Ravenswood School for Girls
Welcome to Ravenswood
A Uniting Church school for girls from pre-kindergarten to Year 12 with an award-winning Principal, a Positive Education approach and exceptional academic outcomes. Our 2021 and 2022 graduates have gained entry to Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Princeton, New York University, the University of Sydney, UNSW, the Imperial College London as well as the Royal College of Music. In the last two years, 7 students have received the highest possible ATAR of 99.95.
In 2023, 123 students sat the HSC and 43 sat the IB with the Class of 2023 achieving outstanding results.
One IB student attained a perfect International Baccalaureate scores of 45 out of 45, placing them in the top 1% of IB students in the world. Furthermore, five other students achieved a score of 43 or 44, equivalent to an ATAR range of 99 to 99.45. Six students have achieved ATARs above 99 and 11 students were recognised on the HSC All-Round Achievers list.
As a Positive Education and Visible Wellbeing School, Ravenswood understands that wellbeing and academic success are inextricably linked. Principal Mrs Anne Johnstone is internationally recognised for her pioneering work in the field of Positive Education and youth wellbeing. She was the 2022 recipient of the Phyllis Evans Medal from the Teachers’ Guild of NSW, a prize that acknowledges a 'distinguished educator of great standing.' She received an Excellence Award for School Principal Of the Year at the 2022 Australian Education Awards and featured on both the 2022 and 2023 The Educator Hot List, which recognises educators who represent the cutting edge of educational excellence in Australia. She also was named one of Australia's Most Influential Educator by The Educator in 2023.
Electives
Ravenswood students have access to more than 100 diverse co-curricular choices, from Acro Dance to AFL and Theatresports to Tennis. We were the first girls’ school on Sydney’s North Shore to offer Cadets in partnership with the Knox Grammar School Cadet Unit. Further co-educational opportunities conducted with Knox Grammar School include a wellbeing conference, Business Week activities and performing arts productions.
Electives in Years 11 and 12 include but are by no means limited to: Beginners' Chinese, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Community and Family Studies, Design and Technology, Economics, English (Advanced, Standard, Extension 1 and 2), English as a Second Language, Heritage Speakers Chinese, Ancient and Modern History, Drama, Latin, Food Technology, French, German, Geography, Hospitality Curriculum Framework, Information Processes and Technology, Japanese, Legal Studies, Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, General Mathematics, PD/Health/PE, Physics, Software Design and Development, Senior Science, Society and Culture, Studies of Religion 2, Music 1 and 2, Visual Arts.
International Baccalaureate
Ravenswood is the only school on Sydney’s upper north shore to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma. This rigorous two-year course for Years 11 and 12 is recognised internationally and provides access to tertiary education worldwide.
Students in the Ravenswood Junior School from Kindergarten to Year 6 complete the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, an inquiry-based, student-centered, transdisciplinary curriculum framework.
Girls in the pre-kindergarten program Ravenswood Prep, benefit from a curriculum that combines the best of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Reggio Emilia and Ravenswood’s own award-winning Positive Education approach.
Scholarships
Ravenswood offers a number of scholarships each year to current or new Ravenswood students, covering both full and part tuition fees.
Ravenswood scholarships are conducted by Academic Assessment Services.
Available scholarships include:
• Music Scholarships
• Kim Buchan All Rounder Scholarship
• The Margaret Donaldson Scholarship
• Ravenswood Alumni Scholarship
• The Rural Residential Scholarship
Sport and Extracurricular Activities
Sport Activities at Ravenswood include:
Tennis, softball, basketball, hockey, netball, cricket, swimming, athletics, golf, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, diving, trampolining, water polo, cross country, equestrian, football, snow sports and touch football. Elective sports include aerobics, jazz dance, life-saving, indoor rock climbing, aqua aerobics, surf awareness, football, social tennis, driver education, sports injury and oxy-resuscitation.
Saturday Sport is offered for girls in Years 4-6 at Ravenswood for the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) competitions and for Years 7-12 for the Independent Girls Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA) competitions.
Curricular related lessons are also available for tennis, swimming, golf, diving, trampolining, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.
Extracurricular activities at Ravenswood: Cadets, Crusaders, drama, debating, public speaking, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, Year 11 community involvement, theatre technical team, chess club, orchestra, concert band, choirs, chamber orchestra, ensembles, theatre sports.
Welfare and Personal Development
Ravenswood was the first Visible Wellbeing School in NSW, has won three Innovative Schools awards and been nominated for the Educator Awards Best Wellbeing Program, for our Positive Education approach. Comprised of curriculum lessons, mentor group sessions, assemblies, chapel services, year group meetings and more, wellbeing at Ravenswood is conducted by a network of class teachers, mentors, year coordinators, the School Chaplain, psychologists, the Learning Enrichment team, the Health Care Unit and Daisy the therapy dog.