A warm welcome
to boarding

Since 1887 boarding has played a significant role in the development of Ascham. It promotes lifelong friendships within a very special community, one that is right at the heart of the School.

For boarders, the School is their home and the focus of their learning, creating a wonderful sense of community for the boarders and for every girl in the School.

Girls learn to live harmoniously with one another in a respectful and caring community and enjoy a supervised academic program as well as a comprehensive weekend activity program.
When our girls graduate they are enriched with the memories of their experiences, and the strong friendships they develop remain dear to them throughout their lives.

There are now more than 130 boarders from Years 7 to 12 with the majority from country NSW, and some from Sydney suburbs, interstate and overseas.

boarders (2019).

of 2016 boarders achieved an ATAR above 80.

Dining with friends

Sport

Sport plays an important role in the life of an Ascham boarder. Our girls regularly compete at the highest level, but participation at all levels is our goal. The girls enjoy Saturday sport and are regularly ferried to their venues by our day families, helping build bonds between day girls and boarders.

Healthy and happy

Ascham boarding provides 24-hour health care and excellent meals by Ascham’s own chef. The Head of Houses and Boarding Coordinators play a key role in ensuring our boarders are happy, healthy and safe.

City Country Family Program

To help boarders settle into School life easily, the City Country Family Program aims to build a social link between day girls and boarders, and their parents. A day girl’s family invites a boarder to their home once a term and the boarder’s family reciprocates with an invitation to the country during the year. As a result, boarders and daygirls develop strong friendships.

Ascham comes to the country

We regularly attend Boarding Expos, held annually in Dubbo and other country locations such as Tamworth, Narrabri, Wagga Wagga and Griffith. The Expos are a great opportunity for prospective families to meet our staff, and for current families to say hello and catch up.

Social engagement

Parents of boarders are warmly invited to a wide range of events during the year. These include Ascham Parents’ Association drinks and Boarder Parents’ Drinks in addition to regular information nights, plays, concerts and sports carnivals.

Each year, boarder parents run a stall at the Tennis and Family Fun Day, with produce and goods from the country.

Spending time with family and friends

Time spent with family and friends is important. We work with parents and girls to ensure the girls’ needs are met and their leave is balanced against their School commitments. It is important to us that the boarding houses remain vibrant and active communities at the weekends.

Our girls may take four full weekend and two overnight leaves per term. All weekend and overnight leave must be authorised by parents/guardians via the online leave system.

The first Sunday of Term 1 is closed for all boarders. This is an opportunity for the girls to enjoy an activity together. From Year 9 girls may go on group leave on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, to attend the movies or see friends. In addition, boarders can enjoy dinner leave with their parents or guardians during the week.

Boarding houses and facilities

Ascham offers a relaxed, friendly and home-like atmosphere in which our girls grow in confidence and self-esteem, and are helped to reach their full potential in all areas of School life.

Ascham has five boarding houses, each with its own, unique atmosphere. Each house has a live-in Head of House and Boarding Coordinator, who play a vital role in promoting Ascham’s values. Our staff make every effort to create an environment in which the girls are treated as individuals, feel valued and secure. Girls and staff live and work together across all the houses with warmth and respect.

Year 12 girls are allocated a single room, to help with their studies and provide a university feel.

Duntrim House

Duntrim House is the most recent addition to our community of boarding houses. The original, heritage property has been extensively renovated and expanded to create state-of-the-art accommodation for 60 girls, as well as staff. Facilities include modern bedrooms and bathrooms, a large Common Room, an intimate Reading Room, several informal break-out areas, games areas and a separate Year 12 House.

Patricia M Johnston Wing

Patricia M Johnston Wing, known as PJ, was purpose-built to house senior students in single rooms.

Holmwood House

Holmwood House accommodates Year 11 and 12 girls, and is also the site of the school’s Health Centre. Both members of staff in Holmwood House are registered nurses and are part of the team that provides 24 hour nursing care at the School.

Macintosh House

Macintosh is a boarding house with girls from Years 8–10 housed in a mixture of dorms of between two and four girls.

Raine House

Raine is a former family home located in a leafy garden with views of the city skyline in the distance. It houses Year 7 girls in a mixture of dorms of two to four girls, as well as three single rooms.

The Dining Room

As at home, the dining room is at the heart of the boarding school. Enjoying good food is a big part of feeling happy and safe away from home and we provide healthy and tasty menus for our boarders. The creative menu is cooked fresh everyday by the school’s restaurant-trained chef.

Boarders enjoy themed dinners in celebration of various events throughout the year. Each girl receives a cake on her birthday so she may celebrate with her friends.

Breakfast and dinner are served daily in the School’s Dining Room. At lunchtime, the girls get their food and join the day girls in the playground which helps build further connection between them. Baskets of fresh fruit, toast and other snacks are provided daily in each house.

Special dietary requirements are well-catered for and the girls’ eating habits are closely monitored by the boarding staff. A dietitian is consulted on a regular basis to assess and review the catering.

Ascham Boarding | Living at Ascham

Ascham Boarders | Thriving under the Dalton Plan

The Health Centre

The School has a strong team to care for the health of our boarders, with 24-hour care, seven days a week, provided by a full-time nurse and two residential nurses.

The Health Centre, located in Holmwood House, is easily accessed by all students and provides:

primary health care and first aid
promotion of and assistance in health education
medical and dental appointments for boarders
referrals to allied health professionals and our School Counsellors
flu vaccinations for staff and boarders.

The Centre aims to minimise health-related obstacles that can impede learning, individual development and personal wellbeing.

Visit the School

Once an application has been received, all families are invited to attend a comprehensive Introductory Tour. It is vital that you see the School and its boarding facilities and meet the people who will be part of your daughter’s life. Because of this, attending an Introductory Tour is a mandatory part of the enrolment process.

Our Introductory Tours provide an opportunity to learn about our educational programs, to meet our senior and specialist staff, to see the School at work and to meet our Director of Enrolments and Community to discuss your daughter’s enrolment. The School will extend an invitation around three years prior to commencement at Ascham.

For our country families and families living overseas, we welcome the opportunity to show you the School should you be visiting Sydney during term time. In addition to receipt of your application, the School requests a fortnight’s notice to arrange a tour and organise for the family to meet relevant staff.

To discuss opportunities for a visit to Ascham please contact the Enrolments Office.

+612 8356 7000

Boarders enjoy the resident pets at Ascham

Year 9 Residential
Program

This immersive program offers a term of boarding to girls in Year 9 to encourage independence, teamwork and resilience during what can be a challenging stage in their development.

The program involves a mix of physical, cultural and community activities and offers girls the chance to build their academic skills, and further develop their confidence.

Girls gain new friends, see different ways of approaching problems, learn new skills and acquire an increased appreciation for both school and home. Applications for the program are submitted in Term 4 of Year 8.

Amber writes:

Boarding has helped me to become more independent. I've learned how to plan ahead and I've established a good routine. Going to Prep and studying with other people helps me to focus and stay on task. Being a Resi has given me the chance to socialise with the other boarders and I've enjoyed the activities like jet-boating, the Year 9 Suppers, shopping, and just watching TV together in the Common Room.

Lizzie writes:

Living at the School has made it so much easier to study and do all my co-curricular activities; I have access to so many resources. Doing Prep in the Library means that I have teachers, tutors, and my peers to help me. Through living with a new group of people I have developed good communication skills, learning new ways to negotiate and get along. I've enjoyed getting to know the other boarders—in all the Houses, not just mine. We have lots of activities together; it's been really good fun!

Prep and Academic Support

of 2018 boarders achieved a Band 6 in one or more of their subjects in the HSC.

We take care to provide a sound learning environment for our boarders. Their consistently high HSC results demonstrate the success of our Academic Support program in the boarding houses.

All boarders in Years 7-10 attend evening study, known as Prep, from 6.30pm Sunday to Thursday, finishing between 8pm and 9pm depending on their Year group. This focused study time takes place in the School library and gives girls an academic advantage, with access to specialist expertise.

Prep tutors, who include academic staff and Ascham Old Girls, support the boarders in a range of subjects. They have a good knowledge of the girls’ weekly assignments and understand The Dalton Plan well. They work with the girls to help them achieve their academic goals.

Boarders in Years 11 and 12 work in their own rooms in the boarding houses, with access to the prep tutors in the library if they wish.

Boarding Activities

It’s fair to say boarders at Ascham are busy and their weekends are lively! With Ascham located only 3km from central Sydney, boarders can take full advantage of the cultural vibrancy that Sydney has to offer.

We provide a full and varied program of weekend activities that adds to the richness of life in boarding. We take great care to ensure everything is age-appropriate and meaningful to our girls’ development. Boarders enjoy organised visits to places such as the Powerhouse Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Luna Park, and the Botanic Gardens. Indoor rock climbing, visits to the movies, jewellery making and bowling make up some of the winter activities on offer.

At the start of each new term boarders have a Night In, where all boarders remain at the School to take part in a range of activities. This helps to build personal relationships and develop the wider boarding community as a whole.