St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School is an innovative, award-winning, independent day and boarding school for girls from Pre-Prep to Year 12 and boys in Pre-Prep. For more than 128 years, the school has provided a holistic education underpinned by a focus on academic excellence, differentiated high quality teaching and learning, extracurricular activities and student wellbeing programs.
Students thrive in the all-girl environment where every girl is known and has access to opportunities which allow her to shine in her own way.
A local school with a global outlook
St Margaret’s mission is to prepare confident, compassionate, capable women able to contribute in a global community. Core to this is cultural literacy and expanding the horizons of students to develop a global way of thinking.
Though situated locally in the convenient inner northern suburb of Ascot, the St Margaret’s community is culturally diverse. The student population comprises students from all over Brisbane, boarders who hail from varied locations including regional and rural Australia, and many international students. Students benefit from the knowledge, experience and global awareness that this rich cultural diversity brings.
One of the many exciting ways to develop a student’s global outlook is by studying overseas. St Margaret’s offers students many experiences abroad including cultural and language trips, international music tours, philanthropic adventures and a cultural trip to Japan for primary students. The school also offers a signature Global Exchange Program providing Year 10 students the chance to study for a term in one of 11 schools in six countries worldwide while the school reciprocates hosting visiting exchange students throughout the year.
These cultural immersion opportunities allow students to challenge themselves, gain independence and confidence, develop a global awareness and an understanding of cultural differences, adapt to different cultural environments, and make connections around the globe.
Growing Great Learners
The best start is an early start. A St Margaret’s primary school education equips students with the fundamental skills they will need to thrive into the future. Learning is focused on developing strong foundations in literacy and numeracy and a diverse curriculum which promotes creative and critical thinking skills, all of which provides an exceptional head start for students’ ongoing education and beyond. In keeping with the school’s philosophy of educating the whole child are programs to support students’ social and emotional development.
Specialist teachers provide enriching learning experiences in music, drama, visual arts, languages, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and health and physical education.
Primary students are encouraged to participate in a diverse range of opportunities which nurture a wide range of skills and interests. Sports on offer include athletics, basketball, cricket, cross country, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and touch football. Clubs and activities on offer include Garden Club, Sustainability Club, Art Club, Debating and Public Speaking, Minecraft Club, Opti-MINDS and a student-led podcast. Along with these activities, our students in Years 2 to 6 participate in a sequential outdoor education program designed to challenges students and develop their social, self-regulation and leadership skills.
St Margaret’s has seen strong enrolments in recent years and so an early start in primary school guarantees access into the secondary school where places can be limited.
Award-winning Boarding School
As the only full-time boarding school for girls in Brisbane, boarders have a significant impact on the life of the school, contributing to its spirit, curricular and extracurricular programs. The boarding house is the beating heart of the school, both figuratively and literally. St Margaret’s boarders come from near and far, from both within Australia and overseas, contributing to the wonderfully diverse school community. In 2019 and 2020, the school won boarding school of the year in the Australian Education Awards and an Excellence Award in 2022.
Beyond the Classroom
St Margaret’s girls are engaged, enthusiastic and energetic in all they do, and they embrace the many extracurricular opportunities available.
The school has a long, proud sporting tradition and is a member of the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA), Andrews Cup, Brisbane Schoolgirls’ Rowing Association, Brisbane Water Polo Association Inc and Downey Park Netball Association. Secondary sports offered include AFL, athletics, artistic gymnastics, badminton, basketball, cricket, cross country, eSports, football (soccer), hockey, life saving, netball, club netball, rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, swimming, club swimming, tennis, touch football, volleyball and club water polo.
In 2020, St Margaret’s unveiled a multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art new sports precinct, transforming one-third of the school campus. The world-class precinct features a water polo sized heated swimming pool with two 50m lanes, tennis courts with lights, a gymnasium with an oak sprung floor, a strength and conditioning gym, an indoor climbing wall featuring seven belay stations and 76m2 of climbing, a dedicated ergometer room to support rowing and modern health and physical education classrooms.
A vibrant music, performing and visual arts program is also available and a school musical is produced every second year.
A variety of clubs and activities are available, giving students the opportunity to broaden their horizons, develop new skills and find their true interests from theatre, dance and visual art to public speaking and robotics.
Visit St Margaret’s
The best way to learn more about St Margaret’s is to visit the school and witness teaching and learning in action. The school has two open house events each year; an Open Day (Saturday, 9 March 2024) and an Open Morning held in August. Personalised school tours are also available by appointment. Simply contact the Admissions team to schedule a tour by phoning 07 3862 0777 or email admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.
For more information, please visit the St Margaret’s website.
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