| Principal | Ms Helen Aguiar |
|---|---|
| Year levels | K to 12 |
| Enrolment numbers | 1071 |
| Boarding or day | boarding |
| Website | http://www.pc.wa.edu.au |
| Phone | (08) 9471 2100 |
| Fax | (08) 9471 2101 |
| Postal address | 31 Lawley Crescent, Mt Lawley |
Perth College has a 112-year history of educating remarkable women. It is the oldest independent girls’ school in Western Australia and has a reputation for academic excellence, strong pastoral care and rich co-curricular opportunities. The educational philosophy at Perth College focuses on educating the whole person – body, mind, heart and spirit – to develop capable, courageous and caring young women.
Perth College has 1100 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, including 110 boarders, who are clearly acknowledged as the ‘heart’ of Perth College. The boarders hail from across regional Western Australia and are supported by caring boarding staff, House tutors, Year Coordinators, a Chaplaincy team and peer Mentors, who collaborate to ensure a homelike environment for study and relaxation.
Embedded throughout the Junior and Senior Schools, Perth College has a self-leadership programme, InsideOut, which equips students for success in study, career and life in general. Launched in 2012, it is tailor-made to each year group and prepares girls to face an increasingly complex world with confidence, courage and resilience.
InsideOut provides students with the skills to lead themselves, improve general wellbeing and cope with challenges, especially as they begin to form their own identity during adolescence. The programme provides a diverse range of workshops, activities and guest speakers which complement the school’s academic objectives and co-curricular activities, informing, challenging and motivating the girls.
A pioneering research project in collaboration with the University of Western Australia is a key aspect of InsideOut, evaluating the impact of self-leadership training and measuring the programme’s success.
The School has always instilled in its students the importance of ‘giving back’ and the three Cs – being capable, courageous, and caring – permeate throughout the Perth College community. An emphasis on social justice through experiential learning means girls can choose to visit developing countries such as the Solomon Islands and Cambodia, where they work with children, teach and donate resources to the community. At home, students are active within the local community and the School maintains a strong link with the neighbouring St David’s Retirement Centre, where many of the girls volunteer each week.
The facilities located within Perth College are impressive. Classrooms are rich with technology and, through the Learning Powered by Technology project, each Senior School students uses a Personal Learning Device (PLD). The PLDs are considered to be the students’ mobile classroom, with the School investing in leading-edge infrastructure, including wireless technology, smart boards and educational software.
A Perth College education may commence in the new Founders Centre for Early Learning, opened in 2011. The Founders Centre was architecturally-designed for girls aged from three to eight, incorporating generous teaching areas and imaginative outdoor play spaces, enabling students to feel safe and secure, yet challenged and stimulated. The Judith Cottier Theatre seats more than 600 people and offers students the opportunity to perform and assist behind-the-scenes in a professional venue, while the Anne Hairsine Studio provides a smaller, more intimate performance setting. Within the state-of-the-art Jean Rogerson Science Building, students learn in classrooms attached to a wet lab. A 50m newly renovated and heated pool is in use all year and is home to the Perth Swim Academy.
The School has a rigorous and extensive co-curricular programme across all year levels. More than 400 students undertake instrumental music or vocal lessons with specialist tutors and perform in musical productions, choirs, bands and ensembles. Drama and Dance are popular and the department maintains a demanding schedule of events – from class works and speech and drama competitions to large-scale musicals, plays, dance performances, and outdoor shows. Perth College has an outstanding Physical Education programme and is recognised for excellence in sport, including athletics, rowing, swimming, soccer and volleyball. More than 90 per cent of students play a sport or participate in the Fitness Club, which runs before school to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. The Perth College Netball Academy is the largest school-based netball club in WA, with more than 300 girls from Years 2 to 12.
Situated in Mount Lawley, the School is only 4 kms north of the Perth central business district and within easy reach of the outer metropolitan, hills, Swan River and Swan Valley suburbs. It is easily accessible through nearby arterial roads, public transport links and the School’s own bus system. Key intake years are Year 5 and Year 7.