A Progressive and Entirely Independent Melbourne School

Preshil is a coeducational, secular and private school in Melbourne. It is the oldest progressive school in Australia, focusing on the education of each individual child as a critical and creative thinker. It remains a deliberately niche private school, welcoming children from three years of age into the Kindergarten through to the completion of their secondary schooling at Year 12. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum School, we offer exclusively the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes (PYP, MYP & DP). These perfectly align with the school’s focus on intellectual challenge, inquiry, and research-based learning. These Programmes demand individual choice and independent learning, and encourage students to develop the “courage to question”; to find their own voice and to become responsible and active global citizens well beyond the classroom. From the earliest years, children are encouraged to develop higher order thinking through philosophy, play, building, problem-solving and exercising choice. Kindness, respect and courage are key learnings, underpinning a creative, rich programme which nurtures and delights young minds. The Kindergarten environment provides a natural world of adventure where the invitation to play, climb and create is irresistible. The PYP begins for our youngest learners in the Kindergarten, and seamlessly transitions into the Independent Primary School (Arlington). Preshil is committed to inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning in the primary years, and specialist programs in French, Music, Philosophy and Art are equal partners in a stimulating and challenging curriculum that combines meticulous teacher planning with individual and collaborative projects.

The Preshil Secondary School (Blackhall Kalimna) offers an intellectually vibrant curriculum, the MYP, for years 7 – 10. This programme demands that students are active learners in and outside of the classroom, and through the Personal Project and Service as Action, Preshil students contribute their energies to causes and passions beyond the curriculum. Throughout the secondary years, Preshil continues to support an outstanding creative program of Arts, Drama, Film and Music. Students have multiple opportunities to perform with and for the community. Creative expression is celebrated as something attainable to all, and not something for which students must audition. Multi-age electives focusing on extending students’ interests, building career knowledge, and innovative STEAM choices are offered throughout the MYP. The MYP is the perfect preparation for all our students to progress to the DP in their final two years of school. Diploma students must take subjects from across the curriculum including maths, science, humanities, languages and the arts. Service as Action becomes Creativity, Activity and Service, and retains the focus, for each student, on creative and altruistic extra-curricular endeavours. The Personal Project becomes the Extended Essay, a research driven thesis that students co-create with a mentor and complete in their own time. The Preshil approach to schooling does not use the fear of failure or the threat of punishment to motivate children. We do not demand conformity or unthinking obedience to arbitrary rules. The rapport between students and their teachers is respectful and focused on achieving outstanding learning outcomes through trust, and a genuine regard for each individual.