The Early Learning Centre is based in Palm House in the Junior School at St Peter’s College. We have been providing a warm and nurturing learning environment for 20 years and offer a dynamic and responsive early learning experience for boys aged three to five.
ELC students have access to high-quality learning environments located inside and outdoors. Students learn in small groups and extend their ideas and skills through interactive and hands-on educational experiences.
There are four classrooms in the ELC and each is led by a qualified and experienced teacher. The ELC curriculum has been developed using the ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Framework for Australia’. Our educators plan for learning and respond to teachable moments based on their observations and understanding of children’s learning and development.
The Junior School Library offers a beautiful and flexible learning environment for students. It features a range of areas, including comfortable reading seats, quiet spaces, collaborative spaces and themed literary displays. With the help of the Junior School Library staff, boys develop a love of reading.
The Art Centre is the perfect place for boys to develop creativity, imagination and a sense of achievement through a variety of different forms of art, craft and design. Students have the opportunity to undertake visual arts and design in the traditional areas of painting, drawing, sculpting, printmaking, modelling and ceramics, as well as using computer graphics software. This diverse offering enables the boys to explore new and exciting art and design forms.
Girdlestone Oval is one of the main ovals used by Junior School students. It was purchased in 1918 and during World War II zigzag-patterned trenches were dug as part of defence preparations. The oval hosts many Junior School sports and forms a central part of the sporting life for our younger boys.
Sport and co-curricular activities are integral to the educational experience at St Peter’s College. We provide exceptional facilities, coaches and programs to support the students in developing their knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for a successful life. The courts in the Burchnall Sports Centre are used for a range of sports including basketball, badminton and table tennis.
The swimming pool is used by students from across the School including swimming lessons and swimming carnivals in the Junior School as well as water polo and competitive swimming in the Senior School. The pool is heated by an underground geothermal heating system.
The gym is used by Senior School students to support their sports training and athletic development.
The Strength and Conditioning Room is used by many Senior School students and supports the training program for a variety of sports including rowing, football and rugby.
The Hill Wing Music Centre opened in 2019 and is the home of the music program for Senior School students. It features a large rehearsal and performance space, individual rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. Each week more than 20 ensembles and choirs rehearse and around 500 students enjoy private music lessons.
Main Oval is one of Adelaide’s premiere sporting ovals, with outstanding pitch quality and lovely, tree-lined viewing areas surrounding it. It is used for football during the winter sport season and cricket during the summer. Many international cricket teams have trained on this oval, including the South Australian Red Backs and the England National Cricket Team.
Old School House is one of the oldest buildings on the site, constructed when the School relocated to the grounds in 1850. It has had many uses over the years including a residence, boarding house and private chapel. It is currently home to the Headmaster’s Study, staff offices and classrooms.
The foundation stone for the Chapel was laid in 1861 and it is the heart of the Anglican faith at the School. It is used by students from Reception to Year 12 for weekly Chapel services.
Memorial Hall was built to commemorate old scholars who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World Wars. It opened in 1929 and is used by students across the School for musters, assemblies and special events.
Big Quad is at the centre of the oldest part of the School and has existed in its present form since 1910. It is centrally located within the Senior School and the classrooms are predominately used for maths.
The Middle Years program operates within the Senior School and includes boys in Years 7 and 8. The Pentreath Building, redeveloped in 2016, provides an identifiable home for Middle Years students and has been designed to ensure a seamless transition to Senior School life and the innovative spaces ensure boys have room to learn, collaborate and play.
The Middle Years is a transitional program that prepares students for Years 9 to 12. Boys spend significant pastoral and learning time with their mentor teacher and also undertake most of their studies within their designated Mentor classroom. As Senior School students, Years 7 and 8 boys have full access to the specialist learning facilities within the Senior School.
The Miller Library is a multi-purpose building open to all Senior School students. It houses the Keystone Support Centre for any IT-related enquiries, flexible learning spaces for silent or collaborative work, and a vast range of physical and digital books and resources.
The Science, Technology and Art Centre opened in 1988 as a fitting end to the sesquicentenary anniversary celebrations. The building was designed to give greater prominence to these subjects and to provide all students with the opportunity to acquire the technical and technological skills they will need for the future.
Science classes are held in the Science, Technology and Art Centre, centrally located within the Senior School. An innovative and engaging approach to teaching inspires enthusiasm and provides a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Students have access to excellent facilities, technology and specialist teachers to explore ideas, develop practical skills and enhance their understanding of the world.
The Science, Technology and Art Centre is home to the art room for Senior School students. Our program includes painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and computer graphics.
This diverse offering enables boys to explore new and exciting art and design forms. We encourage an appreciation of art through hands-on activities in purpose built studio areas. Through specialist teaching, artist-in-residence programs and exhibitions, students experiment and learn to present their ideas and feelings.
Boarding has always held a central place in the life of Saints. In 1853 the first boarders arrived at St Peter’s College and students were taught in Big School Room, Australia’s oldest classroom still in use. Every boarder used this study area for homework and revision; and has a mentor teacher who meets with him regularly and liaises with academic and support staff when required.
The newly-refurbished Boarding House offers comfortable, safe and spacious accommodation for about 100 boarders from Years 7 to 12. Our boarders come from diverse backgrounds; many are from regional and remote Australia while international students hail from the Asia-Pacific region and the EU.
The recreation room is used by all boarders after school and on the weekends and is the hub of boarding life. Activities held here are in addition to an exciting program of events like surfing, fishing and a range of organised socials with other boarding schools.
Our vibrant and thriving community of boys from Year 7 to 12 are from all walks of life, and are cared for and supported by Boarding House staff led by our Head of Boarding.
Students in Years 7 to 10 share small dormitories while Years 11 and 12 students have private bedrooms. Staff live on site and students and staff live and work together in an extended family relationship to ensure every boy receives the positive support and guidance he needs.