While year levels are linear and horizontal in structure, Homesteads embed a vertical culture encouraging connections across the School. Homestead is the ‘family’ unit of the student school experience. In other words, Homesteads are the home away from home.
Even before the formal Homestead Program commences for our youngest learners, Woodleigh provides a clear and flexible framework within predictable timetable structures and routines, fostering a sense of security and belonging that very much reflects the home. Within this framework, children have the freedom to explore and initiate their own ideas in a supportive environment. Our dedicated teachers facilitate a range of choices, empowering children to build a deep understanding of themselves, others and the world around them.
Homestead for Years 5 & 6
The Homestead Program begins in earnest for Year 5 students in Woodleigh’s Junior Schools. Homestead is a place where students are known and valued and one where Woodleigh’s academic and pastoral systems are intertwined because deep learning is best cultivated in a safe, supportive and enjoyable environment.
Junior Homestead for Years 7 to 9
Homestead continues seamlessly into Senior Campus, with Years 7 to 9 students joining one of five Homesteads. Years 7 to 9 Homestead allows older students to serve as role models for younger students by taking leadership roles throughout the year; from within the classrooms to cross-age camps and activities.
What truly sets apart the Junior Homestead experience is our staffing structure. Within each Homestead is a cross-section of specialist teachers from across the curriculum.
A healthy rivalry exists between Homesteads, and a sense of loyalty. Rather than the spaces being impersonal, they belong to students, the very people filling them with life. With comfortable spaces to collaborate and work, kitchens and places to read or stare out the window, Homestead is a safe place of belonging.
Woodleigh's New Year 10 Homestead - the Futures Studio.
With so many opportunities to lead and succeed and with individually tailored learning programs within the vibrant curriculum, teachers can get the most from every student. Homestead provides another base for student-initiated activities and one where students take responsibility for their physical environment and can exercise leadership.
Senior Homestead for Years 11 & 12
Homestead offers many benefits: a satisfying sense of territory for students and a personal involvement in their own space. Homesteads practise the philosophy that Woodleigh School is a community of learners rather than an institution.
On Your Journey Through Life
Our Woodleigh Rites of Passage are powerful traditions intentionally integrated into daily teaching in order to strengthen the transformation from one stage to the next. Through ceremonies and events that commemorate milestones, each young person gains a healthier vision for their future as they transition from baby to child, to adolescence and then ultimately, to adulthood.