Overview

Woodford House, a leading New Zealand school for girls, provides safe and challenging education, and holistic experiences that encourage individual excellence, independence and confidence for life.

We are an integrated school with an established reputation for educational excellence. We offer quality education for Year 7 to Year 13. We have a capped roll of 325 students, of which up to 120 are day girls.

Why A Girls' School?
The Alliance of Girls' Schools brochure.

In August this year, one of our senior girls at Woodford House spent a day working alongside the Chief Executive of one of New Zealand's top companies. This same girl received a 100% pass in her Cambridge Business Studies exam placing her in the top five in the country. She is our Deputy Head Prefect: personable, humble, eloquent, an accomplished jazz musician, represents Woodford in squash and when asked what she wants to be when she grows up she confidently responds, "A Doctor". 

Laura is an exceptional student and in many ways she is typical of our Woodford girls: strong academic results, encouraged to take risks and explore ideas, an active participant in a wide range of activities, a team player and a confident leader.

When I am asked by families what the benefits are of sending their daughter to a girls' school I talk about the high rates of participation in the full range of opportunities and activities. There are no invisible boundaries, no areas where girls are made to feel unwelcome or unable to get involved. And because all our girls take part in a range of diverse experiences, it's contagious and new girls feel confident to get involved too, in everything from maths, technology and science, to English and the arts, sport and music. 

Our girls are encouraged and empowered to participate but also to influence and lead. Our classrooms are 'girl-centric' and provide an atmosphere where girls take the risks necessary for genuine achievement. Our teaching approach is 'girl-centric' and focused on the particular learning needs of girls. This enables girls to live up to their full potential and be comfortable being themselves. 

At Woodford House, all leadership roles are filled by girls, from the captain of the football team to the head of the student body, and our students are surrounded by strong female role models who encourage them to push the limits of their own potential.

We ask a lot of our girls but they respond to all challenges enthusiastically and constantly impress me with their achievements. Because our girls go to an all-girls' school they enjoy not only equal opportunity but every opportunity.

Woodford is built on a long history of empowering young women to become all that they can be. They grow up understanding the power of friendship, what it is to be a servant-leader, their own strengths and abilities. We give them the tools they need, we provide an atmosphere that's encouraging and accepting, we don't place limits on our students, and out of that environment our girls flourish and fly. They go on to become women who make their mark on the world in ways of which we can only dream, whether it's as business leaders, musicians, sports stars, doctors, teachers, or as all of the above. 

The benefits of a girls' school are diverse and far-reaching but the real evidence is in our girls themselves. They are the greatest testament of our success as educators. It's evident in every piece our orchestra plays, every match our sports teams win, every exam our students sit, every community event our girls participate in. At Woodford we are an extraordinary school because of our extraordinary young women. That's something that's unbeatable when it comes to choosing the right place for your daughter's education.

Mrs Jackie Barron
Principal