PARED Founded Tangara School for Girls in 1982. Since then several other schools and campuses have been established throughout Sydney’s metropolitan region: in Cherrybrook, Dural, Wahroonga, Belfield, Orchard Hills and Werrington.

Our Schools

Schools of The PARED Foundation (Parents for Education) are characterised by many features.

* The system of education is personalised, seeking to integrate the pursuit of academic excellence, the acquisition of skills and the development of the student's character.

* Our schools are family schools, where the educational rights of the family come first. The schools have the dual role of providing for the overall development of the students as well as assisting parents to be more effective educators of their children.

* The Personalised Tutorial System, pioneered in Australia by PARED, ensures that each child is encouraged to become the best person he or she can be. It facilitates the partnership between parents and school to ensure the children receive a holistic and efficacious education.

Educational Principals

The Schools’ personalised system of education is based on a number of principles.

* The education of children is primarily the responsibility of parents and is determined to a great extent by the personal example of the parents themselves.

* The student benefits most when there is harmony between the two major learning environments of home and school; therefore, parents and teachers should try to grow in the qualities they wish the students to acquire.

* Teachers are vital partners with parents in a common endeavour. The basis of this partnership is a loyal and mutual understanding of each others' complementary roles.

* Parents and teachers who are striving for excellence need ongoing professional input as educators.

* The student's behaviour should be the consequence of personal convictions, acquired in a climate that balances discipline and freedom as the basis for an authentic sense of responsibility.  

Parents & Teachers Working Together

The Personalised Tutorial System is the most distinctive means to reinforce the work of parents.

Students are assigned an individual tutor who is a member of the school teaching staff. The tutor meets regularly with the student, with the student's teachers, and with the parents. In this way parents, teachers and students co-operate in effective goal setting.

This tutor assists each student in her academic progress and character development.

The tutor's rapport and friendship with the student and family are fundamental to the educational process.

Apart from formal parent-tutor interviews, the tutor is available to talk with parents whenever necessary. The parent-tutor relationship is a natural means to ensure that home and school work together effectively.

Parental Involvement

Parental involvement in PARED schools signifies the willingness of parents to take advantage of the means which the school offers to assist them in their task as primary educators of their children.

An ongoing programme of parent functions which includes talks, workshops and family education courses, provides parents with the opportunity for personal enrichment and development.

The Schools have a network of Class Parents who foster friendship and unity amongst the parents of the individual classes.

Families of all religious, social and cultural backgrounds attend PARED schools. The family environment of the school, built on shared ideals and values, helps forge bonds of friendship which provide parents, teachers and students with positive and supportive peer groups.

Curriculum

The curriculum offered in PARED Schools harmonises intellectual, cultural, spiritual, human and physical development. Emphasis is placed on academic excellence, on equipping students to think critically, on encouraging them to display sensitivity towards others and on preparing them to meet the challenges confronting society.

Through the academic programme students develop a sound understanding of the world, a capacity for initiative in helping to create a more humane society, personal convictions, individual talents and genuine creativity.

Intellectual & Cultural Development

The Schools’ curriculum places special emphasis on several areas:

* The acquisition of basic and advanced skills in English, Mathematics, Science and Technology.

* Competence in critical thinking, essential for young adults in a rapidly changing society.

* Studies in History directed towards an understanding of our times and cultural heritage.

* Compulsory study of a Modern Language and Culture from Kindergarten to broaden cultural horizons.

* An awakening of the aesthetic sense through the study and experience of art, music, literature and drama.

* An understanding of the foundations of our civilisation through introductory studies in a classical language and culture.

* Studies in Philosophy as a basis for a love of truth and the positive development of a critical mind.

Character Development

The emphasis placed on character development is a major feature of PARED Schools. An ongoing Human Virtues Programme fosters the development of qualities such as sincerity, industriousness, order, cheerfulness, generosity and service to others. This aspect of the education offered is the basis for fostering the full development of the student's character.

Leadership and community service programs complement the focus of character education. This is based on the conviction that leaders must be persons of integrity, with a genuine commitment to serve others.

Spiritual Development

The PARED Schools offers students a solid grounding in the Catholic faith as the basis for a simple and deep love of God. Students are encouraged to live their faith with a genuine spirit of freedom and commitment. The school emphasises the primary role that parents play in their children's spiritual development.

The chaplains of the Schools are priests of Opus Dei, a personal Prelature of the Catholic Church whose aim is to assist all people to live the universal call to holiness.