Strathcona Girls Grammar School
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Tour Details
Vibe at Strathcona Girls Grammar School
Strathcona Girls Grammar is set in the leafy suburb of Canterbury, approximately a ten minute walk from Canterbury train station. It is a smaller sized school, with outdoor space predominantly comprised of the tennis / basketball courts. Many buildings are multistorey, with views over the tennis courts and surrounding streets.
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The school seemed very quiet while we were touring, perhaps because our tour didn’t overlap with recess or lunchtime. School grounds were clean and pleasant, but not overly modern. There are only 800 students from Foundation to Year 12, so it is a small school with a tight-knit community: Julie described the girls at Strathcona as having the greatest sense of heart of any of the girls’ schools she has worked at (including at least two other very well-known Melbourne girls schools).
There are many opportunities for parents to engage with the school, including the Strathcona Family Association and “Friends of Strathcona” groups, both of which encourage parent involvement in specific school activities relating to your daughter’s interests. The school canteen is also run by parent volunteers.
Enrolment at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Year 7 is Strathcona’s main intake year in secondary. Each year, two classes (approximately 50 girls) move up from the primary school, and there are 50 additional places for girls joining in Year 7, making their Year 7 cohort approximately four classes of 25 students each.
Three years prior to entry, girls are interviewed and offered a place. The interview is an informal conversation where the school learns about the applicant’s interests, hobbies and learning strengths. To secure an interview, an application needs to have been made for the student.
When offering places, priority is given to siblings of current students and children of alumni. After this, interviews are offered based on the date of application.
Entry may also become available in year 9, however very limited places are offered.
Academics at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Academics wasn’t a focus of our tour. STEM does seem to be a focal point for the school: we were shown five science laboratories, including physics, chemistry and biology. Julie said that 43% of last year’s Year 12 cohort chose a science-based university option.
Religion at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Strathcona is a Baptist school. We briefly met the Chaplain during our tour. In Years 7 and 8, there is one religious lesson per fortnight, however these tend to focus on ethical dilemmas rather than the religion itself. Further philosophy/ethics subjects are available as an elective from Year 9. Julie emphasised that students do not have to belong to the Baptist faith, and many of their students do not have a faith. The role of religion education in the school is weaved closely with their wellbeing philosophy, and focuses on instilling values such as kindness and nurturing their peers.
Year 9 at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Unlike many girls’ schools which have Year 9 “away” programs encompassing at least one month living away from home, at Strathcona, Year 9 students have their own independent campus in Hawthorn called Tay Creggan. Based on the banks of the Yarra, its location means that girls are encouraged to take part in activities such as rowing and kayaking.
During Year 9, students participate in the TC Envision Program, which encourages entrepreneurial thinking and skills such as resilience, collaboration and leadership. Julie explained that the students need to ultimately sell their own product or service by developing a business plan, marketing their product or service, and selling it at the school. If their business makes a profit, students are “taxed” on their profits and can then choose to either keep or donate the remainder to charity.
Sports at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Although a small school, Strathcona has a 25-metre pool, outdoor multi-purpose sports fields and indoor multi-purpose courts. In Years 7 and 8, students have swimming once a week, with a focus on lifesaving.
As a participant of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV), Strathcona offers more than 20 sports for students to take part in. There is no Saturday sports requirement.
Rhythmic Gymnastics and dance classes are amongst the more unusual and popular choices on offer.
Due to the Tay Creggan campus’s proximity to the Yarra, rowing and canoeing are encouraged.
Multiple sports carnivals are held off-site.
Performing arts and music at Strathcona Girls Grammar
One of the buildings at Strathcona houses drama, art, music and food technology. During Years 7 and 8, students participate in each of these for one semester each: rotating through all four during this two-year period. Most of these subjects are then electives from Year 9 (with Food Technology remaining compulsory during Year 9).
Strathcona presents two musicals each year (Junior School and Senior School), plus a Senior School play. Smaller productions are held in the school’s small auditorium, with larger productions taking place at Hamer Hall in the city. Strathcona’s drama offering also extends to student-developed House Drama competitions throughout the year.
Individual or small group tuition in drama and speech is also available. Often, girls’ schools have a partnership or affiliation with a boy’s school for their school productions: we were told that Strathcona doesn’t have an official affiliation with a boy’s school in this manner; however, girls have gone to Scotch College in the past to take part in their musical.
We were shown several art studios on our tour and told that Year 7 art focuses on ceramics, and Year 8 art focuses on textiles. They offer several art subjects in VCE, such as Fine Art.
In regard to music, students learn a band instrument in Years 7 and 8. Private lessons are offered for a wide range of instruments, voice and theory. There are many orchestras, bands, ensembles and choirs that students can join in both junior and senior schools.
Years 7 and 8 complete a double period each week of Food Technology, with a focus on practical food preparation skills and hygiene. In Year 9, students continue with Food Technology at the Tay Creggan campus, featuring a High Tea event in which students plan, prepare and serve various High Tea delicacies to guests, including staff and family members.
Languages
French and Chinese are offered at Strathcona. There are two levels of French available: a beginner and an advanced option. Doing a language is compulsory in Years 7 and 8, and becomes an elective from Year 9.
Inclusivity and diversity at Strathcona Girls Grammar
Julie spoke passionately about Strathcona’s approach to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. They proudly support these students with their Soundfield System, which allows deaf and hard-of-hearing students to stream audio directly to their audio devices. The system amplifies teachers’ voices through room speakers, therefore making it advantageous for all students. Strathcona offers scholarships to deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Further philosophy regarding inclusivity and diversity is demonstrated with Strathcona’s wellbeing offering, which is extensive.
Wellbeing at Strathcona Girls Grammar
My impression from the tour is that Strathcona has a very comprehensive wellbeing offering. Julie outlined that it begins with the SOUL (Self, Others, Us, Love) program in the Junior school, involving one session per week dedicated to talking about self-care and emotional regulation techniques with the overall aim of building resilience and developing problem-solving strategies. In Year 7, the focus shifts to making new friendships, communication, and time management. The program is underpinned by Strathcona’s values of inclusivity and respect.
From Year 7 onwards, pastoral care is overseen by the Year Level Coordinators. Year 7 students are paired with a Year 10 buddy. Students also have access to a school psychologist and councillor.
School buses
Strathcona doesn’t have private school buses, however the school is very close to Canterbury train station, accessible by both the Belgrave and Lilydale lines.
Mobile phone policy
Strathcona’s mobile phone policy is strict from years 7 to 9, during which mobile phones must stay in the students’ lockers for the entirety of the school day. From Year 10, this relaxes somewhat, with students able to use their phones for classwork when required.
Social media education is covered as part of Strathcona’s SOUL program.
Camps and trips
Strathcona offers the following camps for students:
- Year 7: One week at Lake Eildon
- Year 8: surf camp in winter
- Year 9: Camp to Campus: This is an integral part of the Year 9 offering. Students complete a 6-day, 130km journey from Warburton to the Tay Creggan campus via cycling, hiking and canoeing. The experience fosters teamwork and resilience, serving as a major rite of passage of the Year 9 program.
- Year 10: There are three camp options to choose from, however we were not given details of these.
- Years 11 and 12: there are no camps during these years; however, dependent on students’ subject choices, there are overseas excursions available. Recent examples were to Tanzania, working with underprivileged children, and to the U.S to visit NASA. Julie noted that these trips are no longer as prevalent as they were before COVID.
Final words
Strathcona’s tagline is “Girls Unstoppable”, and their motto (in Latin) is “Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter”, – which translates to “Bravely, Faithfully, Happily”. Going by what I observed during my tour, I do believe the staff and students truly live by these values. The school seems to have an excellent well-being offering in place. Students can take advantage of many extra-curricular activities while supported by an empowering community spirit.
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