Ascham School
Ascham School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for girls, located in Edgecliff, an Eastern Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| Ascham School | |
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 Ascham's Edgecliff campus, in 2007 | |
| Location | |
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Australia | |
| Coordinates | 33°52′43″S 151°14′12″E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, day and boarding |
| Motto | Latin: Vi Et Animo (With Strength and Spirit) |
| Established | 1886 |
| Headmaster | Andrew Powell |
| Teaching staff | 127.1 FTE (2019)[1] |
| Years | K–12 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Enrolment | 1,181[1] (2019) |
| Campus type | Urban area |
| Colour(s) | Navy blue, red and khaki |
| Affiliations |
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| Website | ascham |
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Established in 1886, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently has approximately 1000 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, including 100 boarders from Years 6 to 12.[2]
Ascham follows the 'Dalton Plan', an educational philosophy created by Helen Parkhurst in 1916. The 'Dalton Plan' aims to produce independent and confident leaders.[3]
Ascham is a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),[4] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia[5] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[6] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association,[7] and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).[8]
Ascham is operated as a not-for-profit company. All funds must be used to benefit the school. This function is administered by the school's Council of Governors who are elected by the school's members.
History
Ascham school was established in 1886 by Marie Wallis, as a private, day and boarding school for girls, in a terrace house in Darling Point. The school moved to its current site following the acquisition of Glenrock estate in 1911. The school was named after Roger Ascham, tutor to Queen Elizabeth I.
The school adopted the 'Dalton Plan' as its method of teaching in 1922.
Ascham became a company, Ascham School Limited, in 1937 under the direction of Headmistress Margaret Bailey. This transferred ownership of the school from herself to ensure the long-term succession of the school.[9]
School crest
The Ascham school crest was developed in 1911 by Ascham art teacher, Albert Collins. Symbols on the crest were explained in the school's Charivari magazine in December 1911: the dolphins symbolise energy, persistence and the ability to swim against, as well as with, the tide; the wings suggest aspiration and ambition; the lamp and book represent learning; and the combination of the acorn and eucalyptus seed mark the historical union of Britain and Australia.[10]
Campus
Ascham is composed of three school areas designed to accommodate for the different stages of the students' educational development.
- Infant School
The youngest students, from Preparatory to Year 2, at Ascham are taught in the Hillingdon building which has its own hall, library, classrooms and recreation area. The students at Hillingdon are taught according to the Spalding Method.
- Junior School
Students from Years 3 to 6 are housed in the Fiona building. Junior School students have access to a broad range of school subjects and co-curricular activities.
- Senior School
The senior school serves students from Year 7 to Year 12. They are taught according to the Dalton Plan. This method gives the older students increased flexibility while placing on them the responsibility to learn and participate in the school's numerous academic and cultural opportunities. In all, the campus hosts the Packer Theatre, a studio theatre, an indoor heated pool, a gymnasium, tennis courts, playing fields, IT facilities, art rooms, science laboratories and three libraries.
Exchange programme
Ascham has exchange programmes with the following girls schools; St Mary's Calne, UK; City of London School for Girls in London; Havergal College in Toronto; Nightingale-Bamford School in New York; Northlands School in Buenos Aires; Durban Girls' College in Durban; Institut de la Tour in Paris, St. George's School, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Heads
The following individuals have served as Head of School, or preceding title:
| Ordinal | Name | Title | Start date | End date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marie Wallis | Founding Principal | 1886 | 1902 | 15–16 years | [8] |
| 2 | Herbert J. Carter | Principal | 1902 | 1914 | 11–12 years | [8] |
| 3 | Kathleen Gilman Jones | Co-Principal | 1914 | 1916 | 1–2 years | |
| 3 | Margaret Bailey | |||||
| − | Headmistress | 1916 | 1946 | 29–30 years | [8] | |
| 4 | Hilda Rayward | Headmistress | 1947 | 1948 | 0–1 years | [8] |
| 5 | Dorothy Whitehead | Headmistress | 1949 | 1961 | 11–12 years | [11][8] |
| 6 | Merrilee Roberts | Headmistress | 1962 | 1972 | 9–10 years | [12][8] |
| 7 | Rowena Danziger | Headmistress | 1973 | 2003 | 29–30 years | [13][8] |
| 8 | Susan Preedy | Headmistress | 2004 | 2005 | 0–1 years | [14][8] |
| − | Rowena Danziger | Acting Headmistress | 2005 | 2005 | years | [15] |
| − | Frances Booth | Acting Headmistress | 2005 | 2005 | years | [8] |
| 9 | Louise Robert-Smith | Headmistress | 2006 | 2012 | 5–6 years | [16][8] |
| 10 | Helen Wright | Headmistress | 2013 | 2014 | 0–1 years | [17][8] |
| 11 | Andrew Powell | Head of School | 2014 | incumbent | 6–7 years | [17][8] |
Former students
Old Girls' Union
The Ascham Old Girls' Union (AOGU) was founded in 1899 by former students of the school. It now has a membership of over 4,000 alumnae. The AOGU encourages involvement of all past students in the Ascham community and helps alumnae remain in contact with their classmates.[18] The AOGU also funds bursaries for the daughters and granddaughters of past students. The recipients of bursaries are means-tested and reviewed annually, and also carry an obligation to uphold the ideals and values of Ascham.[18] The AOGU released three publications per year to its members.[18]
Notable alumnae
Arts
Creative arts
- Penny Meagher (1935–1995), a painter
Literary arts
- Marguerite Dale (1883–1963), a playwright and feminist[19]
- Mia Freedman (1971– ), a journalist[20]
- Sheridan Jobbins (1960– ), a journalist, presenter and screenwriter[21][22]
- Jill Kitson (1939–2013), a literary journalist and broadcaster[23]
- Sharri Markson (1984– ), a journalist[24]:9
- Saturday Rosenberg (1952–1998), screenwriter and comedian[25][22]
- Debbie Whitmont, a journalist[24]:6
Performing arts
- Sylvia Breamer (1897–1943), an actress[26]
- Marta Dusseldorp (1973– ), an actress[22]
- Joanna McCallum (1950– ), an actress[22]
- Poppy Montgomery (1972– ), an actress
- Lesley Piddington (1925–2016)
- Wendy Playfair (1926– ), an actress[27]
- Lynn Rainbow AM (1942– ), an actress[22]
- Ann Richards (1917–2006), an actress and author[28]
- Leila Waddell (1880–1932), a violinist and magician[29]
- Arkie Whiteley (1964–2001), an actress[22]
- Betty Who (1991– ), a singer and songwriter
- Constance Worth (1911–1963), an actress[30][31]
Business
- Belinda Hutchinson AC, FRSN (1953– ), a businessperson and philanthropist[32]
- Lisa Messenger (1971– ), an entrepreneur and author
- Gretel Packer AM (c. 1965– ), an investor and philanthropist[32]
- Lady Primrose Potter AC (1931– ), a philanthropist
- Shemara Wikramanayake (1962– ), a businessperson[33]
Education
- Joan Bernard (1918–2012), the founding principal of Trevelyan College, University of Durham[34]
Medicine and the sciences
Sport
- Nikki Bishop (1973– ), an equestrian event rider who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics[36]
- Gillian Campbell (1960– ), a rower who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics[36]
- Paige Campbell (1996– ), a steeplechase athlete[37]
- Lavinia Chrystal (1989– ), a skier who competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics[36]
- Christine Davy MBE (1934– ), a skier who competed at the 1956 and 1960 Winter Olympics[36]
- Kitty Mackay Hodgson (1915–1974), a swimmer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics[36]
- Vicki Rose Roycroft (1953– ), an equestrian rider who competed at the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympics[36]
References
- "Ascham School, Edgecliff, NSW: School profile". My School. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- "School Choice – Australia Choosing a School". Archived from the original on 30 August 2007.
- "A Dalton Education".
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Association of Heads of Independent Girls Schools (AHIGS)". AHIGS. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007.
- "Home". Ascham School. n.d.
- "The Ascham Tradition". Ascham School. n.d.
- "D-day for Ascham's head". 9 May 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- "D-day for Ascham's head". 9 May 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- "Off with their head". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 April 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- "Grande dame of Ascham back as headmistress resigns". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 February 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- "Ascham without a headmistress again as Danziger bows out". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 March 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- "Ascham lures headmistress with shining record on results". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 August 2005.
- "Ascham headmistress Helen Wright leaves school after a year". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 January 2014.
- "Ascham Old Girls' Union".
- Tate, Audrey (1993). Australian Dictionary of Biography (Volume 13 ed.). Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0522845126. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Keenan, Catherine. "Being Mia". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Taffel, Jacqui. "Bursting with Joy: a treasure trove of stories from a life well lived". Wentworth Courier. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Gillezeau, Marguerite. "Drama in the early years" (PDF). Ascham Old Girls' Magazine (Summer 2015). Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- "A genuine passion for truth and humour". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- "Q&A with Ascham Old Girl journalists" (PDF). Ascham Old Girls' Magazine. Summer 2018 (Summer 2018). Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Taffel, Jacqui. "Bursting with Joy: a treasure trove of stories from a life well lived". Wentworth Courier. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Rees, Anne. "Breamer, Sylvia Poppy (1897–1943)". People Australia. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Simpson, Caroline Fairfax; Dupree, Annette Fielding-Jones; Ferguson, Betty Winn (1986), Ascham remembered, 1886–1986, Fine Arts Press, ISBN 978-0-86917-013-7
- Scheuer, P. K. (17 June 1945). "Actress of 'down under' studio makes good here". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165628126.
- "Waddell, Leila Ida (1880–1932)". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Obituaries Australia.
- Sydney Morning Herald, 27 June 1934
- Ramsaye, Terry, ed. (1948). 1948–1948 International Film Almanac. California, USA: Quigley Publications. p. 416.
- "Queen's Birthday Honours for three impressive Old Girls". Ascham Old Girls Union. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Flood, Chris (4 December 2017). "Shemara Wikramanayake has 'never sold a Macquarie share in 30 years'". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- "FRENCH EXAMINATIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 1932. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
- "Psychiatrist Nan Waddy fought for humane treatment of mentally ill". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Gillezeau, Marguerite. "A history of sport at Ascham" (PDF). Ascham Old Girls' Magazine. Winter 2017 (Winter 2017): 15. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- Barry, Skye. "The Two of Us—Holly and Paige Campbell (2014)" (PDF). Ascham Old Girls' Magazine. Winter 2017 (Winter 2017): 5–7. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
Further reading
- Simpson, Caroline Fairfax; Dupree, Annette Fielding-Jones; Ferguson, Betty Winn, eds. (1986). Ascham Remembered 1886–1986. Sydney: Fine Arts Press. ISBN 0-86917-013-9.
