St Andrew's Cathedral School

St Andrew's Cathedral School, Gadigal Country, Sydney Square, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Junior School (K-Year 6); Middle School (Year 7-9); Senior College (Year 10-12)

Independent Anglican co-educational school

Learning support is provided by a team of specialist educators who work with teachers to address the learning needs of students requiring additional support. The Junior School has onsite occupational therapists and speech therapists, and staff collaborate with school psychologists and outside professionals to tailor support, including in-class assistance, diagnostic screening, Individual Adjustment plans (IAPs), targeted intervention plans, and curriculum/assessment adjustments. Disability Provisions for the HSC and IB are available.

Australia

Anglican

The curriculum is organized according to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Year 7–10 uses the Middle Years Programme (MYP) framework layered over these guidelines, with courses in English, Mathematics, Science, History and Social Science, Technology and Applied Studies, Languages Other Than English, Creative Arts, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. A School Mandated Compulsory Course is Christian Development. Electives from Year 9 include Aboriginal Studies, Commerce, Design and Technology, Drama, English Elective, Global Studies, History Elective, Industrial Technology – Engineering, Industrial Technology – Timber, Information and Software Technology, Music, Philosophy and Belief, Photographic and Digital Media, Physical Activity and Sports Studies, and Visual Arts. Specialised Learning supports are available, including Gifted and Talented Education programmes and English as an Additional Language or Dialect tuition as required. In Years 11–12 students can study either the Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), with a track record of strong results in both credentials in recent years.

Junior School class sizes range up to 20 students (Kindergarten to Year 4) and up to 22 in Years 5 and 6. Middle School and Senior College classes range from 18 to 24 students, with some final-year classes smaller.

IB Diploma Programme cohort (2025) consisted of 52 students, with 65% of scores in the 6–7 range, 71% achieving an ATAR over 90, an average ATAR of 99.17 for the top 10%, and a median IBDP score of 37.5. Higher School Certificate cohort (2025) included 124 students, with 70% of scores in the top two bands (5s and 6s), an average top-10% ATAR of 97.8, and 84 subjects achieving top-two-band results in 100% of cases. Across HSC and IBDP, 42% of graduates achieved an ATAR over 90, and there were notable HSC Showcases nominations. Year 11 students predominantly opt for the HSC pathway (around 60–70%).

A comprehensive Further Education and Career Development programme supports students from Year 10 to Year 12. It provides individual career assessment, career counselling, and information for students and parents, along with seminars and tutorials to help plan post-school education. Guidance includes subject selection for HSC or IB Diploma, and consultations with the Head of Careers and Pathways form the core of the programme.

Gifted and Talented Education programmes are available to students.

Wellbeing and character development are central to the school's learning. Character Strengths are taught and mapped to the VIA framework, and approaches to learning (ATL) from the International Baccalaureate World School are incorporated into the school's Character Strengths. The wellbeing programme is cohesive with Character Education and runs across year groups. Junior School delivers Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) lessons addressing emotional management; attention and awareness; relationships; coping; and goals, reinforced through chapel, assemblies and playground activities. Secondary School wellbeing includes a Flourishing Research strategy with student voice and seminars on topics such as consent, cyber safety, and mental health, supported by a structured Middle School and Senior College tutorial programme.

A team of specialist educators supports teachers in the classroom, as well as withdrawal groups, to cater for the learning needs of students who require additional support; onsite occupational therapists and speech therapists are available in the Junior School. Learning Support staff work with school psychologists and the Head of Careers and Pathways, and with outside professionals to tailor support. Services include in-class support; diagnostic screener; development of Individual Adjustment Plans (IAPs); targeted intervention plans; parent information sessions; professional development for staff; modifications to curriculum and assessment; learning transition programmes; collaborative planning with teachers, students, parents and outside professionals; Disability Provisions applications for HSC and IB; data collection for NCCDSWD funding.

EAL/D students are defined as those who have studied in an English-speaking institution for the last five years or less and are from a non-English speaking background or speak a dialect other than Standard Australian English. For Years K-3, English level is evaluated at the enrolment interview, and offers are at the Head of Junior School's discretion. For Years 4-11, applicants should provide AEAS or iDAT results; if the student meets required levels they sit an English language proficiency test at St Andrew's Cathedral School; if results do not meet the standard, they may attend Intensive English College or ELICOS; retesting occurs after AEAS, iDAT or ELICOS results show improvement. The school's English requirements by year group specify thresholds for AEAS and iDAT.

The wellbeing programme runs in tandem with the Character Education programme to support students' mental health and resilience. The Flourishing Research strategy incorporates student voice and informs wellbeing interventions; a range of external professionals run seminars across year groups on topics including consent, cyber safety, mental health and the value of the human person; the Middle School and Senior College tutorials outline topics and seminars relevant to wellbeing.

St Andrew's Cathedral School places care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central responsibility. All children have the right to feel safe and to be protected from abuse, maltreatment and harm. The School is committed to remembering its history with humility and acknowledging institutional failures, with policies and procedures to prevent such failures in the future; information for confidential disclosures is available. The National Redress Scheme provides support to people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse and started on 1 July 2018, with eligibility details and access information provided.

1. Book a tour. Tours are offered throughout the year and bookings are essential; during a visit families meet the Head of School, hear from the school community, and see daily life at St Andrew's Cathedral School. 2. Apply to enrol. Fill in an online Enrolment Application Form for each child; entry is subject to available places with intakes at Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 11; a separate application is required for every child; the online form requires electronic signatures from both parents and payment of the non‑refundable application fee of $400 (or $450 for overseas students). Kindergarten entrants must be five years old by 31 July in the year of commencement and will be assessed for school readiness during interview. 3. Waiting list. After the application and fee are processed, the child is placed on the waiting list for the calendar year and grade of entry requested; the waitlist is not disclosed by position and does not guarantee an interview or an offer. 4. Interview. A formal interview is held to learn more about the child and for the family to learn about the school; not all applicants proceed to interview; Year 7 interviews occur roughly two to three years before entry, others the year prior to commencement; selection considers merit, ability, leadership, character, and fit, with additional assessments if needs have been disclosed. 5. Offer of a place. Places are offered at the Head of School's discretion and issued online after the interview. 6. Confirmation of place. To accept, the Enrolment Terms and Conditions must be signed online and the Enrolment Confirmation Fee paid (and, for overseas students, a bond of $10,000). Acceptance requires signatures from both parents (on separate devices) and must occur within 10 working days. 7. Orientation. Orientation explains academic and co-curricular life; a new parent information site is provided and orientation events are held in November prior to commencement, with information about sport, uniforms, books, and canteen access. Intake years: Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 11 are the recognised intakes, with places offered subject to availability.

The School offers scholarships in several categories: Academic scholarships, Senior College all-round achiever scholarships, Music scholarships, Clergy scholarships, Cathedral chorister scholarships, and First Nations scholarships (Kindergarten entry only into Gawura). Scholarships are reviewed annually; they provide a discount off tuition fees (ranging from 10% to 100%), while other fees such as the Enrolment Confirmation Fee, outdoor education, levies, music tuition, and uniform costs may not be discounted. Details are provided in the Scholarship Information Pack.

The waiting list is a queue of applicants for enrolment that remains in the school's system for the calendar year and the requested grade. After the Application Form and fee are processed, a place on the waiting list is confirmed in writing, and position on the list is not disclosed. Being on the waiting list does not guarantee an interview or an offer of enrolment, and the school may defer offers at its discretion if circumstances or disclosures about a student's needs require further planning.