'Independent Schools in the Northern Territory are a diverse group of Non-Government Schools serving a range of different communities. Many Independent schools in the Northern Territory provide a religious, cultural or values-based education. Others promote a particular educational philosophy or interpretation of mainstream education'.

Independent schools are diverse, in terms of the communities they serve, student population, size and nature. 

Independent Schools are located across the Northern Territory, including regional Darwin, remote Alice Springs and in several very remote communities across the Top End and Central Australia. 


Independent schools exhibit diversity in terms of the communities they cater to, the composition of their student body, their size, and their educational approach. This diversity has consistently been regarded as a significant asset of the Australian education system, effectively addressing the requirements of a geographically scattered, socially heterogeneous, culturally diverse, and multi-faith populace.


These schools encompass a wide range of options, including community schools designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in remote regions, specialized educational environments for at-risk youth and students with disabilities, boarding schools serving students from regional and remote areas, as well as both large and small multicultural schools situated in urban and regional settings. In essence, the Independent schooling sector offers a comprehensive selection to accommodate the preferences and needs of all families.



Independent schools deliver an education that nurtures resilient young individuals equipped with the values, skills, and abilities necessary for thriving. They maintain strong connections with their communities, and their autonomy empowers them to innovate and adapt to the evolving demands of students and society.



'The school should not be limited by the four walls of the building. The school is situated wherever the learning occurs. It is far more than the individual, we must work to build trust and dialogue in order to promote engagement, motivation and connectedness. Social capital involves honouring that a community is made of many people at many stages. We need to make it about conversation, not consultation. See, Feel, Change is a more effective approach than Analyse, Think, Change'.


George Otero Relational Leadership Centre, New Mexico (2017)


AFFILIATIONS OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

  • Anglican
  • Islamic
  • SEDA
  • Steiner
  • Aboriginal Community Schools
  • Uniting Church
  • Montessori
  • Inter-denominational
  • Lutheran
  • Christian

Senior Secondary Options


Educational Qualifications

  • The majority of secondary schools within the Northern Territory offer the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET) which students can achieve after completing 200 credits gained through their senior years of school, this certificate is recognised internationally.  
  • Haileybury Rendall School offers the Victorian Certificate Education (VCE) for students entering their senior years of school. VCE is also recognised internationally.
  • Haileybury Rendall School delivers Haileybury Pangea, which is a world-class, online school for academically driven, self-motivated students in Years 5–12. The flexible learning environment offers full-time online school and VCE study pathways. 
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran School offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) for students in their primary and middle school years.


The Territory is diverse, all young people are different, and this is reflected in our Independent Schools.

Schools

  • Aboriginal Independent Community Schools

    There are currently ten Aboriginal Independent Community Schools (AICS) in the Northern Territory. These schools are located in remote and very remote communities throughout the Northern Territory. This include Pickertaramoor, on Melville Island Tiwi, West Arnhem Land, East Arnhem Land,  Mutitjulu, Docker River and Imanpa.


    The schools are autonomous and do not operate as part of a system. Each Aboriginal Independent Community School has an Aboriginal governing body responsible for staffing, curriculum, school buildings, staff houses and financial accountability. Notwithstanding their obligations to comply with the Education Act (NT) 2015 and national education policy initiatives, these schools are independent of government and belong to the communities they service.


    Success in Aboriginal Independent Community Schools is due to their capacity to deliver mainstream education in an environment where learning is nurtured by cultural identity, traditional language and a sense of belonging to place. This has led to improved literacy and numeracy results for students in these schools. Community wellbeing and social functioning is also an important product of these schools.


    The Aboriginal Independent Community Schools in the Northern Territory are:



  • Northern Territory Christian Schools

    NT Christian Schools is an Independent School system that has been delivering high quality, Christ-centered education in a wide variety of contexts in the Northern Territory since 1977. 


    As a distinctive organisation, it seeks to serve God through contextualised education, training and care from a Biblical perspective for all students.


    There are seven Christian Schools in the Northern Territory:



  • Schools affiliated with Christian Denominations

    Uniting Church Northern Synod


    The Uniting Church in Australia Northern Synod is associated with St Philip's College which provides a co-educational Boarding and Day school within Alice Springs for students in years 7 -12. 


  • Lutheran Church of Australia

    Lutheran Education is a national system that enables, encourages and supports their schools to thrive in providing quality Lutheran Education. There are three Northern Territory Independent Schools belonging to the Lutheran Church of Australia , affiliated with Lutheran Education SA, NT & WA.

  • Australian International Islamic College

    In 2022, the Australian International Islamic College opened a campus in Darwin making it the first Islamic School in the Northern Territory.  

    The college strives to pursue academic excellence through integrating Australian and Islamic curriculum,  supporting students in learning about Islamic tradition helping to shapes values, faith and identity, and the valuing of diversity and multiculturalism. 

    In Islamic pedagogy, knowledge is balanced by spiritual, social and ethical teachings from the Quran. 

  • Steiner Education

    'Our highest endeavour must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives.  The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility - these three forces are the very nerve of education' - Rudolf Steiner


    Steiner schools have a unique and distinctive approach to educating children, aiming to enable each stage of growth to be fully and vividly enjoyed and experienced.  They provide a balanced approach to the modern school curriculum.  The academic, artistic and social aspects, or 'head, heart and hands' are treated as complementary facets of a single program of learning, allowing each to throw light on the others. This is implemented by using art as a practice, and language to develop the feelings, by nourishing the children with the rich heritage of wise folk tales, histories, fairy stories, poems, music and games that are part of the world civilisation.  This creates the cultural atmosphere in which the children are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, nature study, geography, science, languages, music and other subjects.


    Steiner designed a curriculum that is responsive to the developmental phases of childhood and the nurturing of the child’s imagination in a school environment. Steiner held that schools should cater to the needs of the child rather than the demands of the government or economic forces, so he developed schools that encourage creativity and free-thinking. His teaching seeks to recognise the individuality of the child and through a balanced education, allows them to go into the world with confidence.


    Steiner Education is a deeply insightful application of learning based on the Study of Humanity that helps develop consciousness of self and the surrounding world. Steiner’s perception that although external conditions in our time are changing as never before, the essential nature of humanity remains; in particular, the stages of human development through childhood follow a natural pattern unaffected by short term social change. The task of educators remains to prepare children for an unpredictable future by nurturing healthy development ‘from the inside’, to provide the right nourishment at each stage of physical, emotional and spiritual growth.


    There are two Steiner Schools in the Northern Territory:


  • SEDA

    SEDA offers students a holistic approach where each student can identify a career goal and are supported in gaining the relevent skills to achieve that goal. SEDA values student wellbeing, teachers engage with and monitor the students overall wellbeing working with them closely across the three years of senior secondary schooling. SEDA has strong relations with peak industry organisations that provide students with the opportunity to gain industry experience.

  • Other Independent Schools

    Haileybury Rendall School opened in Darwin in 2018 and is part of Haileybury which has four campuses in Victoria and one in China. 


    The Essington School is a parent owned, non-denominational, co-educational school.


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