From 2027, families will have the opportunity to continue at Toorak Campus with the reintroduction of Middle School. Year 7 will commence in 2027, followed by the introduction of Year 8 in 2028.
This future-focused programme combines academic study with Urban Adventures, a model that blends school-based learning with experiential opportunities in the wider community. Students will spend three days each week in guided classroom learning and two days offsite – including a day in the field and a day at our Corio Campus. This balance fosters deeper engagement with academic content while also nurturing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and social responsibility. The programme maintains strong connections with Corio Campus peers, ensuring continuity of experience and smooth preparation for Timbertop and Senior School.
Urban Adventures reimagine learning in the Middle Years by connecting the classroom with meaningful real-world experiences. Students take part in site-specific learning that aligns with their current units of study, collaborating with mentors and experts and engagingi n real life learning in the field across science, the creative arts and community learning. Students will build a portfolio of work and reflections that demonstrate their learning and growth, while developing confidence and independence along the way.
Adolescence is widely recognised as a critical stage in brain development. During this period the prefrontal cortex and related neural systems undergo rapid change, strengthening abilities in abstract thinking, decision-making and self-regulation. Students are also highly responsive to social and emotional experiences, making them particularly receptive to learning that combines intellectual challenge with meaningful real-world application. By recognising this developmental window, our programme is designed to ensure that learning is not only retained but also transferred into skills for navigating complexity beyond the classroom. Opportunities to experiment, reflect and connect with mentors and peers foster resilience, adaptability and a sense of agency in each student’s learning journey.
Across three days at Toorak Campus students will focus on core subjects, units of study linked to upcoming experiences and structured preparation and reflection. Literacy and numeracy support and extension are also embedded. The remaining two days extend learning into real-world and community contexts, including a structured day at Corio Campus and a further day dedicated to Urban Adventures at locations such as the State Library Victoria, Melbourne Zoo, the Wheeler Centre and ACMI. These experiences will enrich classroom learning with reflection built into the cycle to help students consolidate and apply their knowledge.
Each experience will be deliberately framed within Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, a model that is effective in embedding long-term understanding. Students begin with concrete experiences such as fieldwork, performances or service projects. They then move into guided reflection, journaling and discussion to consider what they have observed. Teachers support the process of abstract conceptualisation, linking these insights to disciplinary knowledge and broader concepts. Finally, students are encouraged to experiment actively, applying their learning to solve problems or initiate projects, whether through designing a habitat, presenting an exhibition or ideating a community initiative.
Theory and practice are seamlessly linked by designing learning across the disciplines to build connection. A study of human and animal systems in Science is paired with biodiversity and conservation programmes at the Zoo. English units in narrative and persuasive writing are deepened through author talks and workshops at the State Library. Community structures and civic participation in the Humanities are explored through volunteering at local gardens or charities. Health and PE classes focused on wellbeing are extended by resilience and mindfulness workshops in the outdoors. Visual Arts projects in observation and representation are enriched by sketching and photography at cultural institutions. Mathematics lessons on measurement and data come to life through applied projects with local businesses and markets. Through these experiences students understand knowledge as something lived and relevant rather than abstract and distant.
To support the reintroduction of Middle School, Years 7 and 8 students will be based in a dedicated precinct within the Glamorgan Centre. The campus will also introduce a Junior Years Precinct in the Sutherland Centre and The Pottery, creating a refreshed structure that provides a developmentally appropriate and seamless educational journey from ELC through to Year 8.
We warmly invite you to join us to learn more about the reintroduction of Years 7 and 8 at Toorak Campus from 2027.
Final Open Morning for 2025:
Toorak Campus
T: +61 3 9829 1406
E: toorakadmissions@ggs.vic.edu.au
Online enquiry: Enquiry Form
14 Douglas Street
Toorak, Victoria, 3142
Australia