Sacré Cœur is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

for girls, located in Glen Iris, a south eastern suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia. Established in 1888, the school caters to over 700 students from Prep to Year 12 and has an open-entry policy.Sacré Cœur- Principal's Welcome
(accessed:30-06-2007) It offers the

Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria as well as in some international schools i ...

(VCE). Sacré Cœur is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV), the

Junior School Heads Association of Australia The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia. Officially established in Septem ...

JSHAA Victoria- Member Directory
(accessed:30-06-2007) and the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA)http://www.ahisa.edu.au/schools/?state=VIC (accessed:20-07-2014) It is part of the international network of Sacré Cœur schools.

History

The School was founded by the French order of nuns, the

Society of the Sacred Heart The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (; ), abbreviated RSCJ, is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of pontifical right for women established in France by Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. History Madeleine Soph ...

(RSCJ) in 1888. Sacré Cœur, has its origins in the vision of

Madeleine Sophie Barat Madeleine Sophie Barat, RSCJ, (12 December 1779 – 25 May 1865), is a French saint of the Catholic Church who founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, a worldwide religious institute of educators. Early life and family Barat was born on the nig ...

, who founded the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1800. Growing up during the French Revolution in the small town of

Joigny Joigny () is a commune in the Yonne département in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It is located on the banks of the river Yonne. History The current city, originally known as Joviniacum in Latin, was founded during Roman ti ...

about 80 miles south of Paris, Sophie felt a strong call to religious life from an early age. Although her attraction was to a strictly contemplative life, her reflections led her to the realisation that an education based on Christian values was essential for a more just society to emerge from the upheaval of the revolution. Having an unusually strong classical education herself, she envisioned an education for girls which would develop each student's gifts to the fullest, lay the foundations for a solid, active faith including compassionate service to the poor, and awaken a thirst for lifelong learning.

Houses

There are four Houses, named after the school's founder St Madeleine Sophie Barat and Mothers Superior of the school; Digby, Duschesne, Stuart and Barat. The four house colours are red, green, yellow and blue. The four houses annually compete in an array of inter house competitions. These competitions include House Athletics, House Swimming and the House Arts festival and house skipping.

Sport

Sacré Cœur is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).

GSV premierships

Sacré Cœur has won the following GSV premierships. * Cricket (2) – 2018, 2019 * Indoor Cricket – 2017 * Soccer – 2006 * Soccer, 5 a side (2) – 2017, 2018 * Triathlon, Mini (2) – 2016, 2017

Programs

In Year 8, students take part in a 2-week City Cite experience. The City Cite program aims to encourage high levels of personal organisation and responsibility, social competence, leadership and resilience. It gives the students an opportunity to learn in a different environment, and become familiar with their city whilst working independently and in groups. Students are accompanied and assisted by staff members throughout the City Cite experience. In Year 9, students take part in the Notre Monde program. The program takes place in a designated part of the school, and is composed of multiple units that run for 6 weeks each. The Notre Monde program allows girls to experience learning in a broad variety of environments. It covers numerous subjects, with a few being Social Justice, Visual and Creative Arts and International studies. iPads have been integrated into the program, with every student and staff member possessing one for the duration of the year. In Years 10 and 11, students are invited to partake in an international immersion program. The countries students are able to visit include: *France *Japan *Italy * United States *Canada In Year 11, students go on a three-day overnight retreat, with St Kevin's and Loreto. The focus of the retreat is on developing adult relationships and making decisions about the way they relate to their family, themselves, members of the other gender and most of all the way they personally relate to God.

Alumnae

Past pupils of Sacré Cœur may elect to join The Sacré Cœur Alumnae Association (formerly known as The Sacré Cœur Old Girls' Association). The association for past pupils was founded in the 20th century. Members of the association are located in Australia as well as a variety of countries around the world. The association organizes many social outings, masses and events in conjunction with other schools such as: *The GLS Breakfast (a speaker's luncheon with

Genazzano FCJ College Genazzano FCJ College is a Catholic, day and boarding school for girls, located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1889 by the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ Sisters), the college has a non-selective ...

and

Loreto Mandeville Hall Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex primary and secondary day school for girls, located in Toorak, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of many Loreto schools around the world, establis ...

) *Sacre Coeur and St Kevin's College, Melbourne Tennis Day *Golf competitions *Movie nights *Reunions

Notable alumnae

Patricia Barraclough Patricia Mary Barraclough (5 September 1951 – 21 November 2023) was an Australian television producer. Biography Born on 5 September 1951, in Surrey, England, to parents Edward and Mary Barraclough (née Dennis), she moved to Australia with h ...

, television producer *

Robina Courtin Robina Courtin (born 20 December 1944, in Melbourne, Australia) is a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa tradition and lineage of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In 1996 she founded the Liberation Prison Pr ...

, Tibetan Buddhist nun *

Marg Downey Marg Downey (born 5 May 1961) is an Australian comedian and actress, best known for her roles in '' The D Generation'', '' Fast Forward'' and '' Full Frontal'' Early life and education Downey grew up in a middle-class Catholic family in the Me ...

, actress (''

Fast Forward To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquiall ...

Big Girl's Blouse ''Big Girl's Blouse'' was an Australian sketch comedy programme that was broadcast in the mid-1990s on the Seven Network, created by Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski. Early versions of the trio's '' Kath & Kim'' characters, Kath, ...

, Sit Down, Shut Up,

Kath & Kim ''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...

'') *

Alicia Eva Alicia Eva (born 2 April 1991) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Collingwood Football Club in 2017. Eva was selected in the AFL Women's All- ...

, AFLW Footballer *

Paige Greco Paige Greco (born 19 February 1997) is an Australian Paralympic cyclist who won gold medals at the 2019 World Track Championships in C1-3 women's pursuit 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She broke the World Record setting a new one of 3:52.283 in the 30 ...

, Australian paralympic cyclist (

Gold medalist A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the

2020 Paralympic Games The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

) * Eilene Hannan, renowned international operatic soprano (sang in the inaugural production at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

) * Lesbia Harford, poet, novelist, political activist * Libby Lyons, director,

Workplace Gender Equality Agency The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an Australian Government statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the ''Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012'' and pr ...

* Cathy McGowan, politician (independent federal member for

Indi Indi may refer to: *Mag-indi language *Division of Indi, an electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives * Indi, Karnataka, a town in the state of Karnataka, India * Instrument Neutral Distributed Interface, a distributed control s ...

2013–19) *

Pia Miranda Pia Miranda is an Australian actress. Her career was launched with her role in the 2000 feature film '' Looking for Alibrandi'', an Australian film based on the novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta. She is also known for her roles as K ...

, actress ('' Looking for Alibrandi'') *

Anabelle Smith Anabelle "Belle" Smith (born 3 February 1993) is an Australian diver. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion in the 3 metre synchronized springboard. She competed in the 3 m springboard synchronized event at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer ...

, diver ( Bronze medalist at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

, qualified for the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and Bronze medallist at the

2016 Olympic Games The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

) *

Chrissie Swan Christina Swan is an Australian television and radio presenter and media personality. Since 2023, Swan has hosted '' The Chrissie Swan Show'' on Nova FM. In 2022 and 2023, she served as a panellist on '' The Masked Singer Australia'' alongside ...

Big Brother Australia ''Big Brother Australia'' (also known simply as ''Big Brother'') is an Australian Reality television#Reality competition or game shows, reality show based on the international ''Big Brother (franchise), Big Brother'' format created by John de ...

contestant, writer, contestant on I'm a Celebrity AU and currently radio presenter on

Nova 100 Nova 100 (call sign: 3MEL) is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, broadcasting on 100.3 MHz. The station is owned by NOVA Entertainment along with sister station, smoothfm 91.5. History Nova 100 commenced on th ...

* Marie Tehan, Victorian state politician and Minister *

Jane Turner Jane Turner (born 1 December 1960) is an Australian actress, comedian and Logie Award-winning comedy series creator and screenwriter. She is widely known for her role as Kath in the TV sitcom ''Kath and Kim''. Career Jane Turner, although ...

, actress (''

'') * Jo Weston, Netballer

Fellow Sacred Heart schools in Australia and New Zealand

Kincoppal-Rose Bay Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart (Kincoppal-Rose Bay), is an independent Roman Catholic early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school, predominantly for girls, located in Rose Bay, an eastern suburb of Sydney ...

, Sydney *

Stuartholme School Stuartholme School is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for girls, located at 365 Birdwood Terrace, Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Established in 1920 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, the school caters for a ...

, Brisbane * Baradene College,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand

References

External links

Sacré Cœur official websiteSociety of the Sacred Heart
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sacre Cour School Girls' schools in Victoria (state) Educational institutions established in 1888 Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools Sacred Heart schools 1888 establishments in Australia Catholic primary schools in Melbourne Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia Buildings and structures in the City of Stonnington