INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ADVERTISING SPECIAL
Title: Independent Thinkers
THE SCHOOLS PREPARING YOUR CHILDREN FOR SUCCESS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Publication: The April 26 Edition
[Extract from article: Page 46]
Taking on the world with confidence: Schools are finding creative ways to show their students the wealth of opportunities ahead
St Mary’s Cathedral College in Sydney is among the oldest schools in Australia but has embraced a modern approach, dubbed “the city as a classroom”, to support the development of real-world skills. Two new cross-disciplinary programs, students the opportunity to enrol in an elective subject or ongoing co-curricular activity that partners them with a diverse range of organisations and professionals. These include curators at the Australian Museum, football club Sydney FC, landscaping company Vertikal, and experts in cybersecurity, engineering and writing.
St Mary’s principal, Kerrie McDiarmid, says: “These projects lend themselves to a different way for students to learn that allows them to develop skills they will need in the real world. They work collaboratively, pitch their ideas, learn how failure is growth. These are important skills that we need to position as part of the curriculum.”
The school’s leader of pathways and partnerships, Ashley Norman, points to the many benefits he’s already seen for students working in partnership with Sydney FC. “The greatest benefit has been those students who are really passionate about football, but they may not otherwise have engaged with other aspects of their education,” he says. “For them, football has become a tool that they’ve been able to use to achieve in other areas, such as through critical thinking and literacy skills.
They’re also able to see post-schooling careers within the sporting field that might not necessarily be as a football player, such as a physiotherapist, a nutritionist or working in marketing.”
