Tara Anglican School for Girls

If you want to attend this school, please be aware this is a MYP school, and the marking criteria is often hard to understand and grasp, until explained thoroughly.

This school focuses more on developing the social skill and leadership qualities of a student rather than academics. Which produces absolutely wonderful and kind students and peers but they(the school) are often behind on curriculum in certain subjects, making it hard to catch up to standard without external tutoring. This is also a concerning point; the academic department is very poorly organised- with some teachers knowing the syllabus very well, while others, not at all. Some know how to engage students, while the rest bore on. Many great teachers left last year, and the new teacher this year aren’t very trained or good. I am concerned for this as for teachers, you are stuck with them for a good year or maybe two and three; and most of them are hits or misses, so really, it’s up to luck.

However, the school provides a lot of activities for students to attend, though does not advertise it to the students (which is annoying because I only found out about these activities very late into schooling). Even in these activities, there seems to be a hierarchy. The sports department seems only to value “fine” sports; like rowing, and fail to attribute achievements to other sports even when they triumph higher than these “fine” sports. “Fine” sports, like rowing also have extra activities, such as a special rowing dinner with the principal, which I find prejudiced and beyond my comprehension on why this is focused on. No activity should be more “fine”, the budget for each sports and activity should be similar (rowing has way too big of a budget, like special rowing specific training equipment and boats; they don’t win anything either) as if they don’t respect other sports. I’ve seen so many people with such large potentials for their sports fail to be nurtured to their fullest because of this neglect.


Most teachers are wonderful, compassionate and friendly, as long as you are respectful. The dress code is strict but bearable.

The Christian ideals of the school is too forced; the Christian studies department absolutely not understanding and the chapels though not outright saying that you should be Christian, provides unnecessary pressure and stress to become one. If you do not wish to listen, you will be given a detention, it is horrible and I dislike chapel. Though the chapel lines and youth groups are absolute sweethearts, I dislike how they are held and the values they force onto us. But I understand, and have seen many of my Christian peers inspired, and that in turn makes me happy nevertheless.

They, although trying to be multicultural, have on many occasion dismissed me and my peer’s culture for their own Anglo-Saxon white western one. For instance, you are forced to wear a tampon/ period swimmers on your period and have to swim at the swimming carnival. It is against my culture to wear a tampon at this age, and against those values to defile myself in cold water; it’s bad for your body. Yet they will force you; when you politely decline, however, they will forfeit, but look at you with contempt and much question and dismissal.

The boarding, from my peer’s experiences are mid. Not bad, not luxurious. The boarding house staff are very catering and all boarding girls are absolute sweethearts (all Tara girls are very kind).

The kitchen (cafeteria) staff are very sweet and kind, absolute sweethearts and would let you borrow their kitchen on market days.

However, the cafeteria food is about ok, though slightly pricey. It is at time sacrilegious; with spicy sichuan rice becoming sweet and pasta almost crumbling. But that’s the charm of our cafeteria. (Though one time I did find mould in my brownie, cos they sometimes sell leftovers from the Boarder’s dinner, but it didn’t happen again which is fine)

A safety concern, I’ve seen many of my peer’s parents bring up is the lack of a front gate or fence to surround the school, a person can enter and leave the school without knowledge. This is a major safety concern.

The students although very nice, are very spoiled at times, in more subtle ways more than other, like a passing mention of buying a luxury brand’s new product like as if it were buying bread. It makes me sad, and some lack of common sense for reality and logical procedure for topics can be seen during class discussions that make me frustrated. Nevertheless, all sweethearts, can’t bring yourself to dislike them.


Fees; so many unnecessary fees. Many students who have left, have been paying for that swimming pool that they’ve been building for years, with empty promises of finishing it soon. I hope soon, too. They charge us for very silly things. But since the school fees are so high, they don’t think we’ll mind.

The school facilities are ok. Though I’m concerned as to where all the students family’s money is going, considering the facilities compared to the school fee.

However, overall, although I hold much contempt for this school, the school environment is kind; and produces wonderful girls.