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St Leonard’s: Known, nurtured and loved

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Brighton East, St Leonard’s College is one of Australia’s leading independent co-educational schools. Here, young people are educated in a physically, emotionally and spiritually safe environment where they are genuinely known, nurtured and loved.

St Leonard’s College students are welcomed into a warm, caring, connected community with an ethical culture founded upon a strong moral purpose – to develop genuine global citizens who respond to inequity, inequality and injustice.

As global citizens, students are armed with the necessary skills, values and attitudes required to build an economic and social future in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.

In these changing times, choosing a school renowned for pedagogical innovation and leadership is essential. St Leonard’s College offers parents the assurance of a proven culture of innovation to address the advancing demands of our society. In 1972 St Leonard’s was the first independent school in the state to introduce co-education. In 1982 it was the first Victorian school to introduce the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The IBDP’s international orientation makes it the most highly regarded and respected tertiary entrance qualification by the world’s leading universities. Consequently, St Leonard’s Senior School students are offered the highly sought after choice between the VCE and the IBDP.

St Leonard's - Known, nurtured and loved

The College’s programs both in and beyond its classrooms have continued to progress, facilitated by the very best international research, data, resources and educational organisations. St Leonard’s world-class teachers are committed to self-development to enhance their ability to support the learning of all students in their care. The College provides professional learning partnerships with leading world universities, including Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero and University College London. St Leonard’s College was recently honoured by Harvard as its school of choice to host the 2020 Project Zero Conference, Education That Matters. This highly esteemed event, to be held in May 2020, will assemble the world’s leading thinkers in education.

St Leonard’s College is also the only Australian school invited to engage in the OECD 2030 project – The Future of Education. The initiative aims to help countries determine what knowledge, skills, attitudes and values will be needed for students to truly thrive in the future. St Leonard’s academic executive staff are able to partake in a dialogue with educational leaders from more than 30 countries, with the shared goal of developing international educational policy and strategy to establish scholastic systems that foster those essential life skills.

St Leonard’s College has been repeatedly awarded and acclaimed as one of Australia’s most innovative schools for the application and utilisation of technology and the development of systematic, critical and creative thinking. The College offers smaller class sizes with a maximum of 22 students up to Year 10, and an average class size of 14.5 students for VCE and 12 for IBDP. These smaller class sizes and longer lesson times (80 minutes) mean there are significantly enhanced opportunities to mentor students, thereby exploring and developing those essential life skills that will ensure they are responsible, resilient, capable members of society.

St Leonard’s recognises the importance of developing intellect, building character and learning practical capabilities. There is a strong focus on the development of virtue and character which cultivates empathy and a sense of responsibility for all people, the planet and all life that exists. The school seeks to develop selfless citizens who understand that their education is not only about what it can bring to their lives, but through them what it can bring to the lives of others. The result is grounded and well-rounded students who seek to make the world in which they live a better place for both themselves and others.

Through the College’s vast community service programs and social action initiatives, its young people are able to become global activists with a firmly entrenched sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment. The 2019 College theme of ‘Cultivating Environmental Virtue’ saw the inspiring mobilisation of the student body, reflecting modern youths’ fulmination against irresponsible environmental practises and a deep passion to address climate change in a meaningful way.

Both staff and students at the College are supported in the development of nuanced thinking on this vitally important topic of sustainability. Environmental experts, specialised tertiary educators and local politicians are engaged via a series of presentations, workshops and Q&A sessions. This collaboration ensures a long-term strategic approach to the College’s protection of the environment, rather than the implementation of low impact ephemeral activities.

The St Leonard’s College sustainability initiatives implemented throughout the past year have included a strong investment in renewable solar energy; waging a war on plastics with the removal of bottled water from the College cafeteria along with a detailed review of all purchases and practices within the cafeteria; implementing recycling initiatives for high impact polystyrene, batteries, paper and bottle tops; the introduction of a waste management plan to include composting and limiting landfill; adopting an environmentally sensitive approach to purchasing recycled products; and increasing the academic opportunities for students to study environmental sustainability subjects for VCE and IBDP. 

St Leonard’s College students are offered many learning pathways to develop an acute awareness of how their decisions and actions impact on others and our planet. They are provided with life-changing opportunities that inform and enlighten them, teaching them the importance of taking responsibility at a personal level, as well as locally, nationally and globally. They are truly educated for life, empowered to live more fulfilling, rewarding lives at their fullest potential.

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