Ascham School

Independent girl' school in Edgecliff, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
the English preparatory school at Eastbourne

Ascham follows the 'Dalton Plan', an educational philosophy created by Helen Parkhurst in 1916. The 'Dalton Plan' aims to produce independent and confident leaders. Ascham is a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association, and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS). Ascham is operated as a not for profit company. All funds must be used to benefit the school. This function is administered by the school's Council of Governors who are elected by the school's members.

Ascham school was established in 1886 by Marie Wallis, as a private, day and boarding school for girls, in a terrace house in Darling Point. The school moved to its current site following the acquisition of Glenrock estate in 1911. The school was named after Roger Ascham, tutor to Queen Elizabeth I. In 1914 Kathleen Gilman Jones (1880–1942) came from South Africa to be a joint head mistress at the school. She went on to lead Melbourne Church of England Girls' Grammar School. The school adopted the 'Dalton Plan' as its method of teaching in 1922. Ascham became a company, Ascham School Limited, in 1937 under the direction of Headmistress Margaret Bailey. This transferred ownership of the school from herself to ensure the long term succession of the school. The next head who served the school for some time was Dorothy Whitehead.

Ascham has exchange programmes with the following girls schools: St Mary's Calne, UK; City of London School for Girls in London; Havergal College in Toronto; Nightingale Bamford School in New York; Northlands School in Buenos Aires; Durban Girls' College in Durban; Institut de la Tour in Paris, St. George's School, Edinburgh, Scotland.