Westminster School

Westminster's senior qualification is the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), studied over Years 11 and 12, with a wide choice of academic subjects and nationally accredited VET courses that can count towards the certificate. The school does not offer the IB. Its international dimension comes from Round Square membership, which brings service projects and exchanges with schools abroad, the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, international tours and an EAL programme for overseas students.

English is the language of instruction, and international students receive English as an Additional Language support across their subjects. Language classes are part of the Preparatory School specialist programme, and in the Senior School students can study Chinese (including a course for background speakers), German and Japanese. A cultural club and a lion dance club add further contact with other cultures.

The Early Learning Centre accepts children from three years of age and guarantees a place through to Year 12. The Preparatory School runs from Reception to Year 6, with literacy and numeracy every day and specialist teachers for music, art, PE, languages and religious and values education; Westminster also offers a mid-year Reception intake. The Senior School covers Years 7 to 12: Years 7 and 8 have their own class groups, and Years 11 and 12 complete the SACE.

Westminster takes boarders from Years 7 to 12 and is one of South Australia's largest co-educational boarding schools, with many students from rural areas. Boys live in a building with 24 single and 24 double rooms and an infirmary, next to a shared recreation centre; girls live in air-conditioned home units, each with its own kitchen, lounge and laundry, with single rooms for Year 12. Boarders use the pool, sports centre and performing arts facilities, and a Boarder Parents' Association connects families.

Westminster describes its approach as an 'adventurous education', in which students are challenged to step outside their comfort zone and achieve more than they thought possible. Its values are to be kind, curious, resilient, humble, authentic and brave, and a Capability Compass sets out the skills it aims to develop. As a Uniting Church school it holds weekly chapel services while welcoming families of all faiths and none.

Students can join more than 200 teams, clubs and ensembles. Sports include athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, Australian rules football, netball, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball, with yoga and fitness programmes for younger students. Performing arts cover ballet, jazz, tap, acro and hip hop dance, drama and theatre sports, and many music groups such as concert bands, big bands, an orchestra, choirs and guitar, flute and percussion ensembles. Clubs include chess, debating, VEX robotics, e-sports, photography, a Royal Adelaide Show team and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

The single campus combines landscaped grounds with modern facilities. The Sports and Swimming Centre and Thomas Pavilion include a 10-lane heated indoor pool, multipurpose courts, a climbing wall and a high-performance training centre. The Michael Murray Centre for Performing Arts, the Haslam Library, the Sir Shirley Jeffries Memorial Chapel and an inquiry and innovation hub support learning, and a new Preparatory School building is being developed. Sturt Grove Farm, with the Thomas Foods International Centre for Agriculture, gives students a working farm on campus.

The school runs seven daily bus routes across Adelaide's south, east and west, and Marion train station is next to the campus. Before and after school care and vacation care are available for Preparatory School children. Pastoral care is organised through a House system, class teachers, Heads of House, a Head of Wellbeing, a chaplain and a careers counselling service. Scholarships are offered for academic, general, performing arts, boarding and community entry.