Independent Schools Guide 2024: Ruyton Girls' School is educating girls for the 21st century

Critical and creative thinking, effective person-to-person and digital communication skills, social and emotional intelligence, and grit and resilience – these are the 21st century skills that matter, says Ruyton Girls’ School Principal Linda Douglas.

“We want girls to understand their own agency, to believe in what they think, and to raise their voice and share those beliefs while also listening to others,” she says.

“Our girls are citizens of the world and I love that they have strong views, question why, and dig deeper. That develops powerful learning.”

While Ruyton is renowned for its academic achievements and ATAR results, Douglas says the school focuses on much more.

“We live in a time when marks and VCE are a pathway to what happens next, but they don’t define you,” she says. “We don’t want students to have a narrow definition of success.

“Astounding ATARs are brilliant but we want girls to be intellectually curious, creative thinkers and collaborators who understand they all have different strengths and skills.”

To build those attributes, Ruyton has a detailed series of academic and signature programs.

In Year 7, students begin to learn about “academic buoyancy”.

The concept, developed by Australian academic Dr Andrew Martin, focuses on a student’s ability to deal with everyday academic setbacks and challenges and to continue working and moving forward.

Ruyton has developed programs that support academic buoyancy by building confidence, co-ordination, commitment, control and composure.

The Scholar Program begins in Year 9 and hones deeper research skills in preparation for university. In Year 10, students undertake a mini-research project in an area of interest.

“One girl looked at Indigenous cultures and that led to a Capstone Project in Year 12 on Indigenous languages,” Douglas says. “I learned so much from her research.”

The Year 12 Capstone Project is voluntary and separate from the VCE program. Students focus on a chosen topic, define a research question, complete the research and then present their findings to teachers and peers.

For more than 30 years, Ruyton has also joined forces with Trinity Grammar School to run the Coordinate Program in VCE years. The program recognises that while the learning needs of boys and girls may be different in the middle years, there are benefits to combining the schools’ timetables and resources in senior years.

“This arrangement gives us the best of both worlds and our students say it eases the transition to life beyond school,” Douglas says. “In everything we do, we aim to bring out the best in our girls and create a culture in which girls help each other to be their best.”

Ruyton Girls’ School

12 Selbourne Road, Kew, VIC 3101

ruyton.vic.edu.au

Enquiries: 9819 2422,

ruyton@ruyton.vic.edu.au

Years: Early Learning–Year 12

Denomination: Non-denominational

Gender: Girls

Fees: $25,310 –$39,630 (Prep–Year 12)

Boarding: No

Scholarships: Yes

ATAR (median for 2023): 94.3