Opportunity to flourish at Fahan
FOR 85 years, Fahan School has been dedicated to providing leading education and care for girls. Founding Principals, Miss Isobel Travers and Miss Audrey Morphett, opened the School in 1935 with the purpose of giving young women the opportunity to influence the world in their own right. They believed in the power and efficacy of education to transform the lives of girls and their legacy is a school that continues to enlighten, inspire and ignite the minds and hearts of girls.
Generations of women have walked the path first trod by the school’s inspirational forebearers. Principal, Mrs Penny Curran- Peters, inset below, offers valuable insight into what it is that families want for their daughter.
“Parents choose Fahan School because our focus is on the development of character, courage and values in our girls. We are independent, non- denominational, and our students, from Kindergarten to Year 12, are all together on one campus.”
Having spent more than two decades teaching and leading in both coeducational and single- sex schools, Mrs Curran- Peters is s a strong advocate for allgirls education.
“At Fahan, we design and tailor every aspect of school life for girls, and inherent in that design is a freedom from stereotypes and removal of barriers to participation,” she says. “When you witness girls learning together, playing together and growing together her it is evident that girls- only schooling ling bolsters positive self- concept, drives their aspirations higher and facilitates better academic outcomes for every girl. We have cre created learning experiences and environments that fuel the development of skills that girls a and women need to flourish and thrive all their lives. We suppo support and encourage healthy risk- taking, a and we are proud to see their active involve involvement, pursuing improvement improvement, embraci embracing failure and speaking up with confidence and courage”.
Without domination, distraction or social pressure from boys, Fahan girls have confidence and the courage to participate in a wide variety of co- curricular activities, whether it be music, drama, debating or sport.
Fahan student, Chloe, says: “I came to Fahan from a co- ed school and found a huge difference straight away in how easily I could focus in the classroom and how comfortable I felt participating in a variety of activities and sports.
“I have felt so supported to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to take on new challenges and really find out more about what I can achieve.
Fahan instils the importance of participation and leadership. “Our role is to give our girls the motivation, self- belief and resilience to disrupt the gender imbalance in senior leadership careers and STEM industries” explains Mrs Curran
Peters. “Our distributed leadership model allows for all of our girls to influence and lead. They become selfassured in discussion, elect challenging subjects and are confident to take risks with their learning. They have always understood that they are each valued for their individuality, and where their gender is a source of strength”.
Mrs Curran- Peters believes the school’s founders would be very proud of Fahan today. “Our school has a long history of shaping girls’ self- concept in an environment where being a girl is celebrated and where we believe their potential is unlimited. Everything is possible!”
“Our role is to give our girls motivation, self- belief and resilience P R I N C I P A L P E N N Y C U R R A N - P E T E R S