Progressive education · Northern NSW · IB community

Where character grows,
curiosity leads

For parents and carers who want more than worksheets: a warm, rigorous school where character and curiosity sit beside serious academics — IB pathways, expeditions, and projects your child can talk about at the dinner table.

Begin the enrolment journey Book a conversation

Northern Rivers · K–12 · First North Coast NSW school with the IB Diploma Programme · Co-learning community

Experiential learning

Learning in the world - not only on the page

Real understanding needs doing. Our week weaves Explore, Grow, Cook, Make, Perform and Study - so knowledge has context, muscle memory, and heart.

K–12 learning continuum Thriver expeditions How we teach — for families

Students exploring and learning in real places

Explore

Country, cities, ecosystems - inquiry beyond the gate

Grow

Gardens, wellbeing, responsibility

Cook

Kitchen, culture, shared meals

Make

Design, craft, build - hands that think

Perform

Music, drama, voice - courage in public

Study

Rigour, seminars, IB habits of mind

Literate, numerate, curious, kind.

Welcome to Living School - Northern Rivers NSW: a co-learning community where childhood is cherished and learning is treated as lifelong - not a race to a score.

Character first Courage, care and responsibility woven into daily learning - not added on.
IB & academic depth Pathways that open doors locally and internationally, with standards you can trust.
Projects & real worlds Students investigate, build, present and reflect - skills that last.

What parents ask us first

Honest questions — from parents and carers exploring whether Living School fits your child and your family.

Is it academically serious?

Yes — NESA outcomes, PAT and NAPLAN where applicable, exhibitions and formal reporting, with a clear IB Diploma pathway. Rigour and projects are not opposites here.

Will my child be seen and supported?

Family Group mentoring, care teams, and learning support focused on capacity — not labels. Wellbeing is woven through the week, not bolted on after a crisis.

What makes this different from a traditional school?

Students investigate real questions, build and present to authentic audiences, and learn across subjects — expeditions, Catalyst Middle School, Thriver, and creative arts woven through the week.

How do we know if we fit?

Book a visit. Walk the spaces, meet the people who will know your child, and ask anything — about fit, pace, anxiety, giftedness, or the path to senior school.

Principled learners — kind, local, global

We educate personally and purposefully: weaving international best practice, responsible citizenship, genuine engagement, and a community drawn together in kindness.

Excellence from global pedagogy — not factory-era coverage
Projects, exhibitions, and real audiences — not worksheets alone
Wellbeing and character — alongside NESA and IB pathways

How we teach — overview for families →

K–12 learning & thinking continuum — lifetime value →

See Living School in motion

Lifetime value

One K–12 learning journey — not three disconnected schools

From first wonder in Primary through Catalyst Middle School to the IB Diploma, our Learning & Thinking Continuum maps how character, inquiry and rigour deepen year by year — so families can see where your child is headed, not just where they start.

Explicit progression in thinking skills, not hidden in jargon
IB Learner Profile, VAST and project pathways aligned across stages
Built for parents who want clarity on the long arc — not a new pitch every enrolment season

Explore the K–12 continuum →

How learning deepens from curiosity to global citizenship

Voices from our community

Real families — mothers, fathers, carers, students, and educators — on what Living School feels like day to day.

“extremely grateful to find out that the exceptional IB program is available at Living School. [my son’s] three citizenships and trilingualism truly make him a citizen of the world! Giving [him] the opportunity to extend and expand his knowledge, academic, and intellectual rigor would only allow him to bloom into an even more globally-minded young man.”Prospective mother

“I am deeply satisfied with the Living School as a choice for [my son]. The educational journey provided is giving him a great sense of the world and himself, very positive experiences of humanity and learning, and some memories of growing up that I am sure he will cherish and appreciate lifelong. It’s such a bonus that you can offer him the International Baccalaureate as I feel this will nurture a deep sense of personal achievement and possibility.”Pioneer father

“[teacher] supported [my daughter] so beautifully last year in year 1 as her teacher, as well as overseeing her wellbeing and her ILP. [She] thrived with [teacher] because of her individual approach and her being attuned to when [my daughter] may be feeling overwhelmed. [Teacher] was amazing in her role checking in on [her] wellbeing at the carnival… I can’t say enough how much my family appreciates [teacher] as a teacher and a really beautiful human that brings heart, playfulness, holistic oversight and professionalism. I feel that [my daughter] is truly seen and understood and that means so much to [husband] and I.”Primary mother

Three campuses, one philosophy

Conway Street, Brown & Jolly, and Southern Cross University — each place has a personality; together they carry your child from wonder to the IB Diploma. Horizon opens a flex pathway for Years 7–12 via our central learning hub — see below.

Curiosity

Conway Street Primary · “The Heart”

Kindergarten to Year 4: a warm, wonder-filled home. Literacy and numeracy with joy; minimal screens in early years so imagination leads.

Explore Primary →

Project-based

Brown & Jolly Middle School · “The Pulse Point”

Years 5–8 in the heart of Lismore: adolescence honoured, energy channelled, identity explored — a campus students helped shape.

Middle School program →

IB Diploma

Southern Cross University Academy · “The Grove of Possibility”

Years 9–12 commencing with Expeditions and based alongside researchers and changemakers — real-world context, leadership, and the globally respected IB Diploma pathway.

Explore the Academy →

New · Years 7–12 · NSW distance education + flex hub

Horizon — schooling beyond the 9–3 timetable

Horizon is a new Living School endeavour: rigorous NSW distance education paired with a central learning hub where students connect daily — not only learning from home. For some young people, rigid timetables are the barrier; Horizon breaks that without breaking standards.

Daily learning studios at our hub — real-time teaching, collaboration, and social connection with peers and mentors
Flexible rhythm — deep focus blocks, guided AI tutoring, and space for part-time work or passion projects outside traditional school hours
Clear credentials — structured NSW DE with the HSC taught via this pathway; Living School partnership and wellbeing support throughout
For travellers, rural families, neurodiverse learners, and students who thrive when learning is personal — not one-size-fits-all

Home when it suits you; at the hub when connection and momentum matter. A pathway built for the learner, not the clock.

Explore Horizon → Ask about Horizon hub enrolment

The first school on the North Coast of NSW to offer the globally respected International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Enrolments open now

If this is the childhood and adolescence you want for your child — rigorous, kind, and connected to the real world — we would love to hear from you. Many families start with a conversation; there is no pressure on the first visit.

[email protected]

Learn about the enrolment process Book a visit or conversation About the IB Diploma →

The school year

Term times — intentionally different

Our terms are designed for focus and retention: shorter, sharper blocks that do not line up with every other school holiday — except mid-year and end-of-year breaks.

Six themed terms per year — Identity, Nature, Life & living, Civilisation, Phenomena, Service
Shorter blocks — typically 6–7 weeks, then a focused break
2026 — Semester one from 27 January; Semester two from 13 July

Show full 2026–2027 calendar → Or ask on your visit — we are happy to walk families through how the rhythm works at home.

Holiday length is the break before the next teaching block.

Learning in action

Expeditions, builds and culture — memory follows meaning. See how it threads across the K–12 continuum.

Expeditions

Real journeys through ecosystems, culture and history.

Lifetime value

K–12 learning journey

How thinking, character and rigour deepen from first wonder to the IB Diploma.

Music · visual arts · drama

Creative arts in the week

Expression and performance woven through learning — not bolted on at the edges.

Full Middle School program →

Ngulingah — a focused program supporting Indigenous youth reconnecting with learning. Not our whole-school offer; learn more if it fits your family.

Educators who believe in more than content

We draw on rich experiences, conceptual understanding, practised skills - and attitudes grown from aptitudes. Mistakes are part of learning; passion is something we protect.

Explore our VAST framework →

Individual scope

One school — pathways shaped to your child

Progressive does not mean vague. Living School is one coherent philosophy with real choices: academic depth, creative arts, vocational routes, the Horizon flex hub, extension and targeted support — mapped to where your child is headed.

IB Diploma & university pathways Global credentials, ATAR scaling, and doors to national and international universities K–12 learning continuum How thinking, character and rigour deepen from first wonder to senior school Support, extension & enrichment WholeBeing partnership — targeted support and stretch for diverse learning needs Horizon flex hub Years 7–12 — NSW DE with daily learning studios, HSC pathway, and time for work & focus Creative arts Music, visual arts and drama as core underpinnings — not add-on electives Vocational, SBATs & Pathfinder Trades, school-based apprenticeships, VET — career mapping through our Pathfinder system Expeditionary learning Thriver expeditions, field challenge, and learning that leaves the building Catalyst Middle School Project-based Years 5–8 — identity, agency, and exhibitions to real audiences

Living School signal

Living School’s unique Weave communication system keeps parents notified daily and in real time.

Six keystones - integrated learning

Identity, nature, life & living, civilisation, phenomena and service (the culmination each year). Each theme deepens as students grow - memory, meaning and conscience woven together.

How we teach - curriculum overview for families →

Our intent

Is learning life-worthy?

Experience it in person

Walk the spaces, meet the people who will know your child, and feel whether this is your village.

Book a visit Open days 2026

Progressive school in Northern NSW

Living School is an independent progressive school for families who want character, ambition and real-world learning in the same week. Our K–12 learning & thinking continuum shows how that deepens over time. Primary, Middle School (Catalyst) and Academy pathways connect to the International Baccalaureate community. Flexible Years 7–12 learners can explore Horizon — NSW distance education with a central learning hub and daily studios.

Inquiry, explicit teaching, Thriver expeditions, and partnership — habits of mind that last a lifetime.