When it came to deciding on a secondary school for their children, Kat and John Paull were clear about what they wanted: a strong focus on academics, smallish class sizes, proximity to home, and keeping their children in the local community. After attending a guided tour and an open day at ACG Strathallan, it became “an easy decision,” says Kat, whose two children, Izzy and Tom, are in year 11 and year 9.
The school’s culture aligned well with the family’s own values and educational goals. “A strong focus on academics, and a sense of personal responsibility and desire to do your best, are really important to us.” These things, Kat says, are “strongly encouraged at Strathallan.” She regards the Cambridge International curriculum as a real point of difference. The globally recognised programme that Strathallan offers from the primary school through to year 13 is “a huge positive about the school,” she says, noting that “all children are supported to do their best and the marks achieved year-on-year are evidence of this.”
Kat likes the regular assessment that is part of the academic programme. “The students always know how they are progressing, and support is always available if needed. The frequent testing removes the ‘scare factor’ and sets them up well for continued study if that is a path they choose in the future.”
It is this high level of support, along with the clear expectations placed on all students, that has seen her children thrive academically. “The teachers have a real desire to get to know the children and then work with them to help them to reach their potential. At each parent/teacher meeting it has been very apparent that all the teachers know exactly what our children are like.”
And the opportunities outside the classroom are vast. Izzy and Tom have been involved in netball, tennis, kapa haka, the school production, and the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award scheme, as well as year 9 and 10 camps in the Waikato and Tongariro. And they are excited about the possibility of curricular-related trips such as the proposed year 12/13 Geography trip to Hawaii in 2026. Kat views these as “positive experiences and a great way to get to know other students better. And if your child is interested in something that the school is not yet involved in, you only need to ask,” she adds.
For the Paull family, enrolling at ACG Strathallan was definitely the right decision. The children are happy, and found the school to be welcoming, supportive and inclusive from day one. “All staff are lovely to deal with, and we liked that the principal meets with each child as part of the enrolment process. And Izzy and Tom have always found the teachers and other staff members, including their bus driver, to be helpful, caring and approachable,” Kat says.
Her advice to other families considering ACG Strathallan is to “go and take a look for yourself. We found the principal’s guided tour to be invaluable. It was great to see students working in their classrooms and it was a good opportunity to ask lots of questions. The Open Day gave us a chance to speak to students and get a feel for school life.”
For those wishing to find out if ACG Strathallan is the right school for their child, guided tours with the principal, Danny O’Connor, take place every Wednesday at 9.30am and the next Open Day is Saturday 17 May from 10am-2pm.
