"Discovering and then accepting your strengths is only the beginning. What follows is far more difficult. You need to shape them, extend them and of course, keep believing in them."

Principal's Perspective

“School is about making a life, not about making a living.”
It is a privilege and momentous responsibility to be involved with the education of young women. As such, my motivating question will always be “How can we do better to prepare our students for life beyond Woodford House?”

Our girls have a lifetime of change and complexity ahead, and we have a duty to equip them with the necessary skills to be flexible, compassionate thinkers and resilient problem-solvers. Indeed, at Woodford House we strive to nurture the gift of learning, to encourage all to give of their best and to create an environment that values individual excellence and celebrates diversity. Aligned to this is my belief that if we have high expectations for all our students, they will meet them.

“If we treat people as if they are what they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of.”

After all, the way we interact with children and adolescents can profoundly affect the way they choose to contribute to society as they mature. We need to listen to them and affirm that the challenges they may face are demanding yet not insurmountable with the support of well-informed, benevolent and discerning adults who are willing to offer their greatest gift – their time. In doing so, we will automatically be nurturing our future intellectual, social, cultural, sporting, artistic and spiritual capacities; our students have the potential to be influential members of the global community. As educators we truly do have a responsibility to “Challenge the future, embrace the present and cherish the past.”

Rebecca Cody
Principal