Getting to know…Rhonda Robson, St Andrew’s Cathedral School

Meet Rhonda Robson, Head of Junior School, St Andrew’s Cathedral School

Teaching has been a life-long dream for Rhonda Robson, Head of Junior School at St Andrew’s Cathedral School who is also responsible for Gawura – a unique Indigenous ‘school within a school’– located at St Andrew’s Cathedral School. She sees real importance in catering for the whole child and values the relational nature of the job. We caught up with Rhonda to chat about the advantages of having a Junior School in a vertical building, and why she thinks St Andrew’s Cathedral School is so special.

🌟 Tell us about yourself. When did your interest in teaching start?

I always wanted to be a teacher, having been inspired by my Year 3 Teacher, Mrs Disney. Aptly named, she was joy and happiness personified. I loved teaching from the very start—the energy that comes when you work with a group of students. It’s almost like a family that you spend time with, experiencing both the highs and lows and ultimately learning and growing with them. I found the hardest part about classroom teaching was saying goodbye at the end of the year.

Rhonda Robson with school children in classroom. Image courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral School

🌟 How did you become the Head of the Junior School?

As well as teaching, I ended up studying to be a School Counsellor and also a Coordinator of Gifted and Talented. Both roles taught me so much more about understanding the whole child. I was asked to lead an Anglican Primary School in the South West of Sydney, which I did for two years. I then joined St Andrew’s Cathedral School in 2011 and I’ve enjoyed every day since.

🌟What do you think is special about St Andrew’s Cathedral School?

This school is special, not just because it’s a vertical building in the heart of the city, but because of the unique network of relationships here. You walk into the school building and you feel it; the beautiful culture which reinforces that the School’s essential principles have endured. The School was founded with an aim to provide quality academic education as well as strong pastoral care, focusing on the development of the whole child. St Andrew’s began as a Choir School and has a history steeped in music, which continues today. In fact, our performing arts program offers students many significant opportunities as they grow, including participation in major musicals and an extensive choice of ensembles to choose from.

🌟 What would surprise inner west families about St Andrew’s Cathedral School’s Junior School?

We’re a non-selective school and yet we’ve achieved the greatest academic growth in the Sydney area. We believe that part of our success is due to our approach of caring for and extending every child with highly qualified, expert teachers. We don’t just diligently select the best qualified and well referenced teachers we can find; we also seek teachers who demonstrate the values and care for students that we prize.

At St Andrew’s Cathedral School, we also ensure that the needs of those who require extra support are catered for, and our extensive Gifted and Talented programme is recognised as attracting many high ability and gifted students into the School. This lifts the quality of teaching and the learning for the benefit of all of our students.

Junior school classroom. Image courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral School

🌟 What would you like to tell parents who are concerned their children will miss out on a ‘traditional’ school ground experience by attending a vertical school?

We love the advantages a vertical building offers to Junior School students. Movement between floors takes moments – so there’s no sense of distance or separation. Primary school students can easily access expert Secondary staff, as well as the facilities of the whole School. Everything is just a floor away. Also being situated in a building means everything is purpose built – students enjoy Science lessons in state-of-the-art Science Laboratories with a specialist Science Teacher, or they can learn and perform in bespoke Music, Dance or Drama rooms with and specific facilities.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School rooftop. Image courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral School

Our rooftop playground allows students to play safely and securely – rain, hail or shine – and our modern, comfortable and colourful classrooms are flooded with natural light. Beyond these aspects, the city itself is our classroom! Classes regularly take place in city museums, theatres, and galleries as well as a range of sports grounds located across the city.

Plus, many parents aren’t aware of our unique, graduated Outdoor Education programme at Kirrikee in the Southern Highlands which allows our students to be challenged and inspired.

Gawura School children. Image courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral School

🌟 You have a First Nations School, Gawura, as part of the School. Tell us more.

Gawura is a school within our school. It offers a high-quality educational programme to local First Nations students from Kindergarten through to Year 6. Gawura students have access to First Nations teachers, mentors and role models who help embed a culturally safe space for learning. Gawura students attend small, dedicated class sizes for half the day and then join St Andrew’s Cathedral School’s Junior School classes for rest of the day, accessing the facilities and programs available to the entire school.

After graduating Year 6, Gawura students join Year 7 in St Andrew’s Cathedral School’s Secondary School. Many parents will be delighted to know that Gawura was recognised and awarded as the Australian School of the Year in 2020 and our graduates are achieving great things.

Our non-indigenous students also have the benefit of learning first-hand about First Nations culture and history and come to understand more deeply the lived experience of our First Peoples.

🌟 For all of our Inner West mums making the decision as to when to send a preschooler to school … how do you know when a child is ready to start school?

A great question but the answer isn’t as simple as their chronological age. As many parents will know, children in NSW are eligible to commence school between the ages of 4 and a half and 6 years. That’s a huge developmental period of 18 months – so there will always be some students who benefit from being closer to 6 than 4 when they start and many kids are ready at 5, or even at 4 and a half. If they are eligible and ready for school, the research says to send them.

If you’re wondering what to consider, there are three key markers for school readiness in children:

Cognitive: is your child is intellectually aware and alert, and easily able to follow instructions.
Language: does your child have a good vocabulary, with the ability to communicate well, with no speech delays or impediments.
Self-regulation: does your child have good self-control and seems ready for learning.

If your child meets these criteria, then they’re ready for school, regardless of age. Of course, if parents have concerns in any of these areas, delaying an extra year is recommended.

Junior School children in classroom. Image courtesy of St Andrew’s Cathedral School

🌟 Is it hard to get into the school?

It‘s certainly becoming more difficult to gain entry into St Andrew’s Cathedral School! We have record wait lists, particularly into Years 5, 6 and 7. Due to this, more families are choosing to commence earlier, from Kindergarten to Year 4. Research shows that the foundational years of learning in Kindergarten to Year 4 represent the most important years of a child’s education. So we encourage families to consider entry into the early years of the Junior School for educational, social and wellbeing benefits, as well as to ensure they don’t miss out on joining our beautiful school. We have many inner west families in our community – particularly from Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle, Drummoyne, Annandale, Pyrmont and it’s lovely seeing many neighbourhood families connect at events at the school.

To learn more about the Junior School and Gawura at St Andrew’s Cathedral School’s visit www.sacs.nsw.edu.au or join the Junior School Open Morning on Wednesday 21 August at 9am. Book now.

Limited places available in Kindergarten, Years 1-3 for 2025.

About Author

Inner West Mums

See author's posts

Getting to know…Rhonda Robson, St Andrew’s Cathedral School