Education leader joins
Parkerville Grove School
as Foundation Principal
Parkerville Grove School is a new specialist secondary school being developed by Parkerville Children and Youth Care, offering a recovery centred and personalised approach to education. As the school prepares to open in mid 2026, the appointment of its foundation principal marks an important milestone.
Alice Alibrandi – the new principal and a leading educator with more than 30 years’ experience in the West Australian education sector – said even though the opening was still months away, she already had a clear vision about what that day will be like.
‘That first day and first week will be very exciting for everyone,’ said Alice.
‘We’re bringing together 60 students and approximately 20 staff for the first time, so I anticipate the students, teachers, youth workers and other allied professionals will be experiencing some nervous energy for a few days as they meet one another, see their classrooms and become familiar with their new school.
‘It’s also an opportunity to start building a sense of community and collaboration that is so important to the longer-term culture we want to create – a safe, healing environment where young people can recover and reconnect with learning to begin to shape their futures.’
Parkerville Grove School will be WA’s first specialist secondary school designed exclusively for young people whose trauma has made mainstream education impossible. For many young people, this includes the impacts of experiences such as sexual and physical abuse, exposure to family and domestic violence, and other adverse childhood experiences.
Located at Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s historic campus in the Perth Hills, the school will initially cater to years 7 to 10.
Parkerville Grove School integrates education with therapeutic support, bringing together trauma-informed teachers, youth workers and allied health professionals to support each student.
‘The first year, which is only six months long, will be about establishing the school community and getting the students to feel comfortable so they can begin to engage in new learning opportunities.
‘We’ll take a flexible approach, have some fun, get to know one another and over time explore their hopes, dreams, passions and interests. Our young people will have been impacted by trauma, so our primary focus will be on their recovery and then gradually introduce new learning experiences. It will be a steep learning curve for everyone but I’m really looking forward to that first day!’
Parkerville CEO Kim Brooklyn said Alice’s extensive experience and aligned values made her the perfect fit for the new school.
‘Alice’s experience across senior leadership and teaching roles at John Wollaston Anglican Community School, the WA School Curriculum and Standards Authority, St Norbert College, and Murdoch College makes her the perfect fit for our new school.
‘She is committed to creating a school that meets young people’s needs in personalised ways and is passionate about ensuring all young people have opportunities to be successful on their own terms. Her values also align exceptionally well with ours, which matters deeply to all of us.’
How you can help
The development of Parkerville Grove School is supported through philanthropy and partnerships that share Parkerville’s commitment to creating safe, healing environments for young people.
For those wishing to make a philanthropic investment in Parkerville Grove School or to learn more about how they can support its development, please contact Mariam Mukaty, Director Philanthropy, at mariam.mukaty@parkerville.org.au or 0472 865 352.
A century of service
Parkerville Children and Youth Care has a rich and colourful history, from its pioneering beginning as one of the first orphanages in Perth, to its growth and development as a dynamic community service provider with a network of operations across Western Australia.
Parkerville Children’s Home was founded in 1903 by two Anglican nuns – Sister Kate and Sister Sarah – who arrived in Fremantle on the Orient Pacific RMS Oroya, on 11 December 1901, accompanied by child migrants from the Orphanage of Mercy, in London.
Sister Kate had her sights set on establishing an orphanage away from the city in an area where the children could grow and develop. In May 1903, the Sisters found an 18-acre block of land in Parkerville which they purchased for £280.
More than a century later, the new Parkerville Grove School is taking shape – a place designed to help students re-engage, rebuild confidence, discover their potential and build brighter futures.