Learning

A fundamental principle of a Sacred Heart Education is that all students have a right to be educated to their fullest potential. The best educational outcome for each individual student is always the main objective. Stuartholme School collectively values a deep respect for intellectual values, and celebrates academic performance and achievements.

Stuartholme offers extensive curriculum opportunities which involves many experiences within and beyond the classroom. Stuartholme offers a diverse variety of subjects, enrichment and extension opportunities, a broad Vocational Education Program and 47 co-curricular activities for students to explore.

Stuartholme’s highly qualified teachers and specialist staff are experts in their fields and challenge their students to become independent, critical thinkers, arming them with the confidence to actively engage in their learning. The way they teach is aimed at empowering each of the young women in their care to be the agents of change, instilling the self-knowledge that their thoughts and actions have the ability to make an impact. Each student is an individual with different

Our co-curricular activities reinforce the value of ‘learning outside of the classroom’. The Co-curricular Program enables students to discover, develop and value their talents, allowing them to grow in self-confidence through a range of age-appropriate learning experiences. Students are encouraged to enjoy and contribute to their community, and to participate in service-learning, social justice programs, sports, arts and cultural activities, clubs, societies, domestic and international exchanges within Sacred Heart Schools. 

Student Wellbeing

Student Wellbeing permeates every activity and interaction at Stuartholme School. The School operates in a sub-school structure (Years 5-6, Years 7-9 and Years 10-12); delivering a range of age-appropriate wellbeing programs. Together we strive to celebrate successes, support one another through challenges and create a community that promotes life-long friendships.

 Boarding

Stuartholme Boarders share a common vision: to create a boarding community that enables each individual to flourish in a way that helps empower others at the same time.

At Stuartholme School, our Boarding House is at the centre of the school, thus in essence, is the heart of the school. Boarders bring warmth and a genuine connection to all they meet, they are open and generous to all new students knowing that a friendly face is very important, not only on the first day, but on each and every day. Our boarders live by our school motto ‘Cor Unum’ – one heart.

In our Boarding House we offer opportunities for each girl to achieve their very best both academically and socially. We develop academic profiles of each boarder to ensure they know their individual strengths as a learner first and foremost and are offered the appropriate support to gain skills in areas that need further development.

 Boarding options

Stuartholme offers varied Boarding options suited to families with different needs:

• Full-Time Boarding - available for students in Years 7-12.
• Term-Time Boarding - available to current day students whom wish to join the boarding house for a term for academic or co-curricular activities or family commitments.
• Short-Term Boarding - available to students whom opt for a supportive environment to enhance academic studies and others to manage busy co-curricular sporting commitments or for families with changed circumstances. Day students can join the boarding house for a minimum two (2) weeks but must commit financially to a minimum four (4) weeks of boarding during the calendar year for this option.
• Support and Succeed (SAS) Program - a unique opportunity for current day students to enter the Boarding House for Years 11 and 12.
• Rowing Boarding Program - offers day students who are apart of the rowing program the opportunity to board during the rowing season (Terms 2 and 3).

 Ideal location

Stuartholme's distinctive setting provides numerous advantages for boarders. Ideally situated on 21 hectares of native bushland in the foothills of Mount Coot-tha, and just six kilometres from Brisbane's CBD, the school offers a naturally stunning environment that enhances the overall boarding and educational experience. The lush surroundings create a perfect backdrop for a well-rounded and balanced learning environment.

To learn more about Stuartholme or to arrange a tour, please call +61 7 3369 5466 or email enrolments@stuartholme.com.

If you would like to enrol your daughter/s, please visit our website. 

Our co-curricular activities reinforce the value of ‘learning outside of the classroom’. The Co-curricular Program enables students to discover, develop and value their talents, allowing them to grow in self-confidence through a range of age-appropriate learning experiences. Students are encouraged to enjoy and contribute to their community, and to participate in service-learning, social justice programs, sports, arts and cultural activities, clubs, societies, domestic and international exchanges within Sacred Heart Schools. 

Nestled at the top of Mount Coot-ta, overlooking city views, Stuartholme School stands as an impressive beacon of educational excellence and heart. As Brisbane’s only Catholic Boarding School for girls in Years 7 to 12, Stuartholme takes pride in fostering not just academics but strong connections and community relationships.

The Boarding House, led by Jane Morris, Dean of Boarding, places connection at the forefront of the boarding experience. Together, they strive to celebrate successes, support one another through challenges, and create a community that lives out the spirit of Cor Unum – which means 'One Heart.'

Stuartholme School is committed to empowering young women, nurturing their individual strengths, and preparing them to make a positive impact on the world. Through its rich heritage, dedicated educators, strong boarding community, and idyllic location, Stuartholme offers a transformative educational experience that equips students with the skills and confidence to excel in all aspects of life.

The Boarding House

The Boarding House is centrally positioned over three floors in our main building, originally built in 1920. The boarding house, freshly renovated School’s accommodation has a capacity for 140 students and provides an individual room with study space.

Study

One advantage of living in the boarding environment is the additional time students can apply themselves to their study, which assists in forging healthy learning habits for school and in the future.

Study takes place in a supportive environment under close supervision in Years 7 to 10 with progressively more scope for independent study in senior years.

Staff

Stuartholme’s boarding staff are highly skilled and dedicated to their boarding roles. They undertake high quality personal and professional development and have regular and collaborative team meetings.

The Stuartholme Boarding staff are very proud of every girl who comes into the Boarding House, the culture of inclusion and kindness ensures everyone is cared for and feels welcome.

Each boarding staff member aims to inspire each girl to do their personal best – to aim for excellence academically, aim for high level interpersonal skills and to be compassionate and inclusive.

Health & wellbeing

Our Boarding House has a Wellbeing Program to address the specific needs of boarders. Based on best practice psychology, the program is age specific and sits alongside the day school Wise Wellness Program. The strengths-based approach of the program focuses on increasing girls’ self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Boarding staff work closely with the Health Centre and School counselling teams along with the Leadership Team and Leaders of Student Wellbeing to ensure that each student has a network of support if and when she needs it.

The well-appointed Sharon Beirne Health and Wellness Centre is staffed by a Nurse Manager and her team of registered nurses who support and work in close co-operation with the Boarding House staff. The Health Centre offers onsite GP, Physiotherapy and Podiatry services. 

Activities

All Boarders are able to enjoy and take advantage of the many academic, sporting, social and cultural opportunities offered by the School. On weekends, Boarders can visit family and friends or remain in the House and participate in a structured program of events. Boarders enjoy a range of age appropriate recreation activities planned and led by our Recreation Officer. We also offer many activities in conjunction with our brother schools, Marist College Ashgrove and St Josephs Nudgee College. Some examples of activities include:

• Pet therapy – staff bring their pets to school for the afternoon
• Trips to the cinema for the latest movie
• Op shopping around Brisbane
• Ice skating and lawn bowls
• Day trips to the Beach
• Visits to the beach and theme parks
• Jewellery making and cooking
• DIY activities like terrariums, slime and stress balls
• Trivia nights, film and games nights with other boarding schools in Brisbane 

To learn more about Stuartholme or to arrange a tour, please call +61 7 3369 5466 or email enrolments@stuartholme.com.

If you would like to enrol your daughter/s, please visit our website. 

Student Wellbeing permeates every activity and interaction at Stuartholme School. The School operates in a sub-school structure (Years 5-6, Years 7-9 and Years 10-12); delivering a range of age-appropriate wellbeing programs. Together we strive to celebrate successes, support one another through challenges and create a community that promotes life-long friendships.

Spark Program

Stuartholme School has a long tradition of enabling all learners to recognise their individual strengths to enhance their learning. Coupled with exceptional academic success as a school, this has seen an increase in the number of high achieving students enrolling in recent years.

The SPARK Program has been designed to meet the needs of our high potential students. To find out more please click here.

Careers Program

At Stuartholme, all students engage in career development and career-related learning. Our students are encouraged to access whole-of-school career development opportunities and students in Years 10, 11 and 12 also take part in a tailored, forward-looking Careers Program. To compliment these initiatives, individual career development sessions are available with our Careers Counsellor.

To find out more please click here.

Stuartholme School offers a cost-effective and convenient transport option for getting your daughter/s to and from the school.

Brisbane Bus Lines run four bus routes exclusively for Stuartholme students each morning and afternoon.

Find out more about our bus routes and ticket prices here.

Stuartholme School offers several scholarships and bursaries to assist students and families. Find out more here.

Shelagh Ryan, 1990 Stuartholme School graduate

Shelagh Ryan graduated from Stuartholme in 1990 and is a successful Restaurateur with three Melbourne inspired cafes located in Central London. Shelagh is also Author of Café Kitchen – Relaxed Food for Friends from the Lantana Café, released in September 2014.

Shelagh attributes her success to the solid foundations she received at Stuartholme.

“Stuartholme gave me a really solid foundation. It’s hard to quantify exactly what Stuartholme gives you, but I think its confidence. It’s a belief in yourself, it’s the knowledge that you really can do anything. The School really does teach you how to be an independent self-starter”.

Find out more about Shelagh.

Corissa Miller, 2002 Stuartholme School graduate

Corissa Miller is a Wildlife Veterinarian and Director of Ecotone Wildlife Veterinary Services. Ecotone’s focus is on wildlife management, providing support and advice for fauna research and management programs with large mammal species.

Corissa graduated from Stuartholme School in 2002, before moving into university studies which included a Masters in Conservation through Murdoch University.

"I felt very supported in everything that I did at Stuartholme. I was always made to feel that I was able to try at everything I wanted to do. That’s why I did such a broad range of subjects at school. All of my teachers encouraged me to think for myself, and to question what I was learning. That’s a really important quality in my work now".

Find out more about Corissa.

Since joining Stuartholme in 2020 I am often asked what makes Stuartholme unique. As an educator with over 20 years experience, I have had the privilege of working in a number of schools, but there is something inherently special about Stuartholme and our students.

With less than 700 students, the School prides itself on being small enough for each student to be personally known, yet large enough to offer an extensive, ever-changing and dynamic range of opportunities.

As Brisbane’s only Catholic girls’ boarding school, Stuartholme’s boarding community remains in the centre of our heritage-listed main building. 150 girls live at Stuartholme and every interaction I experience is friendly and open-hearted. The boarders become sisters in the truest sense of the word. We see this bond stay just as strong years after they leave the Stuartholme gates.

Stuartholme is one of over 200 Sacred Heart Schools worldwide, an order founded by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. Sophie’s goal was to educate girls so they could have a transforming influence in society. Her educational approach remains relevant today, putting the students at the heart so they can be challenged in a supportive and affirming environment to reach their potential in all areas of development – spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical.

It is well established that optimising success for today’s school students is a three-way connect whereby staff and the parents and students rally to deliver outstanding results. Our Growing to Great school innovation plan, optimises success for students through the integration of learning and wellbeing in innovative ways. (Link to video?)

As leaders in girls’ education, our teachers adapt to each student’s learning style, providing the best educational outcome for each student. We pride ourselves on supporting, extending and challenging our students to optimise pathways for their future learning.

In the words of one of our Sisters, Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, a “Sacred Heart education is not meant to turn the children out small and finished but seriously begun on a wide basis. They must leave us with self-knowledge, energy, and purpose.”

I warmly invite you to visit Stuartholme and discover the vibrant and compassionate community which encompasses the values of faith, learning, community, social justice and personal growth that empowers young women to lead. Our community is a true testament of what a Stuartholme School education can provide.

Daniel Crump
Acting Principal