Parkerville Grove School welcomes first students to a new chapter of healing and learning

Parkerville Grove School is the first specialist school of its kind in Western Australia. Designed for young people aged 12 to 18, it brings together education and therapeutic support in a way that recognises a simple but important truth: before young people can learn, they need to feel safe.

For many students at Parkerville Grove School, the journey back to education has not been straightforward. Experiences of abuse, neglect, family violence or other significant interpersonal trauma can have a profound impact on a young person’s ability to engage in learning. What may look like disengagement is often a response to experiences that have left them feeling unsafe, overwhelmed or disconnected.

Kim Brooklyn, CEO of Parkerville Children and Youth Care Therapeutic Education Services, said the opening of the school represents years of planning and advocacy, but more importantly, it offers new possibilities for young people and their families.

“For the first time, young people in Perth who have experienced trauma have a school that is specifically designed to help them heal and re-engage with education,” she said.

“Many young people who experience trauma struggle to feel safe in mainstream schools, and it’s often their trauma, not their ability, that’s holding them back. Our model intentionally integrates healing and education within everyday school life. It’s all about making young people feel safe and supported so they can begin to reconnect with learning.”

The opening is also a significant moment in the history of Parkerville Children and Youth Care. More than 100 years ago, children living at the Parkerville Children’s Home attended one of Western Australia’s earliest kindergartens on the site. Today, the historic campus is again filled with young people learning, growing and building their futures.

“In many ways, the opening of Parkerville Grove School marks a return to our roots of supporting children and young people and helping them to develop their skills and capabilities,” Ms Brooklyn said.

Foundation Principal Alice Alibrandi said the school has been carefully designed around the needs of students who require a different approach to succeed.

“There isn’t anything else like it in WA, so we’re absolutely breaking new ground,” she said.

“We’re building a specialist healing education model that gives young people who have experienced trauma a genuine opportunity to flourish. It’s a school where healing comes first and education follows.”

At Parkerville Grove School, class sizes are intentionally small, with no more than 15 students in each classroom. Trauma-trained teachers work alongside youth workers, therapeutic support staff and allied health professionals as part of one integrated team focused on safety, connection and belonging.

Students are supported with daily breakfast and lunch, essential school supplies and a dedicated bus service to help remove barriers to attendance. Across the campus, beautifully restored heritage cottages have been transformed into warm and welcoming learning centres that reflect the school’s therapeutic approach.

As the first students settle into their new classrooms, there is a strong sense of optimism about what lies ahead.

Behind every enrolment is a young person with strengths, talents and aspirations. Parkerville Grove School exists to help them rediscover those strengths, rebuild confidence and reconnect with a future filled with possibility.

For families, educators and communities who know a young person struggling to engage with school because of their experiences of trauma, the opening of Parkerville Grove School is an important reminder that another option now exists in Western Australia - one built on healing, hope and the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive.

Published in Messenger August 2026