MORE than 100 years after children first attended kindergarten at a Parkerville Children and Youth Care cottage in the Perth Hills, students have returned to the historic campus with the opening this week of the new Parkerville Grove School.

Parkerville Grove School is a specialist secondary school delivering a healing-first therapeutic education model for young people aged 12 to 18 whose trauma has made mainstream education impossible.

The school is intentionally designed to build healing and safety first, creating foundations young people need to re-engage with learning in a sustainable way.

The first of its kind in Western Australia, Parkerville Grove School will initially cater to Years 7 to 10 before expanding to Years 11 and 12 in 2027-2028.

Parkerville Children and Youth Care chief executive officer Kim Brooklyn said the opening of the new school was a special milestone for students, their parents and carers, foundation staff, the organisation’s many supporters and for everyone at Parkerville.

“For the first time, young people in Perth who have experienced trauma have a school that is specifically designed to help them heal and re-engage with education,” Ms Brooklyn said.

“Many young people who experience trauma struggle to feel safe in mainstream schools, and it’s often their trauma, not their ability, that’s holding them back. Our model intentionally integrates healing and education within everyday school life. It’s all about making young people feel safe and supported so they can begin to reconnect with learning.

“In many ways, the opening of Parkerville Grove School marks a return to our roots of supporting children and young people and helping them to develop their skills and capabilities.

“Today is also the culmination of four years of planning, advocacy, heritage approvals and construction and we think this is going to be one of the most purposeful and beautiful schools in Western Australia.”

Foundation principal Alice Alibrandi said she was both excited and deeply motivated by the opportunity to help children and young people thrive in such an innovative school environment.

“There isn’t anything else like it in WA, so we’re absolutely breaking new ground. We’re building a specialist healing education model that gives young people who have experienced trauma a genuine opportunity to flourish. It’s a school where healing comes first and education follows.”

Key features of the new school included small class sizes with no more than 15 students, high staff-to-student ratios, trauma-trained teachers, a calm and predictable environment and a whole-of-school healing team.

“Our foundation team brings together specialist experience in supporting young people to feel safe, supported and ready to learn,” Ms Alibrandi said.

“From teachers and youth workers who lead healing and learning each day, to therapeutic support workers and allied health professionals, everyone works as one integrated team to support safety, care and connection.”

The school also provides students with breakfast and lunch each school day, essential learning and wellbeing supplies, a dedicated bus service to support access to school, and includes heritage cottages that have been transformed into warm, therapeutic learning centres.

The original school was one of Western Australia’s first kindergartens and was part of the Parkerville Children’s Home or Waifs’ Home, one of the first orphanages in Perth.

Places are limited and enrolment is carefully considered to ensure the right therapeutic fit for each young person.

For more information about eligibility and the enrolment process, please visit the Parkerville Grove School website.