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Frensham Heights is a highly distinctive independent day & boarding school. We welcome students from the age of 3 to 18 and we give them the tools to succeed in their education, helping them to extend their abilities and exceed their expectations. Our EthosFrensham is a different school in many ways – and we’re very proud of that. However, it’s only very different in the context of a traditional English public school. If you’re imagining boaters or tartans or children with badges down their lapels, then we are not that. Yet if you have experienced an international school or an American school, then we’re not very different at all. So many areas that today are heralded as pioneering in education lie at the heart of what Frensham Heights has stood for since 1925. We have stayed true to our founding principles of child-centered learning and mutual respect. We have pioneered and grown without compromising what we do or how we do it. We have evolved to reflect the educational needs and realities of our students but we have not had to adapt to or adopt changes to survive. We have not had to embrace coeducation to fill places – we have welcomed boys and girls equally from the start. We have not dropped uniforms to compete with sixth form colleges – we have had no uniform for 40 years. We have not introduced a student council to meet a new trend – we have always respected the importance of the student's voice. We are always ambitious for our students to achieve their potential in whichever area they choose to pursue. Students at Frensham are exposed to a wealth of opportunities where they can discover and identify their talents – talents that, through programs such as Gifted and Talented, are subsequently nourished and celebrated. Respect is one of the key foundations of our educational philosophy. Respect cannot be forced – if it is, to be honest, it has to be earned. No form of the community can be truly successful unless its members have respect for each other and themselves. We place great emphasis on equality. From the start, Frensham has welcomed boys and girls as students. Yet equality goes deeper than that. By recognizing that each member of our school community has equal responsibility towards maintaining that community, we create an atmosphere that is relaxed, engaging, and tolerant. We have a long tradition of welcoming those who have suffered prejudice and cruelty. This began during and after the Second World War when Frensham became a haven for young people fleeing Nazi Germany. Today we continue to refuse to discriminate based on race or religion. Frensham offers young people freedom with responsibility. In keeping with our approach of mutual respect, tolerance, and celebrating the individual, we keep the number of hard and fast rules to a minimum. This means that the rules that do exist are there for a reason – to ensure Frensham is a secure place where each person takes responsibility for maintaining that security. At Frensham, cooperation means every individual, whether staff, parent, or student, is encouraged to approach any situation not thinking ‘what will I get out of this?’ but rather ‘what can I contribute?’ Visitors often remark how our students offer support and assistance without prompting and without hesitation. Creativity has many meanings at Frensham and it is found in every aspect of the school, from the classroom to the art studio, from the dance hall to the theatre, and from the staff room to the study. Creativity is not confined to the stage or the orchestra. The fact that we have no uniform and are called by our first names demands much more from the whole community than traditional approaches. Choices, value judgments, and recognizing the human qualities of each daily are much more demanding than conformity, blind acceptance, and feeling powerless. View full school

Established by Winifred West in 1913, today, Frensham is one of Australia's most respected independent schools for girls. Frensham is an outward-looking and forward-thinking boarding and day school, with staff working as a highly professional team, taking time to consider and support each girl's growth on an individual basis. In a spectacular living and learning environment, girls are challenged and supported to develop the skills and the willingness to make a positive difference in the world. They are taught to value kindness and resilience and to carry these attributes with them for life. Living in residence, students form healthy, lifelong friendships. They are inspired and supported to embrace and overcome challenges and celebrate each other's achievements. It is this sense of community that shapes the School's character – and the character of our students. Success is measured in the way girls carry themselves beyond School – with a courageous and generous spirit. We want our students to thrive. With the belief that students rise to the intellectual life around them, Frensham creates a culture designed to inspire intellectual and emotional growth in maturity. Our curriculum is personalized and flexible, and we benchmark our academic outcomes for students and the School against global standards. Futurists say what the world needs most is high-functioning young people - emotionally intelligent, with strong self-management skills – young people with empathy and skill, who value others' points of view. Frensham girls are inspired to be critical, ethical, and flexible thinkers and future leaders in our complex and rapidly changing world. Frensham's values and educational ethos are based on the philosophical position that our moral purpose in life is to develop our talents and use them for the common good to contribute to the world. We are a non-denominational school founded on Christian principles of service and generosity. Students learn kindness and leadership qualities and are encouraged to make a real difference in the world and pursue their goals with confidence. We want students to thrive. With the belief that students rise to the intellectual life around them, Frensham creates a culture designed to inspire growth in maturity, intellectually and emotionally. Our curriculum is personalized and flexible, and we benchmark our academic outcomes for students and the School against international standards. The world is more connected than ever. Entire industries are changing, and new ones are emerging every year. In response, we are strengthening links internationally and redefining our curriculum to meet future-student needs. Outstanding teachers underpin genuinely great schools. Frensham teachers are known for their professionalism and expertise, and they value the fact that leading researchers and practitioners deliver professional learning from around the world. Our core curriculum goes beyond the NSW Curriculum – which provides a well-established academic program focusing on literacy, numeracy, and critical disciplines in the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences – to give students an education that considers a world more involved and connected than ever before. We include the best educational approaches from around the world, including courses through Cambridge International Examinations. With digital technology transforming how we communicate and work, students develop the ever-changing skills and literacy essential to life and work in the twenty-first century. Our academic program's strength is underpinned by broader values of honesty, compassion, resilience, and respect for others – which we strive to impart in every student. View full school