Saint Kentigern Girls’ School started a new chapter in its history today with its monumental move to a brand new, purposefully built school on Shore Road. Beautiful weather welcomed students and staff as they arrived, with learning spaces around the school coming alive with lessons, activity, conversation, and laughter as the day progressed.
Girls’ School Principal Juliet Small expressed delight on the milestone move, “The day has finally arrived and we’re extremely pleased to see our girls settled into their new learning spaces and utilising the facilities as they were intended. This school embody the learning environment we had envisioned for a future-focussed girls’ education. It provides a safe and nurturing space for our girls to be the best they can be and support their ongoing academic and co-curricular success.”
Four years in the making, the new Saint Kentigern Girls’ School on Shore Road is custom designed with girls’ learning in mind. The building’s open and friendly design is welcoming and inclusive. The dynamic environment is aimed at fostering connectedness and encouraging interaction, providing a conducive environment for each of our girls to reach their important learning potential.
The new Girls’ School takes into consideration biophilic design concepts, optimising use of natural lighting and ventilation and taking advantage of the contoured landscape to create a multi-level terraced building surrounded by lush greens.
The new school has 19 classrooms with each syndicate occupying a dedicated floor. The first floor houses the Reception, Senior Leadership offices and large storage areas. The classrooms for Years 1-3 and a large, dedicated art studio are on the second floor. The Staffroom occupies a corner of this floor. Years 4-6 classrooms are on the third floor while Years 7-8 classrooms, music studios and ample learning spaces are located on the top floor of the new school.
Every floor of the school has a dedicated library catered for specific age groups and many collaborative learning areas connected by a multi-purpose Social Stairs, an atrium that opens from the second to the fourth floor. Other unique features of the Girls’ School include four outdoor spaces tailored for different age groups, an Adventure Trail, a pet enclosure for the beloved school rabbit, a raised planting bed to grow vegetables and large purpose designed playground facility.