The parallel learning experience and the culture of care at Tintern

CW: In this podcast, I want to talk to the people in the education system in Melbourne, including parents, students, and maybe even some principals to get a better understanding of what goes on in schools and how they’re shaping our kids. It’s time to go to school on the Melbourne Schools Podcast.

Hi, parents. Today, I have Jo with me. Jo is an experienced parent of three kids, all of whom go to Tintern Grammar. Tintern is a co-ed private school located out in Liffey Ringwood in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I went on tour to Tintern sometime last year, and what stood out to me were two particular things. The first is they have a working farm on site, Tintern Wood Farm, and the second thing is Tintern has a parallel learning model, which means that they have separate boys and girls classes in secondary school up until year 10.

I’m keen to chat to Jo about her experience at Tintern. Please welcome Jo.

JH: Hello.

CW: How are you going?

JH: I’m good. How are you?

CW: Yeah, not too bad. Thank you. Yeah, thanks for chatting to me during the school holidays. I know that it’s been hectic and it’s hard to tee up a time.

JH: Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Yeah, sorry. I’ve got three teenagers. I think I’ve got four or five currently in the house. So yeah, it’s a busy place.

CW: Yeah, no, that’s okay. Yeah. No, thank you for making the time. Firstly, could you tell me about your kids? Not their names or anything, but just if they’re boys or girls and what year they’re in?

JH: I have three sons. My eldest is 19, so he graduated from Tintern last year. My second son is 17 and he’s in year 11, and my third son is in year 9.

CW: Year 9. Okay. So one graduated and two still at Tintern?

JH: Two still at Tintern, yeah.

CW: Okay. So have you made the journey of all the way from primary school to Tintern?

JH: Mostly my youngest started there in four-year-old kinder.

CW: Wow. Okay.

JH: Yes. And my other two were in year 1 and year 3.

CW: Okay.

JH: So you’re like quite a long journey.

CW: Yeah. Okay. So you’ve been there a long time then. So would that be more than 10 years?

JH: More than 10 years. Yeah.

CW: 10 years you’ve been a parent there. Okay. Yeah. Oh, that’s quite amazing. Are your kids very similar in their interests, or are they quite different, or how are they?

JH: They’re similar in their interests. They’re quite sporty and things like that, but they’re different in their personalities. I would say my eldest and my youngest are really outgoing, sociable, and my middle son is probably quieter and more reflective and just a little bit different. So even though I do have three sons, I would still say no, they’re not all exactly the same.

CW: Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all exactly the same, actually. How did you go about looking for a school then for these different boys that you have, and what made you decide on Tintern?

JH: Yeah, that’s a good question. We were originally in a different independent school, and my eldest son was in Grade 2 and it didn’t fit for him to go to school. It just didn’t fit for him, that school. He really needed to have a place where he could be himself, where he could have his own opinions, where he could be challenged. He’s quite bright. And we went on tour with Tintern and we were really impressed with their knowledge and experience with boys, particularly.

So the head of boys education is a man called Adam Kenny, and he’s probably one of the most exceptional educators I’ve ever met. And he just really won us over there. And so we decided to move all three of our children across after that. And so Bailey was grade three, Elijah was grade one, which was a bit tricky, but we did it. And Mackenzie was in kinder. And it has been the best decision that we’ve ever made.

CW: So you chose to move them because of, was it your second son that you said that was quite exciting?

JH: My eldest son.

CW: Your eldest son, he was quite exceptional. Yeah, that’s quite an interesting observation to make that young that he needed something different. I think that’s really observant of you to be able to identify that and look for something specifically.

JH: Yeah, I think because I am a primary school teacher, I think there is a depth then. Yeah, so I think that helps. But we also just noticed that he just needed a place. So what I really like about Tintern is also their approach to discipline. They don’t take a hard line, so to speak. They’re firm and fair, but if there are issues, the way they deal with it, which I think is really interesting in that they work on the development of the relationships they have with the students, particularly in secondary education.

Obviously, we’ve had student hiccups on in that journey. I mean, I’ve had three sons through uni, which is really the point where you see that. And I just was really impressed with the way that they have dealt with that. It’s been, they will ring you personally, they will have conversations with you and your child, they’re about understanding that everybody makes mistakes and let’s start again, and forgiveness, and all this positive stuff. I think that’s really impressive, but I think it also works because it’s a small school, the teachers have great relationship with those students. So the students also are really keen on impressing them and making that connection. So I think that from my experience discipline is not really a major issue there.

CW: Oh, that’s really interesting. Can you tell us a bit more about, I know that you sort of touched on, so do you think that they have a really good connection with the students and also the parent community? Do you think that helps in the discipline part, or what is it that makes the kids more disciplined, do you think?

JH: I think it’s both. I think it’s a really small school. So, for example, well, in secondary school, in, for example, in year nine, they have two classes of boys, so that’s about 50 boys. And I think they have three classes of girls, so it’s about 75.

CW: Really? So there’s more girls than boys in year nine?

JH: Yeah, well, they try and maintain a higher girl balance in general.

CW: That’s very unusual, I think, from all the schools I’ve seen.

JH: Yeah, I think it’s because it was originally a girl school. Right. They definitely don’t market themselves as that anymore, but having a higher percentage of girls tends to just create a bit of a different dynamic.

CW: Yes.

JH: So I think that that is part of it. The other thing is because there are 50 boys, those boys grow really close together. They have the same teachers. Like one of my sons had the same math teacher three times so far, over the years.

CW: Oh, three years.

JH: Yeah. So and that really helps because they understand that child. They understand how that child learns. The parent communication has been obviously some better than others, but in general incredible. I’ve had teachers call me on a Friday afternoon and go, we need to talk about, you know, what are we going to do with your son’s maths or whatever it is, but completely in their own time. I’ve had teachers send me their number and go, you can call me on the weekend if you need to. Like, yeah, their duty of care is pretty exceptional. I don’t see that in other schools. I’ve got lots of friends with teenagers in different schools, and I don’t think you get that level of care and commitment in many other places, mainly because there’s too many children.

CW: Yeah.

JH: I think when you have hundreds in each year level, you can’t possibly be phoning every parent.

CW: Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So I think that makes it about a bit over 100 per year level. So I’m just having a guess. So in senior school, there may be about 600 or 700 kids. Would that be right?

JH: Yeah, about that.

CW: Yeah.

JH: About that. Some of the…

CW: It’s pretty small.

JH: Yeah. Some of them… Even year 11 and 12 can tend to be even a little bit smaller. Sometimes kids branch out according to if they want to go to like TAFE, or if they want to do VCAL or some of those other things. So I don’t think my son even had 100 kids in his year level in year 12. Might have been just under.

CW: Yeah.

JH: Which just makes for a really nice community, a really nice connection. Yeah.

CW: Makes sense. So when you mentioned like VCAL and was it VM that you said?

JH: Well, they’re starting with VM, I think. Yeah, that’s it. It’s just coming in.

CW: Yeah.

JH: Yeah.

CW: They have some options. They don’t have a lot of options, I would say in terms of that. I know they run a hospitality stream. I know you can and they will support you to access like children go to Black Box Hill Secondary and Ringwood Secondary, stuff like that, if you’re interested in pursuing a VCAL subject.

CW: So they travel, is it?

JH: Yeah. So on Wednesday afternoons, they would leave school and they would go to do that.

CW: Okay.

JH: Yeah. And I don’t know a lot about that because my children didn’t take that option.

CW: Yeah, fair enough.

JH: I know it exists, absolutely. But I think if your child was interested in that pathway, that Tintern might not be the best school for that, if that’s where your child is planning on journey, I think.

CW: Yeah, gotcha. I must say that Tintern does have a, or in my mind anyway, in my own opinion, Tintern has a reputation for being quite academic. Would that be correct?

JH: I think it’s academic, but I think there is also support for students who are not as academic. I think if your child had particular learning difficulties, then possibly that is not the right place. It’s just, especially because it’s quite small, so their ability to cater for, it is small. They do run learning support and they do make adjustments.

CW: Yes.

JH: But I think if your child had significant learning difficulties, then possibly that is not the right place.

CW: Okay. But your kid’s never experienced the need for that sort of…

JH: Not to that degree, no. No. But I do know my eldest son had a friend who worked with that and they were supportive of him and he was really happy. It depends on what your goal is also for your child. Some people send their children to school and they’re just happy for their child to have friends and be sociable and participate in extracurricular and the academic is not high on their list. So if you’re looking for an experience like that, absolutely. Your child will go to a place where they’re accepted and they have friends and there’s opportunities in sport and music and all those things. And I think we’ll leave a really appreciated person. They will walk out of there going, yeah, I was seen, I was heard. The teachers cared for me, my friends cared for me. In terms of a community, you can’t fault it.

CW: Oh, really? Yeah. So there’s not a huge amount of, because I know some schools are very academic in that the culture is very academic, like all the kids are high achieving and there’s a lot of pressure on kids. Would you say that Tintern isn’t like that? And if not, then what is it?

JH: I wouldn’t say that. I would say there are definitely high flyers there. There are definitely extremely bright children there. And those children, there’s a horizon program. So, there’s extension.

CW: So, that’s the year.

JH: Yeah, in maths pro and maths competitions, Decathlon, all of those opportunities, ICAS, all that stuff absolutely is accessible if your child is academically strong. But I don’t feel that there’s pressure to have to meet us. I don’t think there’s competition, so to speak. I don’t think there’s pressure. I think that the teachers challenge your child to be at where they should be. And they will come to you and say, I don’t think your child is performing at their best. But there’s never, and it’s really lovely when, like when they return a maths test and it’s not so great, that they say, okay, we see this, what can we do to help you? Not, there’s no sense of, that’s not good enough or no sense of shame. It’s a very supportive attitude.

Which I think is really lovely. I mean, my son or my youngest son in Unine will come and go, oh, he got this and I got this and everything’s fine. And they’ll laugh at whatever they’re not, and they’ll help each other. So I think that’s really good. I don’t think you’ll feel pressure like you might at more academic kind of schools. And sometimes after year 10, kids do tend to get a scholarship or move on to places like Melbourne High or some of those more academic type schools, if that’s what they’re looking for.

CW: Yep, yep. So I know some, like I said before, some schools are known as academic, some schools are known as sporty or musical or creative. What would you say, how would you describe Tintern? Do you think the overall feeling that you would get there?

JH: Yeah. I think their music program is exceptionally strong.

CW: Okay.

JH: In terms of instrumental stuff, one of my sons is in a symphony and a variety of things.

CW: Okay. I don’t know. What does he play?

JH: He plays saxophone.

CW: Wow. Okay.

JH: Cool. And he has also done production, so their production is outstanding, I have to say that. And look, there are sporting things. There’s a volleyball team that competes, even nationally, I think. So there are sporting opportunities. I think if your child is really, really sporty, like you had a son who was really sporty, you might, because of the small number of kids in the cohort, it’s harder to build stronger teams. So that’s a bit of a challenge. I mean, we tend to go in and go, we’re just here, we’re having a go, and all of that kind of thing. So I think if your child was particularly sporty, particularly thinking of a boy, then you may be looking for a boy school that has more students, so they can build bigger and stronger teams, I guess. But Tintern do very well given their cohort. And the other thing is you get a lot of opportunities to be in whatever sport you want to be in.

CW: Because there’s not a lot of students here.

JH: Yeah. And there’s no Saturday sport.

CW: Yeah. Okay.

JH: Yeah. As they say. Well, their take on it is that on Saturday morning, you should be able to play whatever sport you want to do. Or like if you want to go to gymnastics, we don’t offer gymnastics, so why would we put you in our soccer team when you’re not a soccer player? So they’re really, really interested in encouraging you. They celebrate achievements. Like if children do really well, if they made it to a state level or a national level, they will celebrate that. They will put it on their socials, all that kind of stuff. So I just think they really know their kids really well.

CW: Yeah, I think that’s so important to be known and not to be just a number. I feel like that is one of the most important things that I, as a parent, would be looking for in a school, like that community sort of feeling. And that’s, you know, my personal thing that I’m looking for. Yeah, it’s really, really good to know. Do you have much to do with the principal at all? I think his name is Brad, is that right?

JH: Brad Fry. Yeah, I’ve met Brad Fry many, many, many times. I find him to be, he’s very experienced as an educator. He’s knowledgeable. I think he’s also approachable. We’ve had conversations formally and informally.

CW: Yeah, as a principal, I think he is really a part of his community. I think sometimes principals in those schools are really kind of detached. Yeah, but standoffish?

JH: Yeah, no, I don’t find him to be like that at all. I think he’s really friendly and engaging, and he knows your name. I think that’s great.

CW: As a parent… That’s amazing. I think that’s amazing if he does know your name. Yeah, I think they’re 10 years, I suppose.

JH: I don’t know if he knows everyone’s name, he knows my name, but I mean, I just go in, and he knows who my children are. And again, I kind of go, I like that you know who I am. I’m not just another person who’s here.

CW: Yeah, yeah. And he has been there a long time?

JH: He has been there. Not all the time we’ve been there, but a while, maybe five or six years, I think.

CW: Five or six years.

JH: I think so. And he had children that went to the school. So he’s, yeah, he had daughters that went through, sort of, they were late sort of secondary by the time he came. So they also went there. So he’s got a really good perspective. And he also teaches science classes, I think.

CW: Oh, really? Okay. He’s like a science teacher.

JH: Yeah. So you’ve got someone who’s really in touch with what’s going on. And I think he teaches girls science class. Just little things like that just tell you that he understands the teachers, he understands the students. If you’re a parent talking to him, he knows exactly what you’re talking about. Because he’s like, he was in the classroom yesterday.

CW: Yeah, I know what you’re saying.

JH: Yeah, rather than sitting in an office. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, talking about the students in the classrooms.

CW: Yeah. Can we have a chat? Do your kids have anything to do with the farm? Because I know that when I looked at their website, it seems like it’s such a big thing for them. There’s a big video about the farm there. But when I was on tour, for some reason, we didn’t even go to the farm.

JH: Oh, that’s unusual because usually they do.

CW: I don’t know why.

JH: Definitely in primary school, they spent a lot of time there. And in secondary, they take a subject called agriculture. Which I think is 7, 8, 9. And I think there are options to stay in that realm if you’re interested in it when you’re older. They also have a group called Young Farmers, where children can choose to join. And they actually take the sheep and they take them to the royal show and all of that kind of… So they go and show them. I don’t know exactly about it. But there’s definitely options. It’s open at lunchtime a couple of times a week. If you want to go down there. My children haven’t personally been that involved in it, but I know there are plenty of children that love to go down there.

CW: Oh, okay. Because that seems pretty special. I mean, I don’t know of any other school that has a working farm on site with animals.

JH: No, neither do I.

CW: Yeah. And I mean, for my daughter, that would be a huge selling point. I haven’t told her about it because, you know, we haven’t made a decision yet. But if I did tell her, she’s like, that’s it. That’s the school that I’m going to go to.

JH: Yeah, on the open day that they had recently, they had the farm open, so that was pretty cool. Oh, really? I was working on the gate of the farm. And so yeah, got to see a lot of it. A lot of people went down there and loved it. Yeah. And they do have some events where you can, there’s one in September. I think it’s open to the public where you can go down on a Friday evening and they have a bonfire and you can toast marshmallows. And so that’s probably worth keeping your eye out for.

CW: That’s pretty cool. Yeah. I actually don’t want to tell her because if I do, then I’m committed. I don’t think we’ll have any other choice of where to go because she’s obsessed with animals and obsessed with becoming a vet one day.

JH: Oh, well, then that would absolutely suit her.

CW: Yeah. So yeah, I’ll tell her, yeah.

JH: Yeah, so you make your mind up, makes sense.

CW: Yeah. What about parallel learning? Because that’s another exceptional thing about Tintern. I mean, not very many schools have that. I know of a couple of other ones. But can you tell me a bit about how it works and which years it happens in?

JH: So, it happens all the way from prep to year 10.

CW: Really?

JH: From primary school? I didn’t know that. Not in the kindergarten or the early learning center, that’s co-ed, but from prep all the way to year 10.

CW: Wow. Yes. So when we started, we went through the primary school.

JH: I wasn’t really sure, especially because I have only sons and I don’t have daughters, and I was also conscious of, there’s a lot of hype and misgivings around boys, and boys’ education, and all these negative messages and things that sometimes come about. But look, we loved it. We absolutely loved it. I mentioned Adam Kenny, and I will still mention him. He’s an exceptional educator.

CW: I think about him, yeah.

JH: So he’s in the boys’ school. He’s the head of the boys’ junior school, but I think he’s head of all the boys in general. He just is engaging and he’s very personable, and he runs assemblies every Friday that… My boys still talk about these assemblies that they went to and the messages, and he doesn’t shy away from hard topics. So he will bring topics like One Punch Can Kill. He’ll bring really important topics to these young boys and talk to them about it. And really starts to build great men from when they’re five years old. And they do socially, they do like Athletics Day and all those things with the girls. So it’s not as though they don’t interact with them or anything like that. They have the same play space, they have the same play times. But it just allows you to tailor learning differently. I’m a primary school teacher and I have boys and girls, and I can see the difference. And I know when my boys need to go outside and run. I literally say, please just go and run down the hill and come back. And they do, and that’s just what they do. No, girls are just different. It’s not to say that every girl is the same. I definitely don’t say that. And I don’t know the girls’ school because I wasn’t there, but I know parents in the girls’ school who were equally as happy. And they just cater things a little bit differently. So it allows boys to be who they are, and it’s okay.

CW: Yeah. It seems like it’s the ideal environment because I think that too, like I personally went through a girl’s school and I don’t have any experience with a co-ed school. But I see it in my own daughter. I think she’s a quiet kid, and she does complain that the teachers’ time does get taken up by crowd control, behavior control. So I can definitely see the benefits. So it seems like an ideal environment where they separate the classes, but they can still play together at lunchtime.

JH: Yeah. And even in secondary from year seven to year nine, they do a lovely job of bringing them together. So they will go to camp together, for example, but they will have some parts together, but then they’ll separate them overnight and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. In year nine recently, they had a house festival where they work in their houses to produce a song and dance item, and that’s the girls and boys together.

CW: Okay.

JH: So they start to bring them together and give them these purposeful projects so that they can learn to work together. And then when they go to year 10, look, it’s really seamless. Two of my sons went to year 10, and for about a week, they’re like, oh, there’s girls in the class. And then they’re like, well, they were like, so not interested. It didn’t. It’s just like, oh, there’s more people there. So I liked that. So it said to me that obviously, they weren’t surprised or uncomfortable about their presence. Yes. And yes, I know my middle son often chooses to work with girls in class because he gets more done.

CW: Okay.

JH: Yes. So for him, he goes, absolutely, they’re my learning people rather than some of my fellows who are over in the corner doing whatever they’re doing. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? I think so. I think it’s a really, they do it in a really nice way that they’re people they’ve known all this time. But now they’re solid in, this is why I’m here and this is what my learning is for. Let’s bring them together. And I think it helps. Yeah. I just think it’s a really good approach. I initially was like, I wasn’t sure. And I definitely didn’t want my sons around just pure males and that male, that toxicity and all that stuff that concerned me. But this is just a really, really nice balance of the two.

CW: The educator that you were saying, is it, did you say Adam Kenny?

JH: Kenny, yep.

CW: Is there a girl’s version of him that leads the girl’s section of the school?

JH: Yeah, there is a girl’s leader, Alison Prandolini, that is in junior school. I don’t know her as well, but there are also amazing educators all the way through. Yeah, like in year eight, the head of year eight is a female and she is sensational. Their leadership team is really sensational. They really harnessed people who understand the kids, have reasonable expectations, I think really care about those kids, and again, put in so much effort. I remember one time two of my sons went to camp, the elder one went as a camp leader. And during that time, there was a problem with one of the students and my elder son stepped up and was really able to support that other child. But the teacher rang me to say, I’m just really impressed with your son.

CW: Wow.

JH: And it’s such a small thing that it wasn’t, because she was literally still at camp, ringing me, and I was like, Oh my gosh, what’s wrong? She’s like, No, no, no, I just want to tell you that your son was sensational. I was thinking someone broke their leg or something. She’s like, No, because they don’t generally ring you from camp unless there’s a problem. But for me, it’s little things like that. And she could have waited till she got home. But she was like, No, I have to tell you right now, this kid is amazing. And I was like, Okay.

CW: Well, that’s amazing. What an amazing thing for you to hear.

JH: Yeah. So and look, as a parent, I want people to know my kids like I know them. I want people to appreciate them and see them for who they are. Because they’re more than just the essay they wrote or the maths paper, they’re people. So for me, I think you’ve got to find a school where you think your child is seen for who they are. That’s my goal. And like I said, different people have different goals, but that’s why I’m really drawn to it, I think.

CW: What are your kids, well, the one that’s graduated, what is he doing now?

JH: So he’s studying commerce at Deakin Uni. Okay. And he’s very happy with that. My other two, I’m not sure, my second son, I think he’s interested in marketing or advertising, and my youngest son, I think, is interested in physio.

CW: Oh, quite different.

JH: Yeah, I told you, they’re very different. Yeah, very different thing, though, also where you think you’re going on a journey and then your son finishes school and he’s on a completely different journey. So you’re just hoping they’ve been in a school that has taught them about independence, resilience, responsibility, all those qualities that they’re going to need, because it’s not just I’ve got this ATAR and that’s it.

CW: Absolutely. It’s the values and qualities that they’ve been taught that will allow them to be in real life, though, you know. Yeah, like people.

JH: Yeah, because when you go for a job, you don’t go, well, here’s my ATAR. I think a lot of people are stuck on that. And I think, even me, I had to learn, I learned that from watching my son the last six months ago. You know what, you are, you’re not that. That was one point of your achievement, but look at the values that you’ve taken with you. And he still has connections with Tintern. I think he still speaks to several of the teachers. They’ll catch up. Like it’s really, really incredible, the depth of relationship.

CW: Yeah. Yeah. So he basically grew up at the school.

JH: Well, yeah, he started when he was in grade three.

CW: Three. Yeah.

JH: Yeah, grade three. So that’s a long journey. My youngest will have been there since he was three. So that will be a massive journey. Yeah. And interestingly, he started in kindergarten and he still has the friends he had in kindergarten.

CW: Wow. That’s amazing.

JH: So they’re still there.

CW: Some of them are still there. Well, that’s definitely…

JH: Some kids do move on after grade six, but most don’t. But yeah, this particular friend, they’ve been in class for like 10 years together. Yeah, that’s pretty lovely.

CW: Is there anything that you haven’t liked about the school? Like you’ve said a lot of the things that you loved about the school. Is there anything that you haven’t liked, that you disliked or thought they could do better?

JH: Look, there have been little things along the way. We’ve had teachers that, particularly in primary school, that just did not work for us. But they’ve always been good with talking about it. I think, yeah, look, nothing that I would say was of a major concern. Anything that I was concerned about, I was really impressed with how quickly they would respond to an email and how proactive they were with what we needed to do in that situation. So no, not really. I mean, obviously, there’s bits and pieces along the way, but nothing that would have would stop me from recommending people go there. No, not at all. So no, and I’ve had more than 10 years, and I don’t even know how many teachers, no hundreds. Yeah, look, and like I said, there are some teachers that have been better suited for my children. There have been some teachers who have been a lot more attentive, but there’s always someone I think what I like is always someone you can email. So there’s always a head of maths, or there’s a head of secondary, or there’s head of unifying. There’s always people that you can approach that will support you.

CW: Yeah. So they’re very responsive.

JH: Absolutely.

CW: Yeah. I wonder how that culture comes about. Do you think it’s just because it is a small community and the teachers, do you think as a teacher actually, from your perspective as a teacher, do you think it’s because the teachers feel supported by the leadership? Is that what it is?

JH: I think there’s lots of things. I think teachers who come to Tintern tend to stay there.

CW: Yeah.

JH: It’s the kind of place you want to be. I think that there are some really inspiring educators there as well. So if I went there and I was a graduate teacher, there are people who I’ll be like, oh my goodness, I want to be like that person. I think there are also lots of teachers who have their own children there. And that to me is a great testament to a school. If you are going to choose to put your own child there, I think that speaks volumes. Yeah, I think there’s lots of opportunities as well. Like as a teacher, you’re looking for, you know, what other opportunities or responsibilities. And I think that that exists. So, and I think people, there are a lot of people who went to school there, their grandma went to school there. Particularly, I think it’s just, I think if you’ve been there, you just really just want to keep staying there, I think, yeah.

CW: So if you, I mean, I guess they must attract the right kind of people and the right kind of people want to stay for that culture to be created, the culture of care.

JH: Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I’ve got a, we’ve got a really good friend that was at the school that we were at, and she has decided to move one of her sons to Tintern starting next term. And so he, her son went there on a tour, and she just was amazed even after one day, the difference for him, and he felt included and just he felt safe. And the grounds, she said, it’s really peaceful, and it is really peaceful, actually. If you, if you go during the day, you actually are wondering if there are any kids there.

CW: I did feel that. It was very calm, the environment, because it’s sort of out in the bushes. Like it’s sort of away from a lot of things, and you can’t see any traffic once you walk in there, it’s really leafy.

JH: Yeah, and it is really calm inside, and it is really quiet, because that’s what I was like. There’s just a street there, and then you suddenly you’re in this bushy place. And so, yeah, I think the environment helps as well. I think it’s just a beautiful place to walk around even.

CW: Yeah. Do you live close by to get them?

JH: We live in walking distance, so yeah.

CW: Walking distance. Oh, how perfect.

JH: Yes. Which is how we manage it, because my husband and I, we both work full time. So, and that’s, look, that’s probably another thing that I would say is if you’re looking for a school in high school, and particularly if your child’s really involved, there’s lots of evenings and things, and you have to go back to school. So, or if your child is a swimmer or an athlete, there’s morning trainings. So, that probably is my greatest piece of advice if you’re looking for a high school is find something that’s reasonable for you to be able to get to and from, because we spent a lot of evenings back there, and we literally can just go home and come back. But some people are like, I’ll have to hang around here and yeah, drive home and drive back. So, I think that’s worth putting on a list if you were considering a school.

CW: Yeah, great advice. Is there anything else that you’d like to add that I might have missed asking you?

JH: I don’t think so. I think you’ve got very good questions.

CW: Oh, thank you.

JH: I’m still, I would be happy if people wanted to send me a private message. I just really think it’s a fantastic place.

CW: I think you’ve given Tintern a great testament, and being such an experienced parent of multiple kids, I think it gives you a really well-rounded experience of what Tintern could be. Okay. Well, thank you very much for talking to me. It’s been really enlightening, actually. It’s actually really good to have been on a tour there and then speak to you. Because I have an impression of what it might be like on the tour, and I wrote my article based on my impression. But to actually hear you talk about it is really great and really enlightening. I had a really positive tour anyway. But to hear it from the inside is fantastic. So yeah, thank you very much. Say thank you very much for your time.

JH: No, my pleasure.

CW: Thanks for joining me on this podcast. Remember that the content that you hear on this podcast is of a general nature and should not be used to make any decisions about schools or anything else. If you want to learn more about schools in Melbourne, make sure you visit the website www.melbenschools.com.au. You can also join thousands of other parents in our community at Melbourne Schools discussion group on Facebook. See you there.