Ascham School

The Dalton Plan is a highly flexible structure based on three pillars: Assignment, Lesson and Study. It is valuable for girls of all abilities. It suits the very able student who can use studies to extend her knowledge and interests; it suits the average student who needs the steady consolidation of skills; it suits the weak student who needs particular support and who often needs more time to understand and to practise the key skills she is learning. Ascham is the only school in Australia to use the Dalton Plan and it sits at the heart of our teaching and learning. This unique Plan provides girls with an extraordinary skill set, not only for school but also in preparing them for life beyond the School gates.

From Prep to Year 2, the concepts of independence and responsibility in completing tasks are continually reinforced. The girls team with learning buddies in order to collaborate and reflect on their work and their learning approach is informed through the Spalding Method. By Year 3 we have introduced the Diary, with students actively learning how to plan their week. In addition, the girls reflect on their own work and then discuss this with peers. By Year 6 the girls have study sessions, where they work independently as well as collaboratively. They are required to make decisions about how they will best use this time to complete tasks, revise topics, or seek teacher assistance.

By the time girls reach Senior School, the Dalton Plan manifests itself in the timetable. The girls receive clear and direct feedback on the work they hand in on a weekly basis. The teachers mark it, and then the girls are asked to act on these corrections. The strength in this system ensures that teachers know every girl’s strengths and weaknesses and are able to support her individually.

This is the core of the Dalton Plan. Each girl has classes in her timetable where lessons are not scheduled. In these Studies, girls go to a teacher to continue their Assignment. The teacher’s timetable also has many slots where Studies are scheduled over Lessons. It is crucial that each girl timetables her own Studies for each subject—she chooses the time, she sets the agenda. As a result, the amount of one-on-one time that an Ascham girl has with each of her teachers, each week, is exceptional. It is the Study which teaches each girl how to be responsible for her own learning: how to organise her time to choose the best Study to see a teacher; how to plan an agenda for that Study; how to ask questions in the language of that subject; how to debate and test ideas; eventually how to develop her own language of learning and understanding.

Long after their final school roll call, an Ascham old girl continues to reap the benefits of the Dalton Plan. The sense of organisation of time and of taking responsibility for each task is a secure foundation for university and for a professional life. Ascham girls enjoy a reputation for being organised, for showing initiative, and as skilled negotiators. That process of taking responsibility, learned in the classroom every day while at Ascham, becomes a mark of each girl’s personal and professional maturity. We are a school that:

•  Is non-selective yet consistently achieves outstanding academic results for girls of all abilities
• Has a unique learning environment based on the philosophy of the Dalton Plan, where girls form close relationships with their teachers as they pursue excellence and manage their own timetables to suit their individual study needs
• Offers a tertiary oriented academic curriculum while encouraging girls to participate in a wide range of activities including the arts, community service, leadership, sport and overseas experiences
• Is without religious affiliation and is committed to developing confident, healthy, socially responsible girls with strong values and a sense of purpose cherishes the diverse individuality of each girl and encourages her peers to do the same
• Offers P–12 on a single campus close to Sydney’s CBD with a strong boarding program comprised largely of girls from rural areas.
• Values the benefits from a supportive community network, not only while girls are at School, but also in their careers and personal lives thereafter
• Attracts and retains teachers who inspire and innovate.