Life Giving Learning at St Andrew’s Cathedral School
ABOUT US
| Founded in 1885, St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a co-educational, intercultural learning community in the heart of the city, with a student body drawn from more than 230 suburbs. We are passionate about changing the world, one student at a time, by nurturing, developing and crafting the unique gifts of individuals in our care so they can find their pathways of purpose and work towards a future we want to live in. We are deeply committed to leadership in First Nations education and our award-winning school within our school, Gawura School K-Year6 recognises the great strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School we make rich interdisciplinary and real-world connections in the classroom. Our teachers are experts in their fields but also deeply relational; the outstanding performance of Year 12s in public HSC and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) examinations reflects this. Many of our teachers are invited to present at state and national educational conferences and professional associations, and as an educational leader, we hold conferences, host international experts and encourage thought leadership. We offer extensive sporting and co-curricular opportunities, and many students reflect on the life changing impact of our outdoor education programme. The sequential programme runs from Kindergarten through to Year 10, culminating in students being offered a variety of trips including a range of hikes in NSW and beyond, mountain biking, sea kayaking and a 20-day “Kosi-to-Coast” expedition from Mt Kosciuszko to Bass Strait. |
EDUCATION PRIORITIES
| Message from Head of School: St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a learning community that has all the attributes that you would expect from a leading independent, coeducational school: top class academic results; a broad, challenging, well-crafted curriculum; a world-class music programme; a wide sport and co-curricular offering, including unique journeys through our exciting outdoor education programme; exceptionally well-qualified teaching staff; well-equipped facilities. Yet, to only say those things, or to even dwell on them too much, wouldn’t give you true insight into what St Andrew’s Cathedral School is, or how your child (and your family) would be shaped by joining us. St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a community that passionately believes that your child matters, significant in their unique giftings and the purpose for which they were born. Because they matter, we give them a sense of belonging in a vibrant diverse community where everyone is valued. We help them understand how much progress they have made from their own starting point and take time to celebrate each step of the journey. We enable students to identify their individual giftings, combine that with their unique passion for the long term and find a contribution to the world that only they can make. We challenge and equip them, with an offering of both the IBDP and the HSC, to craft these gifts with focus and diligence into expertise and talent. Secure in their significance, and mature in their responsibilities, we make sure our students leave our school ready for tomorrow. |
WHAT CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ARE OFFERED?
Whether it’s in our world-class music and performing arts programme, on the sporting field, debating and public speaking, overseas tours or the many clubs and activities on offer; teaching and learning doesn’t end in the classroom. Our extensive co-curricular program challenges and stretches our students to follow their passions and develop both expertise and character.
There are more than 25 music and drama ensembles at the school, along with an impressive variety of sporting opportunities and a comprehensive outdoor education program, based at the school’s rural Southern Highlands property. Each year, the school offers a number of international tours, providing educational opportunities in sport, community service, music, drama, languages, history, science or art.
To find out more, please visit our website: https://www.sacs.nsw.edu.au/
St Andrew’s Cathedral School offers two credentials for the final years of school (Years 11 – 12): the Higher School Certificate (HSC) from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), and since 2009 the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
St Andrew’s offers an extensive range of IBDP higher and standard level subject choices delivered by qualified and experienced IB teachers and is consistently outperforming IBDP World Average Points. In 2025 the World Average was 29.3 – 94% of St Andrew’s IBDP students achieved above this with an average of 36.8 and 27% of the cohort scored above 40. Typically, around 75 – 80 per cent of our Diploma students achieve an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) conversion score above 90, that is, in the top 10 per cent of the state of New South Wales.
The overwhelming majority of our students pursue university education following graduation, with increasing numbers going overseas to study.
Hear Dylan Nguyen’s story. (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ceBYBNTEg )
Our curriculum is future focused. The NSW curriculum is taught through the lens of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), an internationally recognised framework representing best practice methodology for middle schoolers that ensures they will be challenged at every stage of learning.
Our Middle School students are taught the NSW school curriculum through the ‘lens’ of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP), building critical skills for the Senior College years. We aim to develop students who can draw on the many different approaches to acquiring knowledge and make meaningful interdisciplinary connections between subjects and the real world.
