Meet the Principal 2019: Scott Thelning of The Cathedral Grammar School

‘Every child. Every day.’ This simple yet powerful statement is the essence of my educational philosophy. It seems so obvious, yet in a school setting, can get lost in the pursuit of greatness, narrow measures of success and the needs of adults. At The Cathedral Grammar School your child is truly at the heart of the matter as we set about nurturing them, knowing them and growing them in a holistic and heart focused manner. Of course, academic performance and high expectations are key, but not at the expense of their wellbeing and the development of skills and qualities to thrive in a challenging and evolving world.

At The Cathedral Grammar School your child is in an environment that values their heart as well as their head. It’s the Grammar Way. The girls at our school enjoy the best of both worlds. In the Preschool and Junior School, girls receive the benefit of all that co-education has to offer. As they get older, their learning styles can start to differ from the boys. So, for Years 4-8, they are split into two separate schools. Based in their own respective classrooms within the school grounds, the girls and boys schools work independently but are closely aligned. This means the school can specifically tailor learning.

The Head Girl, Lucy, is the third of three girls in the Vance family to attend Cathedral Grammar and relishes the unique Cathedral Grammar culture. “The whole Girls’ School is basically a big family and everyone supports each other and they know everyone.” The prime inner city position means they make the most of the wonderful nearby resources. The girls head to Ara Institute for Engineering and Food Technology, Christ’s College to study Hard Materials and some students are involved in an Enrichment Programme at Tūranga, the new central city library. This is an exciting opportunity and aims to enrich and extend the school’s current learning programmes inside and outside the classroom.

Every week the girls and boys come together for what we call an Hour of Power, where they’ll study a myriad of subjects such as Robotics, Coding, Electronic Music 101, Collage Fabric and Food Art and French. They also join forces for extension classes in Maths and English, for chapel, assemblies, sport and fitness. Recognising that a well-rounded character is just as important as academic success, all students are involved in community service, helping to enrich the lives of others. “We would love your daughter or son to be part of our community, our family.”