WINNER: Australian Boarding Schools Association Boarding School of the Year

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School

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St Margaret’s has been a boarding school since its inception in 1895, pioneering a holistic education nurturing students’ social, emotional and physical wellbeing alongside academic excellence. For generations of rural and regional Australians, St Margaret’s has been the boarding school of choice. It is the second-largest all-girls’ boarding school in Queensland (around 190 boarders) and proudly the largest Yalari school in Australia, helping to educate Indigenous students, who all board. In the boarding house, nothing is more important than students’ wellbeing: the school creates a second-home environment where students feel safe, cared for and supported by dedicated, highly experienced boarding staff. A vibrant weekend program, with planned activities and staff-supported excursions, allows students to socialise, explore and build connections within the boarding house. Building a closely connected boarding community across diverse cultural backgrounds is key to the success of the boarding house. Academically, strong connections between the day and boarding schools enable tailored academic support to boarders, including day-school teachers supervising boarding Prep. The boarding house employs the SmartLab program, which offers targeted learning through diagnostics, differentiation and multimodal learning. Since 2008, the boarding house has been led by the highly experienced and award-winning boarding educator Lesa Fowler.

As an independent, forward-thinking girls’ school we are committed to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership and engagement in our global community. We believe in girls. At Ruyton Girls’ School we foster the individuality of each girl in a caring and safe environment, nurturing her intellectual, physical, social and emotional qualities that are essential to flourish. Powerful learning is central to the Ruyton culture, building on our strong academic reputation. We focus on advancing the learning of every girl through the engagement of intellectual curiosity, building their knowledge and skills about how to learn, and supporting them to achieve their personal best and be exemplary citizens. We believe in real-world learning beyond the classroom, collaborating with the wider community to promote growth, discovery and sustainability. We empower our girls to lead lives of purpose with courage, character and compassion. Through the development of values and action-focused learning they are inspired to pursue equity and justice for self and others. By embracing diversity and raising their voices, our girls effect positive change and make a difference.

Angela Drysdale has over 30 years’ experience in education and is St Margaret’s longest-serving Head of Primary, having spent over 22 years in this role. She leads the strategic direction of the primary school from Pre-Prep (Kindergarten), as its nominated supervisor, to Year 6, and is responsible for shaping the curriculum, student wellbeing and operations, and the overall delivery of educational programs. Angela is passionate about primary education, with a deep interest in early childhood education as it lays the foundation for future learning.

Head of Primary

Angela Drysdale

Kate Frewin has over 20 years’ experience in education. Since joining St Margaret’s in 2020, she has played an active role in enhancing teaching and learning across the primary school. Kate brings to her work a strong understanding of curriculum, pedagogy and contemporary learning practices, and is passionate about creating flexible, engaging learning opportunities that empower girls to develop the knowledge, skills, mindset and agency to thrive in our changing world.

Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum

Kate Frewin

Angela Drysdale

Head of Primary

Kate Frewin

Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum

Annette Box

Assistant Head of Primary – Wellbeing and Operations

Annette Box has over 20 years of experience as an educator teaching drama, dance, visual art, Japanese and English across primary and secondary contexts. She is a recent past president of Drama Queensland, the professional association of drama teachers, and in 2020 she was awarded a Women in Leadership Bursary by the National Council of Women of Queensland (NCWQ). Having taught in girls’ schools for 15 years, Annette is passionate about educating girls and helping them realise their full potential as engaged citizens and leaders of the future.

Assistant Head of Primary – Wellbeing and Operations

Annette Box