Melbourne Schools Podcast

Char Palmer, winner of the Woodleigh Prize at Woodleigh School in 2025 shares their love of their journey through school. They talk about how Woodleigh helps students build character and find interests outside of academics. In this fun chat we talk about the physical and mental challenge of "Hada", the variety of Activities offered and the emphasis on giving back.

Hayley Jennings ( Chin ) is a psychologist and founder of Step By Step Psychology and one of the sponsors of Melbourne Schools. In this interview, she guides us through different kinds of psychological assessments available for children and adolescents. We speak about when is the best time to do them, how they are done, what is the benefit and what can be done with the reports. If you've ever considered a learning difficulties assessment of neurodiversity assessment for your child, this interview may help.

Madeleine, the high-achieving 2025 ex–Vice Captain at MLC, shares her school journey after joining midway through secondary school. We discuss her decision to pursue the IB over the VCE, how she balanced a demanding schedule of extracurriculars alongside her studies and leadership role, and her experience at Marshmead in Year 9. She also reflects on her time at MLC and outlines her plans for the future beyond school.

There's a lot of mystery and anxiety around waitlisting and admissions into Melbourne private schools. In this podcast, I chat to Paul Walsh who was Director of Admissions and Community Engagement in a co-ed private school for 15 years. We talk about the waitlisting process, if you should be honest in your application as well as the role that NAPLAN might play in school admissions.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Melbourne Schools podcast! In this conversation I speak to Penny Miller, founder of Families In Mind Design and sponsor of Melbourne Schools. Penny has unique skills combining 10 years of child development expertise with interior design. We chat about the intersection of child development and interior design and how the home environment can affect child behaviour.

Liv has two daughters who both go to Avila. We chat about how they chose the school and why it's been a perfect fit for her older daughter. We chat about the culture of the school and if what I learned on the tour is reflected in her daughters' experience there so far.

Lisa is the mum of two sons who go / went to Mentone Grammar. In this conversation we talk about finding a suitable school environment where her kids could thrive. We also chat about the inclusive sports culture, community and academic culture at Mentone Grammar.

Daniel is already an an accomplished writer and law student after graduating Melbourne Grammar's as school captain in 2023. In this podcast we chat about his experience growing up at Melbourne Grammar. We cover the inclusive and nuturing culture at Melbourne Grammar, growing up in a wealthy school and how his school experience has set him up for university and life beyond.

Dr Timothy Tan is the founder of Square Academy - a boutique and unique tuition business in Hawthorn. Tim's philosophy is that learning should be fun and real education should be enjoyable, inspiring and purposeful. In this conversation we talk about - The Singapore education system compared with the Australian education system - The importance of critical thinking and creativity in education - How he teaches critical thinking and creativity in his classes and more! Dr Tim's website: https://square-academy.com/

Archie is the ex sports captain and 2023 graduate of Haileybury College. In this conversation he shares why he loved his 13 years at Haileybury. He gives insights into the high achieving student culture there and how he feels it has set him up for the future.

Kasey is the principal of a small Catholic primary school as well as a parent of a primary school student. In this episode she gives parents some tips on what to look for when choosing a primary school for their child.

Dexter is a dad to two girls and boy, all of whom are in Catholic schools. In today's conversation we chat about his son's school Mazenod College. Dexter shares why he chose Mazenod ( and some of the other schools he considered ), what's important to him in a school and Mazenod's community and culture of respect.

Kate is a mum of three girls who currently go to Canterbury Girls Secondary College. In this conversation she shares her thoughts about why she chose girls education, why she loves Canterbury Girls and how her girls with different personalities have fitted into the culture at the school. Find out more about Melbourne Schools⁠ ⁠Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group

Paul is an education consultant specialising in matching students with suitable private schools in Melbourne. In this conversation we chat about how he came to offer such a unique service, why there's a demand for it and how he does what he does. Paul has been consulting for over 15 years and has helped hundreds of families find the right school for their child. We chat about what is the process of finding the right school and what are the most important things to look for when matching a student with a school. Find out more about Paul's service at www.regentconsulting.com.au Find out more about Melbourne Schools Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group

Jo is an experienced mum of 3 boys, all of whom have been students at Tintern Grammar since primary school. She generously shares with us why she chose Tintern for her three boys as a teacher herself. In this conversation, Jo talks about the benefits of parallel learning and the community minded culture at Tintern in the education of her boys. ⁠Find out more about Melbourne Schools⁠ ⁠Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group

Thuy Pham is the founder of Spectrum Tuition. Starting from humble beginnings teaching students at home, over the past 20 years Spectrum Tuition has coached countless students through selective school tests and scholarship exams. In this conversation, Thuy talks about the problems she has seen in the education system and why she thinks tuition can help. We chat about where her passion and drive for education comes from and what she's seen over the years of tutoring students. Find out more about Spectrum Tuition at www.spectrumtuition.com ⁠Find out more about Melbourne Schools⁠ ⁠Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group

Ananya is a recent graduate of MacRobertson Girls School - one of the few selective schools in Melbourne. Ananya graduated as school captain and now has aspirations to become a doctor and works as a tutor for younger students. In this episode, Ananya shares her experience of selective school, why she chose to go to selective school and how hard is it to get in. In this conversation Ananya is wonderfully articulate, humble and generous while sharing her wisdom about selective schools. ⁠Find out more about Melbourne Schools⁠ ⁠Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group

Welcome to the Melbourne Schools Podcast with Crystal Wong. Learn more about Melbourne Schools at www.melbourneschools.com.au.