The School’s distinctive Bespoke Pathways involves working with students and families to co-design personalised pathways to success. It recognises that each student is unique – with her own aspirations, strengths and passions – and deserves an educational journey shaped to reflect her individuality.

Bespoke Pathways is Walford’s commitment to personalisation and partnership. Rather than simply offering a set curriculum with fixed milestones, the School designs, brokers and facilitates tailored learning experiences that allow every girl to pursue her ambitions, whether she dreams of studying medicine, building rockets, starting a business, leading in the arts, or exploring fields she has yet to discover, or that are yet to exist.

In the Junior School, students are offered a wide array of co-curricular offerings to explore arenas beyond the classroom. Enrichment, extension and support are offered to students based on data and student readiness. In the Middle and Senior Schools, each student works closely with dedicated staff, such as her Mentor and Head of House, to build a pathway that balances academic rigour with personal fulfilment. Students and families are supported by a team that includes the Director of Learning and Teaching, SACE Coordinator, Flexible Learning and VET Pathways Coordinator, Assistant Head of Secondary School, Head of Secondary School, Careers Counsellor and Learning Leaders. Parents and families are engaged as valued partners in the process, creating a shared understanding of each girl’s goals and the steps to achieve them.

In the senior secondary years, Walford students can combine SACE subjects, vocational qualifications, university extension programs, co-curricular opportunities, exchanges, trips and external programs in a way that suits their talents, ambitions and readiness. Girls may be offered the opportunity to study subjects earlier than is traditional, according to a ‘stage not age’ approach. Students access enrichment activities, targeted work experience placements, industry mentorships, service projects or entrepreneurial opportunities. The School actively seeks opportunities for students to engage with real-world experiences, such as through the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Oxbridge Academic Programs, Languages immersion experiences, and the study of subjects beyond what Walford officially offers. Students might study alternate languages, arts subjects or industry-specific courses.

Sometimes a student’s Bespoke Pathway Plan is built around their beyond-school commitments. For instance, elite athletes competing in national and international competitions, or on Olympic pathways, will collaborate with the School to ensure academic, pastoral and logistical supports are in place to support their continued schooling success while they pursue their dreams. Walford’s High Performance Sports Academy provides an additional athlete-specific support, and a community within our community, for elite athletes.

Walford’s Bespoke Pathways approach positions each girl as the architect of her own future. The ongoing dialogue between family and school allows each pathway to evolve as interests mature and new opportunities emerge. Walford’s Bespoke Pathways offer the chance for every student to achieve her best, her way. Grounded in partnership, shaped by individual aspirations, and delivered a commitment to excellence for all, Walford’s Bespoke Pathways approach exemplifies our belief that when girls are empowered to design their futures, there is no limit to what they can accomplish.