Image courtesy of Adelady and Andrew Beveridge (ABS Creative)

Walford Anglican School for Girls has been recognised nationally, receiving an Excellence Award in the category of 'Secondary School of the Year – Non-Government' at the esteemed Australian Education Awards. This achievement highlights Walford's place as a leading girls’ E-12 day and boarding school with a sustained commitment to educational excellence, innovation, and personalised student learning pathways. The award, which will be formally acknowledged at the Australian Education Awards Night in Sydney in August, recognises Walford’s legacy of excellence, care and future-focused girls’ education.

Principal Dr Deborah Netolicky says, “This award serves as a testament to the dedicated efforts of staff, students, families, and the wider Walford community, whose collective commitment continues to position the School as a leader in non-government secondary education across Australia.”

For over 130 years, Walford has built a reputation as a school known for outstanding teaching and consistently excellent academic results. Walford’s students and old scholars testify to the School’s history of inspiring, dedicated teachers and of providing outstanding teaching. Walford's teachers actively embrace professional development, with targeted professional learning recently including areas such as inclusive education, AI integration in classrooms, and student wellbeing. Walford’s Staff Learning Communities, established in 2023, continues to develop, fostering collaboration and ongoing professional learning for Walford staff, aligned with national teaching standards and current education research. Staff have been working on the Walford Instructional Handbook of research-based teaching strategies, to be launched in 2025.

The 2025 ‘Secondary School of the Year - Non-Government’ Excellence Award recognises Walford’s personalised approach to education, galvanised through the strategic development of a Bespoke Pathways educational framework that supports students in co-designing their own educational journey tailored to their individual aspirations. This includes Bespoke Pathways Plans for individual students and a range of ‘off the rack’ pathways brokered for Walford students, especially during their senior secondary years.

Dr Netolicky highlights the community-embedded, girl-centred approach as central to Walford's success. “Our aim is to partner with families and girls to personalise learning experiences, ensuring each student can achieve excellence in ways that resonate with her individual ambitions and strengths.”

Walford’s enduring legacy of deep care can be seen in daily interactions around the campus, from classrooms to the boarding house, reflecting the School’s safe, inclusive and close-knit environment. Students and families are supported by the School’s pastoral team while student wellbeing and safety are explicitly developed through the customised Wellbeing Engagement and Belonging (WEB) curriculum program.

Walford’s commitment to empowering girls to achieve remarkable things extends well beyond academic results, and includes opportunities such as the STEM and Space Tour to the USA, overseas language immersion tours, ski trips, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. In 2024, Walford launched its innovative Year 6 and 7 Leadership Academy, designed to cultivate confidence and leadership skills for girls entering their adolescent years. Since 2023, Walford has offered its High Performance Academy, a program that supports, connects and partners with families to support the School’s elite and high performance athletes. The High Performance Academy enables students to engage with a range of industry experts across strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, performance psychology and physiotherapy, as well as leadership and character.

Student agency is an important part of the Walford experience. Walford girls know they can and should advocate for themselves and others, and that they can positively influence the world. Many initiatives have emerged from student feedback, including through committees, surveys and the annual Festival of Ideas forum where students pitch their ideas for school improvement. Recent student-initiated changes include the Wellbeing Dog Program, the launch of the ‘Her Wardrobe Her Way’ all-seasons school uniform, modifications to the shape of the school day, student-led service and fundraising activities, and Reconciliation Action Plan initiatives such as new flagpoles and personalised Acknowledgements of Country.

Recent campus improvements—including the Junior School's ‘Wonderland’ playground, Heart of Walford internal campus green space and beautification project, new Year 12 Common Rooms and new Art Studios—underscore the School's proactive approach to facility enhancement centred around student learning and wellbeing.

The current redevelopment of the heritage-listed bluestone building, known as Mabel Jewell Baker House, and its surrounds, will welcome Walford’s newest secondary students from 2026, when it opens as the hub for Year 7 and an innovative, nurturing place for the transition into secondary school.

2025 Australian Education Awards Nominees