Village School

I 109% agree with other 1 star reviews.
Such a disaster sending My child to this school. Terrible experience. I came away feeling gaslighted over concerns I had. A terrible waste of the precious younger years. I really wish I had never sent My child to this school.

My two boys have been attending the school since February 2023 and so far it has been nothing but a positive experience for the whole family. The school welcomes individual differences and students are able to learn at their own pace. Parents and carers take an active part in the school life. I have enjoyed their transparency, community spirit, and mutual support. Children get a chance to socialize with younger and older kids on a daily basis, and a teacher-student relationship is not authoritarian. Overall I am very pleased with the school and my kids have been thriving there. Thank you Ashley and all the Village teachers and support staff for making it a beautiful, child-centred space.

I am in the process of looking for a school for my son. Reading the review from former student Charlotte Mp, I can see she's come through school without learning how to spell. Suggest you take down her review, or get her to correct her spelling. I won't be sending my child here.

It's so refreshing to be at a school which recognises that each learner is an individual who will develop at different speeds both academically and emotionally. Ashley's positive, inclusive and flexible manner has given our child the invaluable opportunity to experience steady and transformative success that is sure to last a lifetime. We are forever grateful for the support we have received at Village school - thank you to everyone there who has helped make such a difference!

This school is awful!
My daughter went to prep at village and during covid I asked for my fees to be reduced as both my ex husband and I lost our jobs, they said NO to a fee reduction and Tanya the principal said "your child is getting all the same interaction just not in our building". Which was a disgrace and we were unable to attend home school session as we did not have access to the internet during this time! I explained this and they gave us a small discount for that one term.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and the following year sent my son and daughter back to this school and after 1 full term my son still had not settled, he felt overwhelmed daily and would hide in the car for 20 minutes and hated this school! The prep class had too many children in it, the poor teacher was not getting any support, the teachers aid has her hours cut and what I was seeing was a very lovely but overwhelmed teacher who was not being supported by the principal.
$8000 a year per child and they were so tight with money it was an actual joke!

I took my children out of this school as I could not afford it due to how covid had effected my financial situation, within 1 day my children had completely settled into a different school and told me they never want to go back to village.

I was unable to give a full terms notice to village school about us leaving and they sent me an invoice for more than $5000.
I explained to them due to hardship I would be unable to pay in a large lump sum and would be happy to pay $20 per week, Tanya's response was "well this is a private school and you have to pay more than that".

They had debt collectors contact me and i explained my situation and how I had lost my job and my home and my car due to the impact of covid, they wiped the debt.

I would never ever recommend this school.
The teachers have no support and my kids hated it and so did I!

We are new to Village, however due to our experience so far, I wanted to ensure a recent, positive review caps the one below.
The staff are so warm and welcoming and have never once made us feel uncomfortable, despite our difficult handover; from an aggressive principal at our old, mainstream school.

My daughter is now bouncing out of bed eager
to go - a vast change from our usual mornings when she would cry her heart out begging not to go.

She loves every aspect of Village, from the classrooms overall vibe, the indoor / outdoor flexible learning approach, the lack of uniform and homework (something I love too!) to the way she plays with her peers. I’ve heard stories of her lunchtime play which have shown a vast array of imaginative, intricate play. Something I’ve never heard her report from mainstream school lunches; where it was just tag or play equipment. This in itself shows me what a wonderful time she has ahead of her at Village school.

As a former student, I can say that this is a a horrible school. Bullying happens frequently, you are expected to teach yourself, and for around 8,000 dollars a year, it is truly a waste of money. If you actually want your children to learn and engage with "normal kids", then don't send them to this school.

Five stars for Village School. It has reignited my daughter's love and passion for learning, exploring and questioning. After being let down by mainstream education it's very refreshing to find such a forward thinking place that's not busy pushing your little ones into the same mold. A beautiful community. Thankyou village?

This is one of the best schools I've ever encountered. Children study in small classes with a lot of time for free activities and a big emphasis on independence and personal projects. Boundaries between age groups are intentionally blur - older children are encouraged to be helping out the younger ones. There is a lot of outdoor area with various terrains. There are chickens and ponies that children learn to take care of (and ride!). Every time I come here I wish I was young enough to study in this school!

One of the best markers for how kids themselves enjoy the school is that the ones who have already graduated keep coming to check things out, play with children, and to help out with school performance and smaller chores.

The Village school offers my son a creative and flexible space to learn. He is engaged and excited about the term themes and all the tasks and activities pulled together that are fun and don’t particularly feel like lessons. Teachers are approachable and eager to work with parents to improve outcomes for students.

This is one of the best schools I've ever encountered. Children study in small classes with a lot of time for free activities and a big emphasis on independence and personal projects. Boundaries between age groups are intentionally blur - older children are encouraged to be helping out the younger ones. There is a lot of outdoor area with various terrains. There are chickens and ponies that children learn to take care of (and ride!). Every time I come here I wish I was young enough to study in this school!

One of the best markers for how kids themselves enjoy the school is that the ones who have already graduated keep coming to check things out, play with children, and to help out with school performance and smaller chores.

We selected Village for our son and we are incredibly pleased that we did. The dedication of the teachers under the exemplary direction of our principal Tanya continues to surpass our expectations. The five R’s: responsibility, reliability, resilience, respect and resourcefulness are embedded into every corner of village life. The variability of experiences and learning opportunities mean that our son can learn in grow in his own time, at his own pace. The school community is tight knit, welcoming and inclusive. They say it takes a village to raise a child, you’ll most definitely find that community here!

Best primary school in Melbourne. Couldn't be happier! We love Village. Not only do they have a really well-articulated and progressive philosophy, they put that philosophy into practice really well.

An amazing school! Warm, caring, flexible teachers who actually listen to children and see them as capable and competent. Children are trusted and respected.

If only all schools could be like Village School. A beautiful place where children learn the way they should. Where the teachers inspire your children to learn and explore, where the focus is on your child and not on naplan scores and big school numbers.

I've sent both of my kids to Village School and I just love the support and encouragement they've received. There's so many opportunities for them to learn in different ways and discover what they're good at and what they love to do. The farm and bush environment is amazing, my kids love going to school every day, and I am blessed to be able to watch my kids blossom into the amazing people they are thanks to such a supportive, collaborative school and community.

A unique opportunity for your kids with animals such as horses and chickens lovely staff well maintained grounds

I went to village school from prep to grade 5. It was an amazing experience for me. Everyday was an adventure at village school. The teachers were lovely and always there to help out. And all the students learned at there own pace. Learning was always made fun and engaging. And village had there own farm and the students helped look after the animals. Village school is an amazing school. And I have so many found memory's from it.

This small independant primary school on it lovely bush block hidden away in North Croydon is a real find for anyone wanting a true quality education for their Child. This school really does treat everyone as an individual and everyone is of equal importance. (I once saw a teacher sent out of whole school meeting by the student chair - for talking, and she went!) The children are encouraged to develope their own self awareness and individuality allowing them to shine as they move on to secondary and further eduaction. The farm animals are an important part of life at Village as caring and looking after our animals helps promote both self respect and respect for others. I was concerned when I first sent my daughter there that it may be a school without rules or displine, this is far from the case, there are rules - which the Children have helped to write and have a firm understanding of - they also understand the consequences if they break the rules. Academically, the teachers are on the ball and work hard with each individual student. The Whole School Performance in the Middle of the year alway blows us away - evey child is involved and the standard is truely impresive.
To sum up I would say that it is a school which develpes respect - for oneself and also for others, and by doing this allows all of the chilldren to become confident, caring, independant people.