From the Principal

As I have watched our Senior School students complete their examinations this week, I have been filled with a sense of pride. They have worked hard in preparing for these, and now eagerly await their results. 

Examinations are an important part of the Girton experience. At Girton, we do more than teach our students the curriculum – we teach our students the value of determination, and the importance of consistent effort and resilience in overcoming obstacles. We teach them evidence-based revision techniques that consolidate learning and combat the process of forgetting by transferring knowledge to long-term memory. Through early and consistent exposure to examinations, we give them opportunities to refine these revision techniques and approach these assessments with a considered mindset, which will stand them in good stead as they enter the VCE years. 

This is just one of the reasons that I am proud to lead this school, and why I believe in the importance of independent education. There are more reasons, many of which have been captured in The Impact of Victorian Independent Schools 2025 Report, an independent report recently commissioned and published by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV).

This report shows that the independent education sector in Victoria delivers real outcomes for students. These include better literacy and numeracy results as evidenced by NAPLAN, and retention rates of 97% from Years 7-12, well above the sector average. It delivers real outcomes socially, providing a diverse offering of education models for a broad range of students. It delivers real outcomes to local communities in the form of disaster relief and community service. And, financially, the independent education sector contributes $6.6 billion to the state economy each year. 

Independent schools offer choice to students and parents. The sector is often painted in a less-than-favourable light in the media, and ISV Chief Executive Rachel Holthouse addresses some of the common misconceptions about how independent schools operate in this short video that may be of interest to you.

Now, as examinations come to a close, we enter a period of transition across the school. From Monday, our Senior School students will start the 2026 academic year in our Early Commencement Program (ECP). They will attend their 2026 classes and meet their teachers and new classmates, setting themselves up for a successful year ahead.

In Junior School, we have welcomed our 2026 Preparatory students for a series of visits to help ease their transition. Our Year Prep-5 students are now looking forward to their upcoming Transition Day and a taste of what the new year will bring.

On Monday 24 November, I look forward to hosting the families of our Year 7 cohort of 2026 at an information evening in our Senior School. This cohort has already spent two days in transition events at both of our campuses, getting to know each other, meeting teachers and becoming familiar with the way things operate in Senior School. 

I look forward to getting to know our new students, and to seeing all that they will experience and achieve next year and beyond. Thank you for continuing to support and guide your children through this period of transition.

Dr Emma O’Rielly

Principal