Port Melbourne Secondary College

In 2022, Port Melbourne Secondary College welcomed students in Year 7. The school will open enrolments by year level as the first cohort of students progress through school.

If your child is attending a local government primary school then you should submit their Year 7 application form to their current school. If they are attending a non-government primary school you can submit their application form direct to the South-Eastern regional office – "Attention: Youth Pathways and Transitions" at sevr@education.vic.gov.au.

If you require further information about enrolment at Port Melbourne Secondary College, please contact Anne Stout by emailing Anne.Stout@education.vic.gov.au.

Find My School has been updated to show school zones for 2022. This includes the zone for this school.

Policies on enrolment, placement, and admission are available on the Department of Education and Training website.

Anne Stout has been appointed as the new principal of this school.

Anne has worked in education for 24 years, both in the UK and in Australia. She has held leadership positions in the Victorian independent schools’ sector, and at The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, before joining Albert Park College’s foundation principal team as Assistant Principal in 2011.

Anne holds two Bachelor degrees as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education and a Masters Degree in Psychology. She has led leadership initiatives for emerging school leaders, and worked with a range of schools to support leadership and change within the education system. After eight years at Albert Park College, Anne returned to The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School as Principal in 2019.

Port Melbourne Secondary College was chosen as the school name following community consultation and discussions with Geographic Names Victoria, taking into account factors including public interest, relevance to the local area, and local Indigenous languages.

The school is named after the suburb it is located in.

We consulted with the community on Port Melbourne Secondary College’s name from 11 June to 25 June 2021.

During July and August 2018, we consulted with the community, education experts and key stakeholders to gain input to help shape the school’s design. In particular, we wanted to understand what makes the Port Melbourne community unique and the kinds of facilities that locals would like the school to offer the community outside school hours. We wanted to know what learning and teaching spaces they would like to have, and what their hopes are for the new school.

Here are the top four things we heard that Port Melbourne locals, teachers, and students want for the secondary school.

• Build a school that doubles as a community hub
• Build modern, state-of-the-art learning spaces, including outdoor areas
• Reflect the suburb’s bayside location in the school design
• Consider safe access as part of planning

The architects considered your ideas and feedback from teacher workshops, community drop-ins and the online survey in their design.

You can contact us for a copy of the engagement report.

Port Melbourne Secondary College’s unique identity honours the area’s maritime history, industrial past and proximity to the ocean and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry.

The designs support modern approaches to learning, enhance inclusion and support environmental sustainability.

Facilities include the following:

• Gymnasium with competition-grade basketball and netball facilities
• Food technology area with commercial-grade kitchen and canteen
• Performing arts amenities
• Fabrication lab
• Robotics workshop
• 200-seat lecture theatre
• Outdoor terraces
• Urban garden with recreational ball sports areas
• Kitchen garden.

How can I contact the principal?

If you have any questions or would like to know more, you can contact Anne Stout directly at anne.stout@education.vic.gov.au.

Will I get a chance to visit and tour the school before my child starts?

It is anticipated that families will have the opportunity to visit the college late in Term 4. Both virtual and in-person small tours will be on offer, subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

Can I enrol my child if I’m not in the designated zone?

School zoning is designed to ensure that local students have guaranteed access to their local school. The school has been designed to accommodate families in the Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend localities, so these families will be prioritised for placement.

As Port Melbourne is still under development, some places will be available for families outside the zone in 2022 and 2023. Families interested in enrolling should contact Anne Stout to discuss their situation.

I’ve enrolled my child elsewhere but would now like to change my preference for Port Melbourne Secondary College. Am I too late?

You're not too late – enrolments will continue to be considered. Please contact Anne Stout for information about your particular situation.

Where can I buy the school uniform?

The uniform is being supplied by Bob Stewart and can be purchased at their Albert Park shop.

Does the college offer a select entry accelerated learning program?

The college offer a select entry program for gifted and high potential students.

I’ve heard that the college has a focus on STEM. What does this mean?

STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – has become an area of priority in Australian education as we prepare our students for the ever-changing futures that await them.

Port Melbourne Secondary College has been designed for its context within the new Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct, housing state-of-the-art science, engineering and technology spaces to support a creative, innovative and design-based curriculum.

Design thinking for innovation is taught explicitly throughout our curriculum program and creating strong connections with the Fishermans Bend Precinct, including The University of Melbourne’s engineering school, is a priority.

Are there programs for students who have interests and passions beyond STEM?

STEM is only one part of our program. The school also has outstanding arts and sports facilities, including dedicated performance and theatre spaces, commercial kitchens and a large gymnasium. The principal is currently in discussion with local sports organisations regarding new sporting partnerships. Families can be assured that whatever their interests, their child will have access to some very exciting opportunities.

How is the curriculum be delivered?

The college operates with an online curriculum, accessible to students 24/7 and visible to families so parents can engage with and support their child’s learning. This means our students will be able to continue to learn in a structured, consistent way with minimal interruption if they are unwell, absent or undertaking government-directed remote learning.

The college operates a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program and families will be provided with information about required device specifications when they receive their information pack.

What are the college’s values?

Our values represent who we are, what we believe and how we experience life at the college. All members of our community are driven by our shared values, which underpins our actions, attitude, language and behaviour.

Our values are the foundation for a positive, supportive and inclusive culture, where relationships are warm and trusting, and learning is designed to grow the whole person.

A great school creates great people, and in working together we share success and support everyone to rise. Our values will help shape the decisions we make and the direction of the college.

Our four school values are:

Character

• We treat others as we would wish to be treated and are respectful, honest and positive in our approach.
• We act with integrity, knowing that who we are and what we stand for is reflected in our language and actions.

Relationships

• We believe that positive, trusting relationships are at the heart of successful learning and growth.
• We embrace relationships with our community, fostering learning across a range of networks and contexts.
• We value friendships, teamwork and collaboration, and seek ways to use our individual strengths to support and develop others.

Endeavour

• We believe in ourselves and our potential.
• We are resilient, hard-working and determined.
• We understand that success comes from purposeful effort, trial and error, and the willingness to be open to learning.

Excellence

• We have high expectations of ourselves and others, and support each other to excel.
• We are proud to aim high, knowing that the higher we reach the more we will achieve.
• We recognise and celebrate success in all its forms.

How can I support the college?

We’d love families to get involved in the college as it grows. Parents who would like to join a committee, learn more about joining Port Parents and Friends, or volunteer to support the college in some other way are encouraged to contact Anne Stout.

How can I stay up-to-date with developments at the college?

Families who would like to stay in touch, can express an interest in joining the college’s mailing list by emailing port.melbourne.sc@education.vic.gov.au.

While our website is currently under construction, families can find us on Facebook ( facebook.com/PortMelbSC) or Twitter ( @portmelbSC)

Families can also follow our foundation principal Anne Stout and our college dog, Sasha, on Twitter as they prepare for Port Melbourne Secondary College opening: @anne_stout.

Port Melbourne Secondary College is a visually striking and innovative new vertical school that can cater for 1100 students.

The school was conceived as a fit-for-purpose education facility with spaces the community could share after school hours. Department of Education and Training (DET) pedagogy principles guided designs that encompass a learners and learning-centred approach; enhanced inclusion and a commitment to sustainable values.

The design was also informed by the overarching Fishermans Bend Framework planning strategy and lessons learned from other vertical schools delivered by the VSBA, along with community and stakeholder consultation.

Port Melbourne Secondary College’s unique identity honours the area’s maritime history, industrial past, proximity to the ocean and Spirit of Tasmania ferry. Sand dune formations present in the area prior to European settlement are depicted in the material treatments on the south and east façades, while the colour palette of the metal façade panels reference the local shipping container yards.

State-of-the-art STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) spaces featuring a robotics workshop and fabrication lab - will expose students to high-tech career pathways aligned with the Fishermans Bend Framework’s objective of being home to Australia’s leading design, engineering and advanced manufacturing precinct.

Fishermans Bend Secondary School consists of a series of neighbourhoods - general learning spaces or a combination of specialist and general learning spaces - arranged around a cross formation on each level. Environmental and sustainable design initiatives such as food production gardens and rain water collection, enhance the quality of the school environment while also serving as tools for students to learn about environmental sustainability.

Outdoor learning on all levels is a key component of Port Melbourne Secondary College. On the ground floor, the school opens onto a variety of landscaped social and communal spaces, an amphitheatre, dining and seating areas and food production gardens. Physical links to the outdoors and visual connection to nature and natural light throughout – affords students a sense of passing time and changing seasons. Generous outdoor terraces such as the science courtyard and robotics testing facility extend teaching, learning, collaboration and reflection spaces on the upper levels.

The school is located in the middle of four distinctive areas - J.L. Murphy Reserve to the west; heritage circa 1950 homes to the south; a future employment precinct specialising in engineering and technology to the north and a commercial precinct to the east. Each of the school’s façades reflects the particular characteristics of its surrounding context and has visual and physical ties between the learning environments and the local community.

Responding to the anticipated urbanisation of Fishermans Bend, the school’s main entry will shift from the south (the current student catchment area) to Plummer Street in the north, as the proposed civic boulevard and tram stop are developed.

Four distinct quadrants on ground level – gymnasium, performing arts, Learning Resource Centre (and Level 1 mezzanine) and food technology - are designed to be shared with the community outside of school hours subject to school programming.

Amenities that allow the school community to come together include the gymnasium for whole school gatherings; a 200-seat lecture theatre and learning neighbourhoods for smaller groups.

Within each neighbourhood there are a range of environments with unique acoustic properties, from vibrant, collaborative spaces to quiet reflective areas and smaller enclosed rooms. Each space is designed to support different learning outcomes, activities and individual learning styles and needs.

A clear main entry leads into a shared atrium (the school’s heart), where a generous internal ‘social’ staircase and lift provide access to all parts of the building. To assist wayfinding, each level is distinguished by a different colour theme, clear lines of sight and an emphasis on visual and physical connection between spaces, inside and out.

The gymnasium caters for physical education and recreational activities through to competition grade netball and international competition-grade basketball. A vibrant ‘urban garden’ adjoining the gym provides the school and community with multi-functional outdoor hardcourt areas for sporting and recreational activities. The performing arts studio, external amphitheatre and outdoor terraces also double as recreational areas.

• Location: 477 Graham Street, Port Melbourne
• In the 2018-19 State Budget, $3.8 million was allocated to the school for planning
• In the 2019-20 State Budget, the school shared in $624.8 million allocated for new schools.
• Levels - 4 Storeys
• School opened - Term 1, 2022
• Site Area - 7,947 square metres
• Indoor Area - 10,700 square metres
• Outdoor Area - 2,650 square metres
• Architects - Billard Leece Partnership

• Forestry stewardship approved timber
• Low-energy lighting
• Roof mounted solar photovoltaic
• Food production gardens
• Rainwater tank
• Water-efficient taps
• Extensive bicycle facilities for students and staff
• Building Management System (BMS)
• Design for indoor environment quality including daylight, acoustics, fresh air and thermal comfort control
• Recycled content used in the cement mixes across the project
• Energy efficient building fabric incorporating improved insulation and attention to shading

The 2019-20 State Budget funding includes a complete build for 1100 students, and a fit-out for 650 students.

Level 3 spaces

• Media arts, visual communication, textiles, ceramics, art for Years 7 - 9
• Outdoor art terraces
• General learning space for Year 9

Level 2 spaces

• General science, chemistry, physics and electronics spaces for Years 7 - 9
• Adaptive project spaces
• Outdoor general science terrace

Level 1 spaces

• Learning resource centre with mezzanine and meeting spaces
• Year 7-8 learning spaces

Ground floor spaces

• Learning resource centre
• Gymnasium with competition-grade basketball and netball facilities
• The first stage of a food technology area with commercial-grade kitchen and canteen
• Performing arts
• Food production garden

Future Stage funding will complete the fit-out for 1100 students.

Ground floor spaces

• Completion of a food technology area with commercial-grade kitchen and canteen

Level 2 spaces

• Fabrication lab
• Digital technology project spaces
• General science, chemistry, physics and electronics spaces for Years 10 - 12
• Robotics workshop with outdoor robotics testing terrace

Level 3 spaces

• Media arts, visual communication, textiles, ceramics, art for Years 10 - 12
• 200-seat lecture theatre
• General learning space for Years 10-12