P ROS P ECTU S

Queen Margaret provides an outstanding education that

recognises your daughter’s special qualities and fosters her

talents and abilities. At Queen Margaret College we pride

ourselves on offering every opportunity to each of our girls. A

Queen Margaret College education is a seamless progression

for girls catering for their developmental needs from Pre-

School through to Year 13.

The College was established in 1919 on its present site in

inner-city Wellington, its educational purpose as stated

in its original prospectus being “to develop the best type

of girlhood and womanhood” – in short ‘a well balanced

education’. Today, the College continues to deliver, in a 21st

century context, a rich holistic education.

As an independent school we are committed to achieving

excellence and providing optimal opportunities.

With a roll of approximately 680 pupils, the College is small

enough to ensure every girl is appreciated as an individual

but large enough to offer a full range of subjects, along with

a myriad of sporting and cultural activities. We also extend

our girls through leadership opportunities and teamwork

experiences.

At Queen Margaret College we pride ourselves on offering

every opportunity to each of our girls. Our girls are the

leaders. We encourage them to speak out, to be heard and

engage in demanding discussion. In this way they become

confident learners, critical thinkers and self-starters.

Her schooling years behind her, your daughter will be

equipped with the confidence and competence to achieve

her dreams and to make a significant contribution to the

lives of others.

Education is onE of thE most valuablE gifts wE can givE our childrEn and ThE ChOiCE Of SChOOl OnE Of ThE mOST imPORTanT dECiSiOnS yOU makE.

Principal Carol Craymer

As a Presbyterian girls’ school, our special character is

nurtured by a religious education programme, assemblies

and services where respect for spirituality and different

beliefs is encouraged.

Emphasis is placed on participation in community service

in order to raise the awareness of our girls to the needs

of others. Students are also encouraged to have a global

perspective and to actively seek knowledge of other

cultures and perspectives.

Traditional values are further enhanced by our House

system which fosters involvement, camaraderie and lively

competition. As part of a smaller community, our girls

are encouraged to be caring, cooperative and to develop

friendly relationships between different age levels through

shared activities and identity.

Special assemblies such as Founders’ Day, Queen Margaret

Day, Prefect Commissioning and House Banners keep the

history and traditions of the school alive and expressed in

our everyday life.

Our wider school community includes our Old Girls who

are active supporters of the College, and also our brother

school, Scots College, with whom we share Founders and

the site of our founding. This common heritage is fostered

by the annual QUOTS Shield competition between the two

colleges.

lucE vEritatis: lET OUR livES bE livEd by ThE lighT Of TRUTh - Today our motto remains our touchstone as to how we should lead our lives.

Va l u e s

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confident,principled women

our girls become

who make a difference in the modern world

Our historic buildings, purpose-built classrooms and

beautifully kept gardens all serve to promote an

environment conducive to learning.

As an inner city school, Queen Margaret College has

access to a wide range of world class resources and the

exciting learning opportunities available in the Capital. Our

neighbours include most of the capital’s embassies, the

National Library, Katherine Mansfield Birthplace, National

Archives and Parliament. Our girls attend the church services

at St Andrew’s on the Terrace, the Wellington Cathedral

and St Johns. And we are only a short distance away from

the country’s national museum Te Papa, the University of

Victoria and from Wellington’s finest theatres.

Although the College is located in the city there is ready

access to the best nature has to offer, with the white sands

of Oriental Bay within easy walking distance from the school

along with the Botanical Gardens and the hiking tracks in

the nearby hills.

Thorndon is surrounded by major transport links. Just

minutes away from the College is the city’s main bus and

train centre, the base for suburban commuter lines to

northern Wellington suburbs, the Kapiti Coast and the

Hutt Valley.

QuEEn margarEt collEgE is locatEd in thorndon, a gRaCiOUS lEafy innER SUbURb Of WEllingTOn, ThE CaPiTal CiTy Of nEW ZEaland.

A C o l l e g e i n t h e C i t y

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the heart of the city

the historic college buildings are near

Our decision to become an International Baccalaureate

World School has further enhanced the smooth transition

for our girls as they step up to the different year levels.

The Pre-School and Junior School are both implementing

the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme

(PYP). PYP focuses on the total growth of the developing

child – the social, physical, emotional and cultural needs

as well as the academic. Our junior girls receive specialist

teaching in music, art, and French.

We offer a dynamic education to girls from Year 7 to Year 10

which provides a strong base for senior study, supporting

their progression from dependent to independent learning.

We are implementing the International Baccalaureate

Middle Years Programme (MYP) to which holistic learning,

intercultural awareness and communication is central.

The Queen Margaret College Senior School consists of

classes from Year 11 to 13. Our broad-based curriculum

prepares girls well for tertiary study and diverse career paths.

We celebrate the uniqueness of each girl and our nurturing

environment allows her to thrive. Although pastoral care is

the responsibility of every teacher, we also have a network

of people with specific responsibilities: Form teachers, Year

Level Deans and our full time school nurse monitor the well-

being of every student.

Our mentoring programme is one of the opportunities our

girls have to be role models and experience leadership.

QuEEn margarEt collEgE is not just onE school but four schools in thE onE: PRE-SChOOl, JUniOR, middlE and SEniOR SChOOl. ThE COllEgE haS a family aTmOSPhERE WhERE giRlS Of all agES inTERaCT.

F a m i l y A t m o s p h e r e

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unique schoolsin one college

Queen Margaret College has always been at the forefront of

educational innovation in New Zealand. It has an impressive

record of academic achievement as evidenced in the

National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and

New Zealand Scholarship results which show our girls gain

results well above those of comparable girls’ schools.

Small class sizes, dedicated teachers, and a learner-centred

approach to education, complemented by the latest digital

technologies, support our students in their development as

independent, confident young women with a life-long love

of learning.

Our broad-based curriculum has always prepared girls well

for tertiary study and diverse careers but with increasing

globalisation our students also need to be able to take their

place on the world stage.

We are implementing the International Baccalaureate

Primary and Middle Years Programmes, and from 2010 will

offer our Year 12 students, a dual qualifications pathway

leading to the International Baccalaureate Diploma or the

NCEA with opportunities for both pathways to enter the

New Zealand Scholarship examinations.

The Diploma is highly regarded internationally, providing

entrance to universities in New Zealand and all around

the world. It recognises the importance of an ‘all round

education’ – the academic and the sporting, creativity,

culture and service - yet with the higher level requirements,

it provides scope for specialisation. It is a 21st century

qualification, rigorously academic, which encourages

students to have an international perspective and to think

and act ethically. It produces ‘global citizens’.

a QUEEn maRgaRET COllEgE EdUCaTiOn prEparEs girls for thE ‘global villagE’.

L e a r n i n g

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a world class

education on offer right here

in Wellington

Visual Art is taught at all levels by specialist teachers.

Music is a school strength and our specialist music wing

provides a backdrop for a variety of musical activities.

We have a strong choral tradition with our Chorale and

Barbershop Chorus regularly reaching the national finales.

In recent years, Queen Margaret College talented musicians

have been invited to join the New Zealand School of Music

Academy and the elite ranks of the New Zealand National

Youth Orchestra.

Our students have the opportunity from Year 1 to learn

singing or a musical instrument and, if they so wish, to gain

qualifications. There are choirs, orchestras and ensembles at

every level.

Recognising students learn expressive skills through drama,

we also provide every opportunity for girls to tread the

boards and to feel the excitement of live performance.

In recent years our drama students have gained success

at national level in the Sheilah Winn Shakespearean

Competition.

House plays, the Junior and Middle School productions,

major musicals, delivering oral presentations and debating

are all part of the Queen Margaret College way of life. For

many, our Year 9 musicals, in which all Year 9 students

participate, remain one of the highlights of their school days.

Materials Technology education at Queen Margaret College

also offers girls the opportunity to work on creative projects

for authentic occasions such as the Wearable Art Displays as

part of the Capital’s annual World of Wearable Arts Awards

(WOW).

wE havE an ExtEnsivE visual and pErforming arts programmE offEring girls a wEalth of cultural ExpEriEncEs.

P e r f o r m i n g & V i s u a l A r t s

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in the spotlight

life

Sport and recreational activities are an integral part of

College life. We recognise their value in preparing our

girls for future trials in life by developing qualities of

determination and perseverance.

Physical Education is taught at all levels of the school. Our

dedicated sports staff encourage girls to participate in

sport, summer and winter, offering them a choice of a wide

range of sporting codes.

Many Junior, Middle and Senior School students participate

in inter-school sport and sports exchanges with other

private girls’ schools.

We are fortunate our central location allows us to use all

the resources the capital city has to offer, and our sports

participation levels remain among the highest in the

country.

Our Queen Margaret College Sports Academy supports

promising young sportswomen, nurturing their abilities

through a combination of theory and practical experience.

We provide an extensive Education Outside the Classroom

(EOTC) Programme, traditionally known as ‘school camps’,

involving all girls from Junior School to Year 13. For our

youngest girls this might mean camping out in brightly

coloured pup tents on the school front lawn while our older

students take part in a range of New Zealand adventures

including walking the Abel Tasman Track, visiting a marae

and responding to the rigorous challenges of the Sir

Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

WE aRE aWaRE Of ThE imPORTanCE Of, and ThE knOWn bEnEfiTS RESUlTing fROm, rEgular physical Education and sport for all agEs.

S p o r t & O u t d o o r E d u c a t i o n

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Strongcompetitors

losers

Graciouswinners

Respectful

We have taught girls from Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia,

Europe and North and South America.

Our International students are required to live in a homestay

which provides them with a comfortable but secure family

environment. They are also required to have a mentor who

meets regularly with the student to ensure she is content

and all is well with educational, homestay, financial and

social matters. The school also keeps in regular contact with

the student and the student’s family, and is a signatory to

the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s Code Of Practice for

the pastoral care of international students.

International students are given an introduction to English

while they are being integrated into their course of study.

English language tuition continues throughout their

academic course and assistance with mainstream subjects is

provided.

Queen Margaret College has links with the international

body of Margaret Schools and Independent Schools of New

Zealand. These links, which include individual, cultural and

sporting exchanges within New Zealand and overseas, offer

our girls the opportunity to extend their horizons and to

develop awareness of the global community.

at QuEEn margarEt collEgE wE bEliEvE by Encouraging young pEoplE from a variEty of backgrounds to study togEthEr, thEy will lEarn to rEspEct and apprEciatE Each othEr.

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we welcome

overseasstudents

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