Preshil Secondary School

Tour Details

Author took two separate tours – one of the primary school and one of the high school on separate days. 

Both were on a Wednesday.

Was hosted by the Principal but the Heads of Campus for the respective campuses as well as a couple of other teachers were in attendance.

Meeting point was easy to find.

There was an opportunity to observe classes in the primary school, the secondary school didn’t have a lot on as it was near the end of the school year.

Students from both campuses were able to share their experiences.

Vibe of Preshil

Having been in operation for 90 years, Preshil proudly proclaims it is Australia’s oldest “progressive” school and is comprised of two campuses in inner-eastern leafy Kew.  The primary campus, ‘Arlington’is on Barkers Road, and the secondary campus ‘Blackhall’ is on the same block on Sackville Street.

There has been a lot of media coverage of Preshil recently, mostly because they have just sold the Blackhall Campus to Carey Grammar, which occupies most of the rest of the block Preshil is situated on.  More on that later, but from the tour I gleaned that Preshil is undergoing a huge amount of change and transformation under the current principal Aaron McKinnon, who has been in the since March 2024.

I was excited about attending the tour as this school seems to do things differently.  I wasn’t disappointed.

History of Preshil

The changes at Preshil and their offering cannot be understood without a brief explanation of its history.  The school was founded by Margaret J R Lyttle in her own home in 1930.  The principal of the school then became her niece Margaret “Mug” Lyttle in 1944.  She was the principal for 50 years until 1994. Since that time there have been a few principals and its fair to say the school has faced some instability, which is completely understandable given the principalship was so stable for many years. 

Philosophy of Preshil

Being a progressive school means that Preshil does thing differently.  It has a distinctive philosophy which is not going to be attractive to everyone, but can be a lifesaver for young people who would struggle in mainstream schooling.

In the presentation he gave on the tours, the Principal Aaron McKinnon spoke on how the school isn’t a one sized fits all for every student and since it began, has worked hard to identify the individual needs and passions of the students and play to their strengths.  The quote from famed educator Sir Ken Robinson below sums it up:

I’ve been on a couple of school tours now, and initially when I heard this, I was a little sceptical because of course schools aren’t going to say they don’t cater to the individual needs of students!  However, I was sold when I heard the students speak and learnt more about their Pathways Program which seeks to understand students’ career aspirations in their high school journey and tailor their high school experience to vocational outcomes they want to achieve.  In the high school, the students shared some of the struggles they had at other schools and how this school feels like a family where they can be themselves.  Many of the students are neurodivergent.  In fact, on both of the tours the principal shared that he was diagnosed as dyslexic in year 11 which led him to study fine arts at university and eventually education. Sharing this personal story spoke volumes about his leadership and that he is empathetic to many of the students there.

In the primary school, the students spoke about the choices they have for extra-curricular activities.  The classrooms in the primary school are open and airy, and there is ample room for the students to sit at shared tables, as well as receiving explicit instruction.  The students at both campuses seemed happy, self-confident and positive about the school.

The Principal shared some of the components of Preshil’s philosophy which is summed up by the below:

At the secondary school tour, the Head of the Secondary Campus shared that all three of his children attended the school and while parents might think they are taking a risk sending their child to the school, it’s a bigger risk not to do it.  I thought that was an interesting comment.

Curriculum and educational pathways at Preshil

Preshil has made big changes to its subject and pathway selection in the last couple of years.  In 2017 it phased out the VCE and replaced it solely with the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.  They must have worked out that the IB isn’t going to suit everyone, so they now offer the VCE, Vocational Major (VM) and the VCE.  On the tour the Head of the Middle School made the very good point that unless you want to attend one of the “Sandstone” universities and study something highly academic such as medicine or engineering there are many ways to gain entry into tertiary study so schools should reflect that.  The principal shared that one of the year 12 students from 2024 was able to gain entry into the Victorian College of the Arts through the portfolio they had developed at Preshil.

On that note, it was very obvious on both tours that the arts, including both visual and performing arts, is a big focus at Preshil.  For example, they run a Creative Industries VET course at the secondary campus which is attended by children from other schools.  There is also a dedicated visual arts teacher at the Primary School and a lovely arts space for the subjects to occur. 

Back to the subject selection. In years 7 and 8, the focus is on building competence to ensure a solid foundation the senior years.  The core subjects taught are Maths, English, French, Science, Humanities, and Health & Physical Education.  Students have the opportunity to study 4 electives over the course of the year – two in each semester – with 16 subjects to choose from.  They went through some of them on the tour and again, there were quite a lot in the art space.  Students in year 7 and 8 also get to choose activities they will participate in for two hours over each term – there is a diverse list of what has been offered in the past including fencing, journalism and glass blowing!

Preshil is calling the years 9 to 12 program its “Studio program”.  Each student is given a designated mentor who works closely with the student and their family to develop a five-year educational plan.  Learning is based on individual areas of interest not strict year levels.  For example, they spoke about students who are completing VCE subjects in year 10, or those interested in doing VET courses.  The school seemed a lot more focused on vocational outcomes than many of the other private schools I have toured.  So I would say that if you have a learner that is particularly strong in one area or a firm idea of the path they want to take the school would be a good fit.  That being said, the IB is definitely for all-rounders so there is something for all types of learners there.

On the tour, one of the secondary students commented that the school is like a family and many of the students are neurodivergent.  Media have reported that students that don’t fit in at the mainstream private schools end up at Preshil.  This was reflected in some of the comments made by the secondary students at the tour, who shared their experiences of coming to the school because they hadn’t enjoyed being at another school.  Personally, I see that as a positive.  There is nothing wrong with offering an option for students who need something else.  Just like not every job is going to suit everyone, neither is every school. 

There seems to be a lot of practical measures in place to support student wellbeing.  For example, students are allowed ‘brain breaks’ from class and there is a therapy dog on the secondary campus (cute).  There is also a counselling service that students can access.  One of the teachers commented that importantly, there is no stigma involved in seeking help if students are struggling.

As mentioned earlier, the school has actually sold the Blackhall secondary campus I toured to Carey Grammar but will remain there for the next two years.  So it 2027, years 7 and 8 will move to the Arlington primary school campus and the school is looking for a new site for year 9 to 12 to be operational from 2028. The site has not yet been confirmed as they are undergoing due diligence on sites.  That would be great, because the current location is not easily accessible by public transport.  The closest train station (Auburn) is a twenty-minute walk away.  I got the sense that the new 9 to 12 campus will be a line in the sand for Preshil  – an opportunity to re define what the school is about and can offer at a bespoke campus.

Sports and extra-curricular at Preshil

I have to be honest; sports is not a huge focus at Preshil.  One of their philosophies is that they don’t believe in students being overly competitive with each other and they don’t participate in any of the sporting competitions against other schools.  That being said, the secondary campus has a nice basketball court for the students to play on and the primary campus has a lovely play area with native trees and rocks for all sorts of adventures.  The principal made the comment on the tour that many of the students focus on sports outside of school and they even had a student receive a US college scholarship for basketball.

There are a number of theatre productions and Soirees put on for those children interested in performing arts.  All sorts of extra music classes are also offered.

The Year 9 students take a ten-day trip to Central Australia and there was also mention of a trip to Japan.

Final words

In summary, I think this is a great school offering something different in a period when they are contemplating what they will stand for in the future.  It’s a remarkable achievement that they have been in operation for 90 years.  The principal and the staff seem committed, smart and innovative and I look forward to observing what they do next.

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Communications specialist | Mum of one who spends too much time googling and scrolling Instagram.

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