Fitzroy Community School Book
ABOUT the FUTURE of SCHOOLING in AUSTRALIA
The founders, Faye and Philip, share their discoveries about working with primary-
age children. They believe that mainstream schooling of today has a stunting effect on
the personal development of children – and thus on our whole way of life.
In 1976, the couple opened up their home and invited families to join them in a new venture – a small primary school which recreates a large extended family.
Now the school has 90+ still focusing on compassion, viability and self-confidence.
With its emphasis on people before things (its motto), there is a warm relationship
between students and teachers. A side effect of this approach is that the children are
eager to learn, achieving within the top few percent of the nation.
Philip and Faye are particularly interested in the quality of life of Australian children,
believing that we as a people could have better childhoods – and adulthoods – if
certain reforms were made to our schooling industry.
excerpt from Fitzroy Community School
Faye Berryman and Philip O'Carroll founded their own school in 1976, and have:
placed caring and communication at the top of the curriculum
managed without costing more than the average state school per child
discovered several better primary methods for academic subjects
learned how to work with parents and build community
achieved great levels in national assessment without selecting students on ability
and still spent less time in classrooms than most schools
Faye and Philip share their discoveries about working with primary-age children, and discuss what sort of influence contemporary schooling has on the people they will become.