase opportunities for all students. Denison College was formed to share curriculum, facilities and staff between Bathurst's two public secondary schools, Bathurst High and Kelso High in order to enhance student choice.
Naming
In 2006 the College Reference and Management Committees, which had been created to form the new college, sought to provide the college with a name. Community consultation and deliberations by the committees lead to the name for the college: "Denison College of Secondary Education." The name for the College came from a prominent Bathurst icon, the Denison Bridge; named in honour of Sir William Denison. After the naming of the College, the two high school's forming the collegiate were renamed from Bathurst High School and Kelso High School to Bathurst High Campus and Kelso High Campus respectively.
Structure
The college consists of two year 7–12 campuses with a shared senior curriculum. This blend allows the two campuses to maintain their own unique identities but with increased opportunities for students using the resources of the college. The college structure is supported by a College Principal and extra staff who work closely with Campus Principals to further develop and enhance the educational experiences for all students. College provided transport further supports the educational needs of senior students by allowing easy movement between campuses to meet course and co-curricula requirements. Denison College has partnerships with Charles Sturt University, Western Institute of TAFE and local industry.
Campuses
Bathurst High Campus has been a centre for education in Bathurst for over 125 years and one of the oldest schools in Australia. The campus is a comprehensive school. The school itself combines heritage buildings with new modern architecture. Kelso High Campus was established in 1976. A new facility has been built following the fire that damaged the original building.
