For families across regional Australia, choosing the right boarding school is about more than academic results, it is about finding a place where their daughters feel supported, inspired and, above all, truly at home.
The decision to send a daughter to boarding school is rarely straightforward, it is about finding somewhere that feels right both academically and emotionally. At St Scholastica’s College in Glebe, affectionately known as Schols, that balance between opportunity and care is not only understood but also intentionally nurtured.
Nestled in leafy Glebe Point, just minutes from Sydney’s CBD, the College offers a peaceful and nurturing environment where students thrive academically while building independence and confidence.
Under the leadership of Principal Ms Laetitia Richmond, Schols is a vibrant, future-focused community where every student is known, valued and encouraged to achieve personal excellence.
For the Lawson family, that sense of belonging was apparent from the beginning. Julie and Simon Lawson describe their first interactions with the College as both reassuring and genuine.
“It was the school’s strong sense of community, values and instant support,” they recall. “From the moment we walked in the gates, we could see that students were encouraged to challenge themselves while being supported in a nurturing environment.”
For parents considering boarding, that first impression often matters most. The idea of sending a child hundreds of kilometres from home requires trust that the school will provide not just structure, but care; not just discipline but understanding. At Schols that trust is built through community.
The Boarding House, at the heart of the Schols experience, embodies this philosophy. It is often described by students as a genuine home away from home, a place where routines provide stability and relationships provide strength. With live-in staff, structured study sessions and shared spaces that foster connection, the environment is intentionally designed to support both academic success and emotional wellbeing.
For the Lawson family, whose three daughters, Emily, Clare and Abbie, have all embarked on the boarding journey, this sense of home has been important and comforting. “We were extremely reassured by the boarding community,” Julie explains. “From the welcoming atmosphere to the strong pastoral care, we felt confident our daughters would be safe, supported and able to thrive.”
Boarding, by its very nature, requires young people to step into independence much earlier than many of their peers. For Emily, who began at just 12 years old, the move from Bourke to Sydney, more than ten hours away, was both daunting and exciting.
“Starting boarding school as the first of my sisters was both exciting and overwhelming,” she reflects. “But from the orientation sleepover, I felt welcomed. The supervisors and the girls made it easier to settle in. Boarding school taught me independence from a young age and gave me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and adapt to new and often challenging environments.”
Boarding school assists students develop valuable life skills, learn to manage time and take on responsibility. Julie and Simon have seen this growth firsthand.
“Since commencing at boarding school, we have seen all three of our girls grow significantly in independence, maturity and confidence. Being away from home and at such a young age they have had to adapt to a more structed routine. Our girls have become more self-reliant and resilient,” they say.
“They’ve learned to organise themselves, make decisions and step outside their comfort zones.”
It is precisely this growth, which is quiet and less visible than academic results, yet equally significant, that defines the boarding experience at Schols. Students are given the space to discover who they are, while supported by a network that ensures they never feel alone.
For Clare, now in Year 11, that transition from a small primary school to a campus of over 1,000 students was initially overwhelming. “It was a massive jump,” she recalls. “But I couldn’t have done it without the support of boarding staff and the friends I made.”
Friendship is an important aspect of the boarding experience. Living, studying and growing alongside peers creates bonds that extend far beyond the classroom. These relationships are often described as lifelong, built on shared challenges, late-night conversations, sisterhood and the familiarity of daily life together.
For the Lawson sisters, boarding has also strengthened their own family connection. “Having my sisters with me has been really special,” says Abbie, now in Year 9. “They’ve supported me through homesickness and reminded me I’m never alone.
”Yet boarding is not without its challenges. Homesickness, particularly in the early days, is a reality for many students. Abbie remembers watching her parents drive away for the first time. “It was really hard,” she says. “All I wanted was to go home with them.”
However through routines, friendships and experiences, the unfamiliar becomes familiar. And slowly, the boarding house becomes home.
“Over time, the girls became like a second family,” Abbie explains. “Now I couldn’t imagine my life if I hadn’t come to Schols.”
Beyond the boarding house, the College’s location offers a unique advantage, one that expands both academic and personal horizons. Situated close to universities, cultural institutions and sporting venues, Schols integrates the richness of the city into everyday learning.
Students attend theatre performances, access world-class libraries and engage with opportunities that extend far beyond the traditional classroom. For regional students, this exposure can be exciting, offering a broader perspective on education, careers and life itself.
Clare speaks enthusiastically about this aspect of school life. “Living close to the CBD has been amazing,” she says. “I’ve been able to visit beaches, attend events and experience things I wouldn’t have access to back home.”
This balance, between the familiarity of community and the excitement of a city, is central to the Schols experience. It allows students to grow in confidence while remaining grounded in values.
Those values are embedded in the College’s Benedictine tradition, expressed through its motto: PAX (peace). Respect, compassion and community responsibility are not simply taught but they are lived. They influence and shape the culture of the school, inf luencing how students interact, learn and lead.
At Schols leadership is encouraged for all the girls. Students are given opportunities to take on roles within the Boarding House, participate in cocurricular activities and contribute to the wider community.
For Emily these opportunities were important and some of her most treasured memories. Participation in sports, leadership roles and mentorship relationships helped build the confidence and resilience she carries today.
Now working as a governess in remote Queensland, first near Longreach and now in Julia Creek, Emily credits her boarding experience with preparing her for this path. “Boarding taught me independence from a young age,” she says. “It gave me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and adapt to new environments.”
Her journey, from regional student to independent young adult working across rural Australia, ref lects the broader purpose of boarding at Schols which is not just to educate but to prepare students for life.
This preparation extends to practical experiences, including part-time employment for senior students. Balancing work with study, students develop time-management skills, financial responsibility and a deeper understanding of independence.
Combined with a wide range of subjects and cocurricular opportunities, these experiences help students discover their passions and strengths. For Abbie, her favourite and most special area of interest is sport. “I’ve had opportunities to compete at higher levels and try new sports,” she explains. “It’s helped me build confidence and make lifelong friendships.”
For Clare, trying new sports, from Hockey to AFL, has broadened her interests and skills. “These are opportunities I wouldn’t have had back home,” she says.
Diversity also plays a key role in shaping the Schols experience. Coming from regional Australia, metropolitan areas and overseas our boarders represent diverse nationalities who bring a wide range of gifts and learning experiences and exposes students to different perspectives and ways of thinking, giving them a broader outlook on life.
For many students, this exposure is as valuable as any academic lesson.
Julie and Simon reflect on this influence. “Boarding has broadened our girls’ horizons,” they say. “It’s encouraged them to think beyond what they may have otherwise considered possible.”
Ultimately, what sets St Scholastica’s College apart is not any single program or opportunity but the way each of these elements come together: care, community, education and independence. They create an environment where students feel both supported and inspired.
It is a place where homesickness is met with understanding, where challenges are met with encouragement and where every student is given the chance to grow into a confident, capable young person.
For regional families, the decision to send a daughter away from home will always carry emotion. But at Schols, that decision is met with a promise: that each student will be welcomed, supported and empowered to shape her own future.
As the Lawson family puts it, St Scholastica’s College is “a hidden gem in the city.”
And for those who walk through its gates, often with a mix of nerves and hope, it becomes something more enduring. It is a place where they discover not only their potential but their place in the world.
St Scholastica’s College — affectionately known as “Schols” — has been educating young women for 140 years, instilling values which […]