BESPOKE LEARNING

Future leaders are made at PLC Armidale, where boarders and day students are given many opportunities for personal growth.

FOR THE PAST 136 YEARS , Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) Armidale has been educating girls from across the region and beyond. The college provides a caring, encouraging and empowering environment for each student to reach their potential and equips girls to lead lives of significance.

The 2022 Higher School Certificate (HSC) results demonstrate the college’s academic advantage: it had a higher percentage of its 2022 HSC cohort on the Distinguished Achievers list than any other school in Armidale.

A stroll through the bright and airy classrooms set in the spacious grounds of this 17 hectare property confirms this is an ideal place for young women to learn and grow.

The college’s capacity was intentionally designed to ensure an environment of close connection where girls are individually known and nurtured, so class sizes allow students to receive one-on-one instruction from teaching staff.

A phenomenal average student-to-teacher ratio of six to one across the school allows for bespoke learning plans. As one of the oldest educational institutions in the region, the school is resolute that one size does not fit all.

The result of this focus is demonstrated by a visit to the My School website, which shows PLC Armidale consistently scores above the national average in nearly all areas of NAPLAN testing.

Principal Nicola Taylor says students educated in an all-girl environment are more confident about asking questions, particularly in mathematics and science.

“When girls become the focal point, there is greater opportunity for engagement and achievement,” Mrs Taylor says. “Our students have higher occupational aspirations, which are fostered throughout their school career; they have higher participation rates in activities such as sport and PE, and they develop a greater sense of connectedness. Girls in a girls’ school form close friendships, often lasting for life.”

As places are limited, girls at PLC Armidale Junior School are given first preference. Boarders are catered for from Year 5. There is a mixture of full, weekly and casual boarding, with each girl given her own room to decorate in the style of her choice.

Boarders enjoy the many co-curricular opportunities on offer, including joining one of the most productive and successful school cattle teams in the region. For two years running, PLC Armidale has been chosen to prepare and lead the Schute Bell Charity Steer, to raise money for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, at the Sydney Royal Show, the first school outside the Riverina to ever do so.

PLC Armidale has numerous scholarships that are awarded on merit to girls in academic, music, creative arts and leadership fields, as well as for all-rounders and boarders.

Many accomplished women have been the beneficiaries of the scholarships and bursaries offered to girls of promise and potential from regional New South Wales who demonstrate a commitment to their education and future. The CEO of Fletcher International Exports, Melissa Fletcher, was once a recipient of a scholarship at PLC Armidale, as was Dr Nicole Sides, Medical Director of Compass Fertility and former Australian Capital Territory Business Woman of the Year, along with many more. Other past recipients include the President of the National Farmers’ Federation, Fiona Simson.

“I was lucky enough to enter PLC Armidale on an academic scholarship in Year 7,” Mrs Simson says. “I had no idea just how much the skills I learned during my secondary schooling would influence my current career.”

For more information, visit plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au