Independent Schools Guide 2022: A purposeful education at Woodleigh School

From the first day that children set foot on Woodleigh’s sprawling campuses in Melbourne’s south-east, everything they do at the school is part of the learning program.

“Everything children do is an opportunity for learning, growth and the development of specific capabilities,” says principal David Baker. “We believe in purposeful education, where learning experiences are designed with intent.

“Our school has always had a strong holistic background based around relationships and experiences. Those things are valuable, and increasingly we are designing those experiences with more intent to create even greater learning opportunities and opportunities for deeper thinking.”

Those experiences begin in kindergarten, with the youngest children in the school participating in the bush kinder program. Each week, children spend one day investigating the school’s nature reserve and creek.

“They have real-world experiences and learn how to take risks and to engage with the environment and each other,” Baker says.

“They learn about First Nations culture and learn resilience as the program goes ahead whether it’s wet or dry.

“The children learn that they can adapt to difficult situations and challenges.”

These kinds of experiences happen throughout the Woodleigh journey. In Year 10, students take part in a seven-day hiking expedition at Hattah Lakes, in the desert regions of north-west Victoria. Baker describes it as a rite of passage for students.

“They work in groups of five or six, navigating through the national park. Teachers support them from a distance; they have to manage by themselves, develop leadership capabilities, learn to regulate their emotions and manage themselves in what can be an extreme environment,” Baker says.

The Year 10 Expedition is always remembered by graduates as a peak, life-changing experience, says Dr Richard Owens, the director of the Woodleigh Institute – the school’s innovation lab dedicated to understanding and enhancing transformative approaches to learning, leadership and collaboration.

“It is challenging and it often has a transformative effect on the way they see themselves and their friends,” he says. “A lot of growth happens during that week.

“I spoke to one student who reflected on that experience … they’d never seen themselves as a leader but during the hike, they noticed that a few members in their group were stressed and anxious at times.

“That student supported their peers through those challenges and that left them with a new understanding of what leadership was and the influence they could have on people around them.”

Purposeful education and real-world learning are further on display in Woodleigh’s language program where students learning French correspond with students in New Caledonia about the issue of climate change.

“They are not only deepening their French language skills but also building their capacity as global citizens by corresponding with native speakers in another country around an issue of world relevance,” Owens says.

The real world is delivered in science with children learning through Woodleigh’s Senior Campus farm.

“We have half a dozen calves there and students learn about the digestive system of a cow, compare it to the human digestive system, explore how farming animals impacts our environment. Then we go into our nature reserves and look at the kangaroos and wallabies … and how those animals impact the environment. All that pushes learning deeper,” Baker says.

WOODLEIGH SCHOOL \ 485 Golf Links Road, Langwarrin South, 5971 6100

woodleigh.vic.edu.au

Key details

SENIOR CAMPUS
485 GOLF LINKS ROAD,
LANGWARRIN SOUTH, VIC 3911

MINIMBAH CAMPUS
3 MINIMBAH COURT,
FRANKSTON SOUTH, VIC 3199

PENBANK CAMPUS
460 MORNINGTON TYABB ROAD,
MOOROODUC, VIC 3933

ENQUIRIES
(03) 5971 6100
woodleigh.vic.edu.au
enrol@woodleigh.vic.edu.au
YEARS
3YO Early Childhood to Year 12

DENOMINATION
Non-denominational

GENDER
Co-educational

FEES
Visit website for details

BOARDING
No

SCHOLARSHIPS
Yes, see website

ATAR
(Average for 2021): 77.4