The History of St Andrew's Cathedral School

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this page may contain images, names, or voices of deceased persons.


St Andrew's Cathedral School was opened on 14th July 1885 by Bishop Alfred Barry - the Third Bishop of Sydney for the purpose of educating choristers. The School predates Australian Federation by 15 years. Our first Head of School was the Rev. Arthur Richard Rivers. The School was a cathedral Choir School based on the English model which originated with the Song School Canterbury in 597AD. St Andrew's commenced with 27 students, 22 of whom were choristers.

By the turn of the century St Andrew's Cathedral School (SACS) had 80 students and until the 1940s the role of Precentor of the Cathedral and Headmaster were one of the same. Students took classes in today's equivalent Year 3 to Year 9. After this if boys wanted to continue their education, or when choristers' voices changed, they went to other schools to finish their education.

The School went through many locations in its history. Our first permanent location was not built until the School had been in existence for more than eighty years. Early locations were rooms in churches or school buildings. Some didn't even have playgrounds. The first rooftop playground was in the Old Deanery on Sydney Square which students shared with Cathedral staff.  



Due to the importance of the Cathedral, the choristers were very involved in civic life, singing at Australia's foundation celebration, the funeral of Sir Edmund Barton, royal visits, and state occasions.

The Cathedral was a unifying place during wartime with daily services keeping students in the choir stalls and out of the classroom. Over 100 Old Andreans served in the Australian forces in WWI.

Although our alumni went onto other schools to graduate, their ties to SACS remained very strong. Our Old Boys Union was formed in 1906, making it one of the oldest continuing Alumni Associations in Australia. It was renamed the Old Andreans Association in 1999 when SACS became co-educational.

Some significant graduates came through the School at this time including aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith MC AFC (OA1914), Antarctic explorer and pioneer Charles Laseron (OA1902) who joined Mawson's famous expedition and composer John Henry Antill CMG OBE (OA1918) best known for his ballet Corroboree.

Staffing shortages at the School during WWII led to the appointment of 27-year-old Rev. Canon Melville Cooper Newth in 1941, who went on to become our longest serving Headmaster. Canon Newth taught every period, several subjects, on top of his Cathedral duties. Despite this, in his first year, enrolments doubled to 80. St Andrew's Cathedral School was one of the few school  communities who did not evacuate. Our home in the Worker Building on what is now Sydney Square, had nurses on the floors above and soldiers on the floor below. Outside the building were air raid shelters for the city.


1953 the first three School houses were founded: York, Salisbury and Canterbury. There are now eight School houses, all named after English Cathedrals. Enrolments continued to grow, as the school focused on education first, and chorister duties second. SACS was well on the way to becoming a Choir school – as different to a Choir School. Growing enrolments were straining at the limits of the Worker building by the late 1950s. A public appeal was launched by the Lord Mayor to build a new school which opened in 1965. That same year the new School Certificate was introduced and two years later students were offered the Higher School Certificate, ending the practice of graduating from other schools.

Opened in 1965, the 'New School' lasted less than a decade due to the redevelopment of Sydney Square. Once again the school was hit with the threat of closure.



Despite resistance, SACS was kept open, first moving to a temporary home in the CENEF building on Bathurst St and finally into levels 7, 8, and the rooftop of the newly built St Andrew's House. Opened in 1976 and originally dubbed 'the school in the sky' it is still in use today. Our gymnasium on level 7 and music room on level 8 are still in their original states.

In 1979, Canon Newth retired after nearly 40 years as Headmaster. He kept extensive school diaries and his records are a valuable secondary source, as well as his seminal work Serving a Great Cause. He retired believing that finally, after many years of struggles, St Andrew's Cathedral School was on a firm footing for a great future.



The new Head of School was Dr Allan Beavis AM (OA1962). Beavis had been a student at the School, then a teacher. He was an accomplished organist, well suited to lead a school combining choral musicianship, Cathedral responsibilities and academic achievement. His legacy includes purchasing Kirrikee in 1984, our much loved outdoor education centre in the Southern Highlands - known as the lungs of the school. Outdoor Education is a central pillar of a SACS education, commencing in Kindergarten and continuing to Year 11.

Enrolments continued to grow through this period which led to acquiring floors in 51 Druitt Street in 1991 for a senior college campus named the Bishop Barry Secondary College (BBC).  

Despite the expansion, when Phillip Heath AM became Head of School in 1995, the School's footing was again on wobbly ground. In 1999, after 114 years as a boy's School, St Andrew's welcomed girls to its Senior College. Infants were introduced in 2005 and in 2008 we became entirely coeducational. Music and Performing Arts programs expanded, with a number of musical scholars going on to have successful international careers in music. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme was introduced in 2009 and continues today.



Gawura School began in 2007 with just seven students on the rooftop of St Andrew's House. The vision was to create a place where urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students could thrive academically while celebrating their culture, language, and community. The School continues and now has 40 students in K-6 and eight in Secondary School on full scholarships. It is funded by government funding, grants and the generosity of donors. The impact of First Nations education resonates throughout SACS, enriching the entire St Andrew's community, providing all students and staff a unique opportunity to connect with Australia's Aboriginal culture and heritage.


Dr John Collier became Head of School in 2010, during which time the School's footprint expanded in St Andrew's House – also encompassing Levels 4 and 5.  Dr Collier introduced the Middle Years Programme, as a way to continue to engage students in education and better prepare them for both the HSC and IB in later school years. The IB continued to expand, and academic results improved year on year. Despite the disruption caused by COVID 19 in 2020 and 2021, the School's online education program was implemented smoothly and enrolments continued to grow.


In 2022, Dr Julie McGonigle was appointed Head of School, our first female Head. In true SACS fashion, her commissioning was a magnificent service in the Cathedral led by the Archbishop of Sydney, followed by a whole school assembly in Sydney Town Hall where she was inducted into the culture and quirks our SACS culture by the students.  

This year we celebrate our 140th anniversary with the theme 'Legacy of Light' which is inspired by our school motto 'Via Crucis Via Lucis' (the way of the cross is the way of light). This theme encapsulates who we are - a community deeply grounded in faith, history and tradition while embracing an innovative and strong future. 

The word Legacy speaks to our transformative history, strong traditions, and steadfast values. It celebrates the positive impact we have made in the lives of our students and the wider community. The word Light represents our faith and hope, our vibrant and nurturing community, and the bright future we continue to build.

Together, Legacy of Light captures both the stability and growth of our school. It acknowledges the challenges we've overcome and the resilience we've built, celebrating our journey from the past to the present and into the future.