St Andrew's Cathedral School

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FAQs

We have listed our most frequently asked enrolment questions, for your convenience. But if your question is not here, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Our most frequently asked enrolment questions

We are located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, in Sydney Square, just a one minute walk from Town Hall train station.

Our location means this is not necessary. St Andrew’s Cathedral School is uniquely placed above one of the city’s main transport hubs, which connects to all parts of the Cityrail network via train. We are also close to many bus routes, particularly from the Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Hills District, Victoria Rd corridor, Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches. Visit Trip Planner to find out how you can reach us at Town Hall.

Yes. We offer before school and after school care for our Junior School students (K-6) as well as a holiday programme. We also have after school study groups for secondary students in both the Middle School and Senior College. 

We have a long-standing relationship with the University of Sydney and St Andrew’s College to use many of their sports facilities. St Andrew’s Oval is our home venue for Rugby, Cricket and Softball. We also use other University facilities for Basketball, Tennis and Squash. Individual sports such as fencing are situated at venues close to the school. Football (Soccer) has its home ground and training at Wentworth Stadium, Glebe.

For Junior and Middle School students, we have a rooftop playground, sitting above our classrooms, overlooking the cityscape which is complete with play equipment for our youngest students including basketball and cricket pitch courts. We also have many open-plan indoor areas, which are also open to students for recreational periods. Our Senior College has an outdoor recreational space within the campus, and Years 10-12 students are afforded the privilege of accessing the city (within a restricted area) during recess and lunch. 

There is a drop off zone directly outside the school entrance in Kent Street where parents can pull up to drop off or collect their children. In the mornings and afternoons, a member of staff remains in attendance to assist and escort Junior School students. 

What Makes SACS different? This is a hard question to answer in a short space! The main differences from many other independent Sydney schools are coeducation, the unique city location and experience, a strong pastoral care reputation, outstanding music and outdoor education programmes and excellent results in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB). Our support for all learners to reach their potential is hard-to-match and our teaching and learning programme uses cutting edge research and technology to drive its successful programmes. 

Gawura is St Andrew’s Indigenous school within a school, a K-6 on-campus learning facility for urban-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The school has a focus on literacy and numeracy, as well as the celebration of First Nations culture and language, coupled with strong parent and community involvement. Gawura and the Junior School share many of the facilities and resources of the school and join together for social gatherings and all extra-curricular activities, sport, camps and outdoor education.  

We believe coeducation is the best way to prepare students for tertiary education and life after school, where life is coeducational. From K-12, St Andrew’s Cathedral School is fully coeducational. Many of our student wellbeing programmes address the unique needs of each sex, so many of these programmes are run separately with boys and girls. Many of our wellbeing programmes focus on respectful relationships and these are practised in the classroom.  

In the Junior School we generally have a maximum class size of 20 from Kindergarten to Year 4 and 22 in Years 5 and 6. In the Middle School and Senior College, the classes range from 18 to 24 students, with some in the final years being much smaller. 

Yes, we have a school canteen situated adjacent to the rooftop playground. Orders can be made on the day or through the online canteen. 

St Andrew’s offers all students the opportunity to play a musical instrument and has an extensive, enjoyable and varied programme of music tutoring and live performance events where students become confident in playing to audiences. There are opportunities for performing at every level and in a variety of venues, from Town Hall to overseas cathedrals. We offer exceptional opportunities for gifted students, but our programme is designed to appeal to students of all levels. 

St Andrew’s is well known for its outstanding and nurturing student wellbeing programmes, which provide students with individual and year group support and a number of internal and external programmes. Our wellbeing programmes help students with a range of challenges faced by young people as they mature and face the increasing pressures that come with adolescence. Each programme is aimed at a different stage of a student’s development, both emotionally and physically. We have a new character education programme which is central to the daily interactions of students with staff and points to the development of desirable character strengths aspired to by our students. 

Our main intake years are Kindergarten, Year 5, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11. However, there are sometimes spaces available in other year groups. Please contact our friendly enrolments staff with any enquiries. 

Generally, your child will need to turn five by the 31 July in the year they start school. However, we can accommodate for early enrolment if there are indications that your child is ready. We encourage you to contact the Registrar in regard to this.  

We suggest you apply as soon as you know you are interested. We place names on our waitlist according to the date the application was submitted to us.  

No. Instead we lead small, intimate Head of School tours which run on normal school days, allowing you to get properly acquainted with SACS as our high-rise campus comes to life! Tours are usually held on a fortnightly basis during term time, running from 9am to 10.30am. 

No. St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a school founded on values of the Christian faith. We are, however, a diverse community, and welcome students of all faiths and backgrounds. 

Please see our Fee Schedule for Australian Residents and Fee Schedule for Overseas students for information on the yearly costs.

  • Junior Academic Scholarships (Years 5-6) 
  • Year 7 Academic Scholarships (awarded on results of the ACER Scholarship examination and an interview with the Registrar) 
  • Year 11 Academic Scholarships (offered in the year prior to entry) 
  • Music Scholarships (Years 4-11)
  • Chorister Scholarships (Boys from Years 3-6) 
  • Gawura Indigenous Scholarships (Kindergarten entry only) 

To read more about St Andrew’s scholarships, please click here.

Still have a question about St Andrew’s?