Selwyn House School

Selwyn House School is a leading New Zealand Girls’ school for Years 1-8.Selwyn House School was founded in 1929 and is the only South Island Girl’s Primary School offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Year Programme.

Selwyn House School offers an exceptional opportunity for girls from age three through to their graduation at the end of Year 8 to grow and learn in a stimulating and nurturing environment. As an International Baccalaureate World School teaching the Primary Years Programme, our focus is on developing globally minded learners and leaders.

Together with each family, our teachers’ work to ensure we inspire all our girls to love and be committed to learning as they develop their own unique way of being ‘remarkable’. To achieve this we actively encourage the girls to think about what sort of person they want to be, what sort of life they want to lead and what they are prepared to stand up and fight for.

We believe in the strength of tradition, the promise of the future and the power of education and inspiration to equip our young people to face our continually changing world with confidence and enthusiasm. Our students stand out amongst their peers. They are articulate and determined young women who have the values, skills and attributes needed to not only achieve their goals but to make a difference in their communities.

To be the pre-eminent educational community developing globally-minded learners and leaders.We inspire our students to learn through continuous inquiry, empowering them with the skills, knowledge, courage and optimism to become caring, active, lifelong learners who enhance the life of others.

Our Values are at the centre of everything we do.
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) created the IB Learner Profile as a set of attributes that all IB schools strive to develop in their students, employees and other community members. Selwyn House has embraced the IB Learner Profile and has adopted the attributes as our school’s values.

•  Indoor swimming pool offering swimming lessons from Pre-school age
• Multi-purpose astroturf field for year-round play
• Outdoor courts for basketball, netball, and tennis
• Dedicated technology hub with 3-D printers to create exciting projects
•  A well-equipped art space with a kiln, printing press and large areas which facilities creativity
•  A purpose built food technology classroom suitable for primary age girls
• Spacious science and robotics lab
•  Dance studio
• Multipurpose library with spaces for presentations and private study.The catalog of publications both in hard copy and electronic versions are specifically chosen for the Selwyn House School girls.
• The Carolyn Fletcher Performing Arts Centre
•  Each classroom is designed specifically to meet the learning needs of the year group with designated spaces for each girl’s personal belongings
• A vibrant Spanish language room
•  A modern boarding house
•  A co-educational Pre-school

Authorised to deliver the Primary Years Programme (PYP) in 2008, Selwyn House is committed to providing a continuum of international education to our students.

The focus from Early Childhood to Year 8 is on the total growth of the developing child, encompassing intellectual, social, physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs. The International Baccalaureate (IB) PYP is an international programme covering all subject areas.

The programme is grounded in a deeply held belief about the nature and future of international education and a firm desire to develop students who are international in their outlook.

An international education is dynamic and responds to ever-changing global needs. Through an exploration of concepts such as conflict resolution, communication and understanding relationships, cultural identity, history and responsibility (both environmental and human) we want to develop in our students an understanding that they can make a difference to their world, at both a local and global level.

The IB offers a continuum of high quality education that encourages international-mindedness and a positive attitude to learning. The IB programmes are accessible to students in over 140 countries through the close cooperation with the worldwide community of IB World Schools.At the heart of the programme’s philosophy is a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry as the vehicle for learning.

Teachers and students use key questions to structure their units of inquiry. Through planning, teaching, and assessment, the five essential elements of curriculum come together meaningfully. Through the PYP, the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum in English, Mathematics, and Science can be addressed whilst still maintaining the IB philosophy and learning.