Kambala School

Located in Sydney’s Rose Bay, Kambala is a vibrant, independent day and boarding school for girls up to 18 years. We offer a choice of learning pathways. Girls can achieve the IB Diploma or the NSW HSC. Kambala inspires academic excellence, with the School consistently ranking among the top non-selective girls’ schools in Sydney.

At Kambala, each girl is recognised as an individual and valued for her unique qualities and talents — the whole girl. Since our pioneering days in the late 1800s, the Kambala community has shared a common goal: to educate ‘the whole girl’.

Kambala began as a humble class of 12 girls, taught in a terrace house in Woollahra by Miss Louisa Gurney, the daughter of an English clergyman. Louisa was later joined by Mademoiselle Augustine Soubeiran who became Co-Principal. The School moved in 1891 to a larger property in Bellevue Hill called ‘Kambala’.

In 1913, with an enrolment of nearly 50, the School moved again to its current site, on New South Head Road in Rose Bay. The School operated within the Tivoli townhouse, the home of Captain William Dumaresq. Tivoli has undergone several extensions and restorations; today, it remains the home to Kambala’s Boarders in Years 7 to 9, who enjoy some of the best harbour views Sydney has to offer.

Kambala’s early learning centre cares for approximately 100 girls and boys aged between 6 months of age to school age. Hampshire House is located within Kambala’s campus on the corner of Tivoli Avenue and Bellevue Hill Road in Sydney’s Rose Bay. Our centre operates from 7.30am–6.00pm, 48 weeks per year. Our closure period runs from mid-December until mid-January as well as all public holidays. Parents maintain an agreed pattern of attendance, for a minimum of two days per week. Casual days may be available on request. Hampshire House has been recognised by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACEQA) as ‘Exceeding the National Quality Standard’.

For girls in Preparation to Year 6, the Junior School provides a vibrant and active environment where coming to school is an adventure. During these important foundational years of schooling, we focus on developing learning skills to enhance personal and academic excellence. We offer a rich and varied curriculum that makes learning fun and ensures that every child has the opportunity to participate in activities that stimulate and interest them. Our students are encouraged to pursue excellence in all that they do – whether it be through academic, sporting or creative endeavour.

There are two classes at each year level from Preparation to Year 4. In Years 5 and 6 there are three classes in each grade. Classrooms are complemented by shaded outdoor play areas, a sensory garden and outdoor amphitheatre to promote play-based learning experiences. By the end of a girl’s time in the Junior School phase of her education at Kambala, she will not only have obtained an excellent academic foundation, she will also have been exposed to a variety of social and cultural experiences which serve to develop her independence and confidence.

The Senior School caters to approximately 590 students in Years 7 to 12. Our focus is on developing a love of learning which will last a lifetime. The strength and quality of a Kambala education is not limited to the public successes of our students. All girls at Kambala are important and are encouraged to participate and do their best. While the pursuit of excellence is important, Kambala focuses on developing the whole girl where academic, creative, sporting and personal achievements are celebrated.