Shire Christian School is a nondenominational, co-educational Prep to Year 12 school in Sydney’s south, well known for providing an excellent Christian education. The school has a strong pastoral care program and seeks to create a culture where every child is part of a school community that feels like family. In this caring environment, students learn, grow and flourish.
Shire Christian students perform strongly in external tests and exams like NAPLAN and the HSC, and the school attributes this to bringing together a strong learning framework and a caring and nurturing environment.
Teachers at the school desire to see every child establish meaningful relationships and develop skills and qualities that will equip them to embrace life’s challenges.
Shire Christian School teachers are highly qualified, many hold master’s degrees and some have been awarded a PhD. Teachers are committed to receiving ongoing feedback on the quality of their work and engage with research on the best ways to improve student learning. All staff at the school are Christians, involved in their local church and are committed to living their lives according to what is taught in the Bible. Students undertake Christian Studies as a distinct subject, and they are also encouraged to engage with a Christian perspective across the rest of their courses.
Shire Christian School has stimulating and academically rigorous programs and provides meaningful, targeted support for students who may struggle in particular areas of their learning.
The school offers exciting opportunities for students to develop their skills in sport and creative endeavours, enabling each student to thrive.
Sport: We off an extensive gala day program for most sports including: swimming, athletics, cross country, soccer, netball, basketball, cricket, rugby league, Oz Tag, tennis, gymnastics and golf. We are part of the Christian Schools Sports Association (CSSA) and the Combined Independent Schools Sports Council (CIS), which provides our talented students with a pathway through to national competition. Students that have a talent in a particular area will have a chance to shine at Shire Christian School!
On a weekly basis for Years 7 to 10, students are involved in a wide range of activities in the hope of fostering lifelong involvement in physical activity. We seek to offer our students the best facilities and coaches available in the Sutherland Shire for our Friday sports program. All cost is covered by school fees, and even if it rains, many of the activities are still able to go ahead, which is a great advantage.
We recently began a local competition against our neighbouring independent schools, rotating through sports like touch football, basketball, soccer and table tennis.
Music and Performing Arts: All students, including Shire Prep, are taught by a qualified specialist music teacher. In Year 7, students learn to play the piano and in Year 8 they learn to play the guitar. From Year 9, Music becomes an elective subject.
Students who sing or play an instrument can participate in our ensemble and band program and experience the joy of disciplined music making together in rehearsals each week and through performance opportunities during the year. Students are also able to receive individual tuition in a particular musical instrument from an external, qualified music tutor, which is an additional cost for parents. Regularly throughout the year there are an abundance of performance opportunities.
Shire Christian School has enjoyed putting on large school theatrical shows for over 15 years and in 2024 formalised the initiative as The Production Program. Students who take part in the production program can enjoy a sense of greater belonging to a dynamic and diverse group of people, engaging with an area of their strength and celebrating the range of skill sets in the whole team. We produce a show every year, moving through a three-year cycle: whole school, Junior School and Secondary School.
Welfare and personal development: Students are allocated to a gender-based Pastoral Care class in Year 7 and for the most part stay with this group of students and their Pastoral Care teacher for their journey through Secondary School. This means students are known well and supported by one teacher. Students meet with their pastoral care class and teacher on a daily basis. The pastoral care program provides students with an opportunity to develop an understanding of how the gospel applies to their daily lives, helping them to understand what it means to live well in God’s world. The program also includes camping experiences for students. The school has two psychologists and offers many other opportunities for personal development, mentorship and leadership.
Co-curricular activities: Debating, chess, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, 10 different music ensembles, global awareness program, snow trip, individual music lessons, peripatetic speech and drama, dance lessons, speech therapy, occupational therapy, CRU group.
Facilities: Synthetic futsal court, outdoor basketball, netball and volleyball courts, soccer field, tennis courts, cricket pitch and nets, large grass spaces, bush play area, architecturally designed infants and prep playground, newly renovated multipurpose hall with basketball and performing arts capabilities including retractable tired seating, Tiered Learning Centre, Information Resources Centre, large 4K interactive touch boards, connection to AARNet and gigabit internet, school managed student device program, renovated art rooms and Food Technology room, 3D printer, laser cutter, two libraries, music rooms and studios, all classrooms airconditioned.