The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale (P.L.C Armidale) is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls. The school is located in Armidale, a large rural town with a population of 28,000 in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia.

P.L.C Armidale currently caters for approximately 400 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, including 80 boarders in Years 5 to 12. Enrolment at P.L.C Armidale is non-selective, and students from all races and religious affiliations are welcome. The college is affiliated with the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AIS NSW), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA) the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is an affiliate member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).

In 2006, P.L.C was named the top performing Higher School Certificate school in the New England region of New South Wales. Overall P.L.C Armidale ranked 114th in the State.

History

The Presbyterian Ladies' College dates from the foundation of the New England Ladies College at "Smith House" in 1887, offering a secondary education for girls under its Principal, Miss Elizabeth Higgs. In 1910, the New England Ladies' College was bought by Alethea Tendall, who went on to be proprietor and Principal for 28 years, and who renamed it The Hilton School. When Miss Tendall purchased it, the school was operating out of two houses.

A group of Presbyterian businessmen purchased the school in 1938, and the following year it came under the financial support of the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Subsequently, the school's name was changed to its current form, The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale. In 1945, of land on North Hill were purchased, and following a fund raising campaign, the foundation stone of the new school buildings was laid in 1960. Since then, several building programmes have extended the facilities to their present form.

In late August 2005, due to financial troubles at the College, it was announced that P.L.C Armidale and the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney (P.L.C Sydney), would join to form an alliance, with both schools coming under the executive leadership of Dr William McKeith, the Principal of P.L.C Sydney. Members of the P.L.C Armidale Council formed part of the new joint school Council, essentially making the two P.L.C's true sister schools.

The aim of this alliance is to strengthen P.L.C Armidale through cooperative marketing, a change in management and a stronger financial base. It is also to be of benefit to both schools through student exchanges, accommodation for sporting events or excursions, and a 'country or city' option for prospective students. Both schools will maintain their separate identities in order to preserve the unique histories and traditions that both have developed over many years.

Principals

Period	Details
1910 – 1938	Miss Anthea Collis Tendall
1938 – 1941	Dr Helen Isabella Wilkie, M.A., Ph.D. (Edinburgh) Principal of PLC Sydney 1942 – 1945
1942 – 1951	Miss Clarice Ashworth
1952 – 1953	Miss Kathleen Buchan
1954 – 1958	Miss E. Jean McColl
1959 – 1962	Miss D Joan Humby
1963 – 1968	Miss Belinda McCarthy
1969 – 1971	Acting Principal – Miss Dorothy Knox
1971 – 1978	Mrs Faye Morris-Yates
1979 – 1989	Miss Francis Parsons
1989 – 1997	Mrs Rosalyn Lindsay
1997 – 1999	Mrs Carole Tisdell
2000 – 2002	Dr Ness Goodwin
2002	Acting Principal – Mr Roderick West
2003 – 2005	Mrs Judith White
2005 – Present	Dr William T. McKeith AM, B.A., Dip. Ed. (Macquarie), M.A. (Sydney), M.B.A. (Leicester), Ed. D. (Leicester), F.A.C.E., F.A.I.M. Principal of P.L.C Sydney since 1986, Principal of both schools from 2005.

Fees

As with most Australian independent schools, P.L.C is not a full fee paying institution, due to it receiving some government funding; full fees only apply to international students, who are not subsidised by any government funding. For non-international students, 2008 fees range from AUD$3,750 to $14,600 per annum, and in excess of $22,000 per annum for boarding students.

P.L.C Armidale offers scholarships and bursaries that provide full or part remission of tuition fees to Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia. Academic scholarships are based on the results of the ACER Scholarship Examination, and are typically offered from Year 5 onwards. In addition to those awarded for academic performance, P.L.C also offers music and visual arts scholarships.

Co-curriculum

A variety of sports and co-curricular activities are offered each semester, and students may choose from these according to their interests and needs.

Music

The school offers a range of musical instruments and musicianship classes, including bagpipes, cello, clarinet, double bass, drums, electronic keyboard, flute, french horn, guitar, oboe, percussion, piano, piccolo, recorder, saxophone, singing, violin, viola, trombone, trumpet. Students may also be enrolled in Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) and Trinity College music examinations.

Students may also participate in ensemble music, with choirs, orchestra, bands, string, saxophone, recorder and flute ensembles available. There are a number opportunities for public performances.

Sport

P.L.C Armidale encourages students to participate in a range of team and individual sports, with teams for all ages and all levels of ability. The school enters teams in the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA) competitions and other competitions as appropriate. Sports available include: Tennis, Softball, Touch Football, Swimming, Athletics, Basketball, Hockey, Netball, Soccer, Equestrian, and Cattle Management.

Notable alumni

• Kate Bell – Actress on Blue Water High
• Patricia Lovell – Producer of Gallipoli

Associated schools

Neighbouring Schools Nearby schools include:

• The Armidale School
• New England Girls' School
• Duval High School
• O'Connor Catholic High School
• Armidale High SchoolPresbyterian Schools

There are three other Presbyterian schools in New South Wales:

• P.L.C's 'sister school', The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. Sydney and Armidale "P.L.C's" are both overseen by Dr. McKeith (Executive principal of Armidale, Principal of Sydney), and a joint College Council.
• The Scots College, Bellevue Hill
• The Scots School, Bathurst

References

Further reading

• Pound, C. & Atkinson, A. 1995. The Common Task: A History of PLC Armidale. P.L.C Armidale Council, Armidale, N.S.W. ISBN 0-6462508-1-7.

See also

• List of non-government schools in New South Wales
• List of boarding schools

External links

• Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale website
• Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney website