Phillip Island Village School

Phillip Island Village School combines a range of educational philosophies, new and old, to provide a unique range of learning opportunities for children. We believe that children need a fresh educational experience if they are to thrive in our increasingly changing world.

Our programs are designed to support children to get to know themselves, their learning preferences and how to work with others. They have many opportunities to make decisions and have a say over how their day looks. We also encourage adventure – physical, social and academic, and have lots of excursions, camps and outdoor activities.

We are a small school that supports the development of independent learning and regular interactions with the natural world. We believe a fresh approach to education focused on creativity and emotional intelligence is needed to prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st Century.

Phillip Island Village School uses the Victorian Curriculum as the base of its academic program. We refer to this as the ‘what’ in our academic learning. The school’s Philosophy and Guiding Principles outline the broader framework in which teaching and learning occurs; and ‘how’ we learn is what differentiates the Village School approach.

Our school philosophy is based around three main pillars, or priorities in the way we do things:

• Social and Emotional Learning
• Autonomy and Shared Decision Making
• Connection to People, Nature and the Rhythms of Life.

At PIVS we believe self-actualization is best achieved through freedom. Internal freedom - in thought and expression, within an environment that is free from overbearing authority, externally imposed rules and unnecessarily prescriptive courses of study. Such freedoms are provided within the context of a healthy and functional school community as well as positive engagement with society at large. This requires a balance between effective self management and responsibility.

Prioritizing play-based learning time has multiple benefits in our school context, in particular enabling children to have extended periods of time to follow and learn about their own interests. As they move through the school, students are building and practicing the skills they need to be sparky and empowered project-based learners. Mentors are highly flexible and responsive to children’s needs and interests, and layer up other aspects of the program based on these interest-led sparks.