Secondary School
A secondary school small enough to know every student by name, and broad enough to let them discover who they are.
A FIRM FOUNDATION
Beginning secondary school is a milestone worth marking.
At Stromlo Forest Anglican College, Years 7 and 8 have been designed around a simple conviction: young people learn best when they are known. Our program supports students through the transition into adolescence with academic rigour, genuine relationships and a strong sense of purpose.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
A broad and balanced academic program
Students study six subjects across the full year. These are English, Mathematics, Science, Philosophy, Languages and Physical Education. They build the depth that strong foundations require. These subjects develop essential literacy and numeracy while challenging students to think critically, communicate with clarity, solve problems and pursue healthy, active lives.
Alongside these, a program of semester subjects opens up the humanities, technologies and the arts: Civics and Citizenship, History, Design Technology, Digital Technology, Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Art. The breadth is deliberate. Years 7 and 8 are the years for discovering an unexpected talent, and our timetable is built to make that discovery likely.
WELLBEING
Known, valued and connected
Every student belongs to a mentor class, supported throughout the year by a mentor teacher who is the first point of connection for students and families. Through regular check-ins and ongoing conversation, mentor teachers come to know each young person's strengths, interests and aspirations. We celebrate achievements, monitoring progress, and walk alongside them through the opportunities and challenges of adolescence. Every student has a trusted adult who knows them well and advocates for them.
Students belong to a House Group. These multi-age communities build friendship, leadership and school spirit with older students mentoring younger peers.
Support and extension for every learner
Thoughtful use of technology
Learning is individual, and every student deserves the opportunity to thrive.
Dedicated Academic Support and Enrichment lessons are timetabled each week and woven into the rhythm of school life rather than treated as an add-on. In these lessons students strengthen literacy and numeracy, receive personalised support, extend themselves through enrichment and challenge, and develop the study habits, organisation and independence that secondary schooling demands.
Learning across the curriculum is developed according to the principles of Universal Design for Learning, which emphasises multiple means of engagement (the ‘why’ of learning), representation (the ‘what’ of learning) and action or expression (the ‘how’ of learning).
Our Homework Hub runs several afternoons each week, supervised by teaching staff from across the disciplines. It gives students a structured place to consolidate their learning, prepare for assessment, or simply ask questions of their teachers.
Every secondary student receives a personal device, with access to high-quality resources through our learning management system, Canvas.
Technology is used where it genuinely enhances inquiry, creativity and communication. We understand that some of the most meaningful learning happens away from a screen: in discussion, practical investigation, outdoor learning, reading and making. A strong emphasis on digital citizenship equips students to use technology safely and ethically, to think critically about what they encounter online and to understand their own digital footprint.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Our co-curricular program invites students to discover what they love: inter-house competition, representative sport and seasonal programs; ensembles, choir and instrumental tuition; drama, dance, productions and showcases.
Clubs and interest groups include the Culinary Garden Lab, Chess Club, Debating and Public Speaking Society, STEM and Innovation Club, Book Club and Arts Studio. All grow in response to student initiative. Camps, outdoor education and learning on Country offer challenge, reflection and cultural understanding.
Common
Questions
Our physical environment is new, but we are not new to education.We have an experienced leadership team, teachers recruited specifically for this work, and the backing of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, which has been running schools in this region for generations. We follow the Australian Curriculum, taught by qualified teachers using evidenced-based approaches to teaching and learning.
We also have something established schools can't offer: the ability to build every practice deliberately, rather than inherit it. We are working hard to ensure our foundation families and students experience the kind of rich and rewarding educational experience that you could expect at an established school. Founding students will shape our culture and lead in ways that simply aren't available at schools where existing ways of doing and being are entrenched. In fact, most of our founding families tell us this is the reason they chose us.
Our leadership team and primary school teachers are experts in the transition to a new school environment. We have designed an exciting orientation program which will allow all students time and opportunities to make strong friendships right from the start. Our focus on relationship and belonging continues throughout the year. Students will also join a multi-age House Group which will allow them to forge friendships across the school.
Both are planned for. Our teachers build differentiation into every lesson using the principles of Universal Design for Learning. But we’ll do more than that. Academic support and enrichment lessons are timetabled every week for every student, so support and extension is prioritised. Teachers use this time for targeted literacy and numeracy work, personalised support, and enrichment for students ready to push further.
No. We welcome families of all faiths and none. Students take part in Religious and Values Education and regular Chapel, which are about exploring meaning, ethics, and living well together, rather than dogma or particular belief systems.
Our first vertical building will be ready for our first students at the start of the 2027 school year, complete with its own hard courts, playing field, and outdoor lunch and recreation area. Later stages of the campus will continue to be built, but construction is thoughtfully managed to keep student areas entirely separate, safe and quiet. The construction site and operating school areas will never overlap.
Our campus is designed around the ecosystem of a forest, with learning spaces stacked to preserve open ground for play, sport and gardens rather than car parks. It also keeps year groups genuinely connected instead of scattered across a sprawling site. The College is on track to be one of Australia's first zero-energy certified schools. The intention, purpose, and deep thought behind the school’s design are part of what will make it one of the best schools around.
We encourage every family to come to an information session or book a tour before deciding. Most of the questions parents have about a new school are answered faster by standing in the building and meeting the people than by reading about it. We’d love to see you at our next event!
