Blackfriars Priory School welcomes first female students in 40 years

When their own school couldn’t run the high-level maths course they wanted, an unexpected back-up plan for these trailblazing girls emerged.

Ashmeet Kaur and Shiuli Fernando, from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, are studying Stage 2 Specialist Mathematics at Blackfriars in 2024. Picture: Supplied

Two female students are set to join the Year 12 cohort at boys private school in Adelaide’s inner north for the first time in 40 years.

Our Lady of Sacred Heart College (OLSH) Year 12 students Ashmeet Kaur and Shiuli Fernando will undertake classes at Blackfriars Priory School, a male-only Catholic college.

Blackfriars announced on their website that the female students will study Stage 2 Mathematics at their Prospect campus for 2024.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ashmeet and Shiuli to Blackfriars,” principal David Ruggiero said.

“Over the past few years, we’ve worked to strengthen the relationship between Blackfriars and OLSH and collaborated on a number of events, including International Women’s Day.”

Mr Ruggiero said hosting the two OLSH students would “take that collaboration to the next level”.

Shiuli Fernando and Ashmeet Kaur from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, at the Blackfriars campus. Picture: Supplied

Ashmeet, who is aiming to study computer science at university after Year 12, said she was thankful for the opportunity to continue her maths studies.

“I enjoyed doing it last year and I really want to do it this year as well,” Ashmeet said.

Her peer at OLSH, Shiuli, hopes to study robotic engineering which has Stage 2 Mathematics as a prerequisite.

“I really like maths … it’s the problem solving,” Shiuli said.

It is not the first time Blackfriars has offered places to girls who could not study a chosen subject at their original school.

In 1968, senior female students from OLSH and St Dominic’s Priory College attended Blackfriars to study physics, chemistry and maths.

More than a decade later, Blackfriars began accepting senior students from all-girls’ Catholic schools for a number of years and even created an open female netball team.