Fifty years ago, our Senior Campus was born in response to an education system that didn’t serve its intended purpose.
Our founding Principal, Michael Norman, realised the critical development stage that are our teenage years. He built a school designed to offer real challenges and relevant experiences to an audience needing connection and guidance, and the room and opportunity for genuine growth in a shared culture of respect.
Relationships
and Experiences
The positive staff-student relationships that exist at Woodleigh are the hallmarks of an environment where students tackle each day with an energetic approach to their learning. Our curriculum and programs are intentionally designed to support the significant cognitive development that occurs during adolescence, particularly in areas responsible for decision-making and emotional regulation.
Nurturing these developing skills and providing a supportive environment where students can thrive academically and personally sees our students become more engaged and thoughtful, recognising that success is achieved through dedication, patience, and persistence.
Years 7 to 9 - MYP
Confidence, independence and determination. The Years 7 to 9 curriculum at Woodleigh's Senior Campus follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). The acquisition of knowledge and the development of personal growth are core during this significant and transitional time.
It's an exciting time! All new Senior Campus students are encouraged to embrace their Senior Campus experience through Service, Homestead, Activities, sport or other co-curricular programs, preparing students for success in their VCE studies and life well beyond school.
Leading the
Regeneration Revolution
Our Year 10 students are actively contributing to and shaping their futures in our Regenerative Futures Program. But what in the RFP does that mean?
Year 10 - RFP
The Year 10 Regenerative Futures Program (RFP) is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to navigate a complex, rapidly changing world. Students explore responses to some of their generation’s defining, social, environmental and economic challenges. By investigating these topics, students learn how their actions can positively impact the future.
The RFP is a space for deep thinking and presents a hopeful future, providing opportunities for students to explore regenerative practices that help heal and improve their world. The program builds on the knowledge and skills developed by the MYP and enhances students’ academic skillsets in preparation for VCE.
Years 11 and 12 - VCE
Our academically rigorous and high-achieving culture values excellence and success beyond academic pursuits. The Years 11 and 12 curriculum at Woodleigh represents a pivotal stage, where increasing leadership, responsibility, and independence equip students for success in their VCE studies and life beyond school. Every student is empowered to succeed in their learning and graduate with the skills and confidence to thrive in their chosen paths.
Life at our Senior School
The Woodleigh Difference
The Woodleigh experience is deeply interconnected and nuanced. We champion a progressive education, one that inspires creative and critical thinking and a passion for lifelong learning. Our innovative curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Here are just some of the fundamental elements that underpin Woodleigh's teaching and learning ecosystem:
Purposeful Learning Design
The educational journey from Early Childhood to Year 12 is designed to be a vital and engaging experience, with learning programs that are student-centred, reflect real-life applications and foster holistic development.
Our curriculum and programs are intentionally interconnected and thoughtfully designed to prepare students. Students experience PYP in both Early Childhood and Junior School, and as they move into Senior School they experience MYP, RFP and VCE.
Living Compassionately
Compassion is at the heart of everything we do at Woodleigh School. As a community of leaders, respect and understanding guides our choices, our interactions and our relationships. We aim to motivate our students, teachers and our connected community to move through their lives with empathy and kindness
For A Regenerative Future
We are dedicated to cultivating a regenerative future and instilling a deep respect for the environment in which we live and work. Our students, through integrated learning principles, take on a regenerative mindset. They become adept at assuming long-term solutions and healthy systems, aspiring to create and generate more than they use and take. Through sustainable practices and eco-conscious education, Woodleigh School empowers the next generation to become stewards of themselves and the planet.
A Home Away From Home
Woodleigh School offers a nurturing environment that feels like a home away from home. Our close-knit community fosters a safe space for a powerful sense of belonging with a structured Homestead Program, where every student is valued and supported, allowing them to grow with confidence and self-assurance.
On Your Journey Through Life
Woodleigh School is committed to supporting students on their journey through life towards adulthood. From early childhood to graduation and beyond, we provide experiences, resources and guidance necessary for each student to discover their path and knowing themselves, engage fully with their lives and potential.
All students are encouraged to embrace their Senior Years experience through sports, Service, Homestead, Activities or other co-curricular programs, preparing students for success in their VCE studies and life well beyond school.
Through our industry-leading Activities program, students are encouraged to take risks and try something they may never have tried on their own. Fully integrated into the student experience from Years 7 to 10, each student has the opportunity to work with peers of all ages in a structured manner that is accommodated within our timetable. From sports to the arts, life skills to community involvement, micro-credentials to clubs; the activities on offer change from year to year based on student interest.
Pathways
In the senior years we develop a variety of individual learning pathways for our students. Subject options include a full range of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units, together with Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects, school-based apprenticeships and accelerated University studies to meet individual student goals.
The paths that Woodleigh graduates take after graduation are as varied and interesting as the individuals themselves.
Beyond our classroom curriculum, Woodleigh’s Careers Program enables students to clarify career aspirations, investigate tertiary and career options and develop job skills. Our project-based learning focus in the Middle Years and Regenerative Futures Programs encourages students to engage with outside industry.
Many students have also discovered interests, passions, strengths and vocational interests through the huge range of Activities and Activities Week Programs we offer, supporting their VCE subject choices and Tertiary pathways.
Careers Education is integrated into Woodleigh’s curriculum with a strong focus on interview skills, resumé building and work experience in Years 9 and 10. During VCE, our emphasis is on the selection of appropriate subjects in preparation for tertiary study or employment pathways.