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Preshil School, also known as The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School, is an independent progressive co-educational, day school located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1931 by Margaret J. R. Lyttle, the school caters for students from Kindergarten through to Year 12. Preshil teaches a progressive curriculum,[3] and is Australia's oldest progressive school.[4]
| Preshil School | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the junior school (Arlington)'s Kevin Borland Hall, in the 1970s | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , Australia | |
| Coordinates | 37°48′48″S 145°2′57″E |
| Information | |
| Other name | The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School |
| Type | Independent progressive school |
| Motto | Courage |
| Established | 1931[1] |
| Founder | Margaret J. R. Lyttle |
| President | Emma Zipper |
| Principal | Aaron Mackinnon |
| Staff | ~52[2] |
| Years | P–12 |
| Enrolment | ~350[1] |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colour(s) | Green and gold |
| Slogan | Courage to Question |
| Website | www |
The original Arlington campus houses the Kindergarten and Primary school, while the Secondary School is located at the Blackhall Kalimna campus. The campuses are located on Barkers Road and Sackville Street respectively.[5][6]
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Preshil was founded in 1931 by Margaret "Greta" J. R. Lyttle.[3] In 1937, growing numbers lead to the relocation of the primary school to its present site, Arlington campus, further along Barkers’ Road. Greta and her niece Margaret E. Lyttle continued to live at the school.[7] Greta used the Hungarian psychoanalyst Clara Lazar Geroe as an advisor after she moved to Melbourne in 1941.[8] Following Greta's death in 1944, Margaret took over as principal.[3]
In 1975, Preshil purchased former chief justice of Australia, Sir Owen Dixon's home in Kew 'Yallambee' after he died. The interior was gutted to construct classrooms. The school later sold the campus.[9]
Preshil purchased Blackhall for its Senior School in 1978.[10] During the 1980s, David Corke and students and teachers from Preshil identified a number of blazes marking Robert O'Hara Burke's camps from the Cooper Creek to the Diamantina River. Corke also replotted the site of William John Wills' death and an additional memorial cairn was erected by Joe Mack at the revised location.[11]
In 2017, the school phased out the Victorian Certificate of Education in favour of the International Baccalaureate programme.[12] In 2022, Preshil paid $2.1 million to a victim of sexual abuse by a teacher who worked at the school in 1991.[13] Declining enrolments and financial difficulties led the school to sell its Kalimna mansion campus to nearby Carey Baptist Grammar School in 2024. Carey will rent the campus back to Preshil for 42 months.[14]
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| Period | Name |
|---|---|
| 1931–1944 | Margaret "Greta" J. R. Lyttle |
| 1944–1994 | Margaret "Mug" E. Lyttle |
| 1997–2004 | Dermot Lyttle |
| 2004–2010 | Frank Moore |
| 2010–2020 | Marilyn Smith |
| 2020–2021 | Natalie Jensen (Interim) |
| 2021–2022 | Cressida Batterham-Wilson (Interim) |
| 2022–2024 | Josh Brody[13] |
| 2024–present | Aaron Mackinnon |
- Polly Borland – artist[13]
- Clare Bowditch – musician[13]
- Lauren Burns – gold medallist in taekwondo at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games[13]
- Zahava Elenberg – architect[13]
- Nicolette Fraillon – chief conductor of The Australian Ballet Orchestra[15]
- Zana Fraillon – author
- Todd Goldstein – Australian rules footballer playing for the North Melbourne Football Club
- Lisa Gorton – novelist, poet, granddaughter of Prime Minister John Gorton
- Greg Hjorth – Australian Professor of Mathematics, chess International Master (1984) and Commonwealth Champion in 1983
- Stephen Housden – musician, lead guitarist for Little River Band
- Kaiya Jones – actor on Neighbours
- Catherine Anne Money (née Menzies) – scientist at CSIRO (attended primary School)
- Toby Martin – singer–songwriter
- Brendan Murphy – Chief Medical Officer of Australia[13]
- Rachel Nordlinger – linguist
- Sue Richardson – economist and academic
- Gina Riley – actor known for playing Kim Craig on Kath and Kim
- Jane Routley – fantasy author
- Peter Singer – philosopher
- Charlie Thorpe – singer in Dash and Will
- Stephen Wilkins – physicist, phase-contrast X-ray imaging (PCXI)
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ERA Secondary School in Donvale was founded by Preshil parents who wanted a secondary school to complete education after Preshil. Although Preshil later withdrew support in 1970 the school officially opened in 1971 at 'The White House' in Warrandyte int a temporary premises and later that year in Donvale. The school closed in 1987 due to financial struggles.[16]
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