Learning outside the walls: How St Mary’s is bringing Sydney to its students

A school in the heart of the city, where the city becomes the classroom. 

That’s the ethos being championed by St Mary’s Cathedral College, who are partnering with renowned institutions and businesses throughout Sydney to help students develop cross-disciplinary thinking and real-world problem-solving skills. 

With the impending opening of a state-of-the-art second campus on William St, the college has been maximising the opportunities on its doorstep by offering students experiences that go beyond the traditional curriculum. 

In teaming up with organisations such the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney FC, the University of NSW and HEX, St Mary’s is giving students hands-on learning in and exposure to disciplines spanning the arts, the judiciary, politics and sport. 

One key partnership that has proved extremely popular with students is the college’s relationship with its William St neighbours, the Australian Museum. 

The Australian Museum offers students access to exciting education programs and resources, which have been designed to spark curiosity, develop scientific understanding and enhance cultural awareness.

Recently, Museum educators ran bespoke sessions with students to help develop analytical skills in fun and innovative ways. The sessions aimed to support the development of an exhibition at the school and included learning about 3D scanning, understanding the exhibition development process and learning about First Nations cultures and histories.

The Australian Museum’s Fiona Brell, Regional Education Lead – Museum Experience and Engagement, said it’s about helping to broaden the student experience, inspiring them to learn and develop in ways that extend beyond the classroom.

“The Australian Museum enables students to engage in practical and hands-on ways which encourage exploration and critical thinking,” she said.

“Through engaging with the wide range of exhibitions and resources available at the Museum, students can learn in new ways about important topics that are a part of the NSW Syllabus and beyond, including environmental conservation, First Nations cultures and histories, Geography, History and Science.”

St Mary’s students relished the opportunity to learn first-hand from the Museum’s curators and designers.

“Our collaboration with the Australian Museum has provided me with multiple hands-on, interactive experiences, whether that’s being toured through exhibitions or even working with 3D-scanners,” said Year 11 student Roy.

“Seeing how all of these different aspects of design interact with each other to tell a story was so interesting and mesmerising to not only see but also to apply these elements when building our Bicentenary Museum.

“It’s helped me achieve a new level of insight and understanding that I wouldn’t be able to achieve in traditional, classroom learning.”

“Collaborating and learning from the Australian Museum was definitely a big contrast from classroom learning,” agreed Year 12 student Luke. 

“Our learning at the Australian Museum was supported by many practical examples through the exhibits, artefacts and features in the museum, which consolidated and sparked inspiration for our own museum project.” 

As St Mary’s embraces its new life as a dual-campus, co-educational, K-12 college, Principal Kerrie McDiarmid says collaborations such as these will only grow, providing students with even greater access to the city and world beyond. 

“We have a strong focus on innovation and the ways in which we can better help our students become lifelong learners,” she said. 

“These partnerships are such a valuable part of that and we look forward to expanding our network in the future.  

With its strong focus on experiential learning, St Mary’s is redefining what it means to be a city-based school. Students are not just learning about the world—they are actively engaging with it.”