The Armidale School

The Armidale School (TAS) is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys and girls located in Armidale on the New England tablelands of northern New South Wales, Australia.

Armidale is approximately half way between Sydney and Brisbane, and two hours inland. Founded in 1894, TAS has a non-selective enrolment policy and offers a diverse curriculum with a focus on academic achievement. TAS is co-educational across all years and current enrolments stand at over 640 students, including over 200 boarders from Years 6-12. TAS has a Junior School catering for Transition (pre-Kindergarten) to Year 5, a Middle School (Years 6-8) and a Senior School (Years 9-12).

Set on a spacious 25 hectare campus, the school features a mix of historic and modern buildings, all of which reflect elements of the outstanding original building designed by noted architect Sir John Sulman in 1892. The extensive facilities of the school include a creative arts precinct, the heart of which is the Hoskins Centre. This facility incorporates a 240-seat performance theatre, specialist art and drama rooms and fully equipped sound and lighting desk. The adjacent Music Centre includes an audio recording studio and facilities for group and individual tuition.

TAS is very proud of its considerable sporting facilities. The TAS Sports and Swim Centre includes a heated indoor 25 metre swimming pool, gymnasium with a basketball court and indoor climbing wall and a popular, fully equipped weights room. Our outdoor sporting facilities include, seven sporting ovals (one under lights), rifle range, basketball courts and seven tennis courts.

TAS is one of nine members of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS), and the only one located outside the Sydney metropolitan area.

It is also one of only three schools in New South Wales to be a member of Round Square, an organisation of around 90 schools globally that share a commitment to education through leadership, service and adventure. Other affiliations include the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), and the Australian Boarding School’s Association.

Welcome to the TAS website and to our school. Our aim with this website is to provide all the information you will need when you come to our school whether you are a parent considering a TAS education for your son or daughter, or you are already a member of our TAS community.

TAS has a long history as a quality regional boarding school that prides itself on the breadth of its offering, and attention to the individual student. The only regional member of the Athletic Association of Great Public Schools (AAGPSNSW), TAS is a place where fresh air and green space abound, where educational experiences nourish the spirit, and where our aim is to develop young men and women with strength of character, decency, and a passion for life. We are a non-selective school, but one with a reputation for academic strength.

TAS is one of the oldest boarding schools in the state, and we believe residential life is at the heart of the school.

Our boarders enjoy an environment that combines all the best qualities of home, while being supported academically, socially, and recreationally. Relationships based upon mutual respect and responsibility reflect our Christian beliefs, while a growing focus on positive psychology and its role in education seeks to promote hope, resilience and meaning, to all who live, work, and play here.

TAS unashamedly believes that a quality co-curricular program is central to the development of every student. Whether it be music, drama, sport, service or adventure activities, it is the business of the school to help boys and girls explore and experience worthwhile and engaging opportunities, and support them to excel in whatever they choose to do. As a Round Square school, we are outward looking, and seek to arm our students with the confidence to embrace challenge, as they find their way in the world. We are proud of our facilities, but equally proud of our community, where friendships are made for life.