PMSA school Clayfield College has announced it plans to transition to be fully coeducational (Pre-Prep to Year 12) and will introduce the exciting Parallel Learning model. This innovative model will see girls and boys learning together from Pre-Prep to Year 6 then spend time learning in single sex classrooms for Year 7 through to Year 9. In Year 10 students come together for selected classes, and then benefit again in Years 11 and 12 from fully coeducational classes.
“We’re very excited about the future of Clayfield College as a premier Queensland school with a strong heritage and now with a distinctive educational offering that will be a good fit for many Queensland parents,” said PMSA CEO Mr Shane Coppin. “We believe the offering will be an exceptionally good fit alongside the other very successful single sex and coeducational schools that are part of our group.”
Until now, Queensland parents have had to choose between fully coeducational or single sex schools. Parallel Learning addresses the social and learning differences that are most pronounced during the developmental phases students usually encounter during Years 7 to 10. The model, which has been successful in other parts of Australia and around the globe, offers parents the best of coeducation and single sex schooling for their children. It is the best of both worlds.
“Parents know that boys and girls are unique and that every child learns differently,” said Clayfield College Principal Dr Andrew Cousins. “There are many social benefits of learning and growing together in preparation for the coeducational post-school world they will enter.”
Students will also benefit from a fresh round of infrastructure investment planned by the College. Before commencement of the next school year, there is a significant schedule of works to be undertaken at the College; Science Laboratories will be completely renewed, the PE and Gymnasium Complex will be upgraded, improvements will be made to the boarding house and school grounds and, pending Council approval, a new drop-off and pick-up zone is planned for construction off Bayview Terrace. The PMSA Board is actively working with the College to define, prioritise and plan infrastructure requirements for the coming years that will lock in Clayfield College as a school of choice for parents.
There are three main reasons the College and PMSA have come to this decision: ongoing requests from current parents to extend the coeducational offering beyond Year 6, delivering more value to prospective parents, and delivering better outcomes for students and their parents.
Clayfield College is a boarding school that attracts families from across Brisbane as well as across Queensland and overseas. Currently boarding is offered for girls in Years 5 to 12, however this will be expanded to support the new coeducational Parallel Learning model.
“The College is fortunate that our boarding house has ample capacity and, as a former hospital, its design easily adapts to create separate boarding facilities for boys and girls while benefiting from shared services such as catering,” said Dr Cousins.
Girls who are currently in Year 6 and older will complete their education in their all-girl Senior School classes.