As a school with a proud history spanning nearly 125 years, we are fortunate to have a wide variety of learning spaces housed across buildings of different ages and architectural styles. This diversity is part of what gives Ivanhoe Girls’ its character and charm, each space tells a story of the School’s evolution over time.

However, we also recognise that our learning environments have been developed over many decades, often without a consistent vision for how teaching and learning might look in the future. As the nature of education continues to shift, driven by the needs of learners and the demands of a rapidly changing world, we are committed to ensuring that our physical spaces evolve too.

In response to this, the School has embarked on a multi-year learning space refurbishment program. This strategic initiative is focused on ensuring our classrooms and learning environments are aligned with contemporary and future-focused approaches to teaching and learning.

As part of this program, the upcoming Christmas break will see the refurbishment of five classrooms and a small breakout space on the third level of the Collins Wing. This work follows the successful refurbishment of five learning spaces on the second level of the same building during last year’s summer break. Several years ago, the ground floor of the Collins Wing was also extensively upgraded to create dedicated Year Level Centres for our Year 9 and 10 students. Together, these projects reflect a staged, considered approach to revitalising key teaching spaces in one of our core academic buildings.

The design of these refurbished spaces has evolved through thoughtful consultation and feedback from both students and staff. The classrooms being upgraded this year represent a refined version of our ‘phase two’ prototype - first tested in the Collins Wing and originally informed by earlier prototype spaces developed in the Pizzey Wing during the COVID period. These iterative improvements reflect our School’s strong culture of feedback, reflection and continuous improvement.

Once the work in the Collins Wing is completed at the end of this year, our refurbishment program will extend to other key buildings on campus. Planning is already underway for upgrades to learning spaces in the Lowe Building and further enhancements in the Pizzey Wing. In parallel, we will also begin developing a new prototype to inform the future refurbishment of our existing science laboratories, ensuring they continue to support collaborative, hands-on and inquiry-driven learning. As part of this work, a new lift will be installed during the Christmas break to improve access for students moving between floors and into these laboratory spaces.

In the Junior School, many of our learning spaces are located in beautiful heritage houses that the School is privileged to own. Over the past 15 years, these spaces have been progressively upgraded to enhance the learning experience while preserving the character of each building. Looking ahead, a multi-year refurbishment plan for the Junior School is also in development. This next phase will honour the distinctiveness of each learning environment while applying a consistent set of design principles grounded in our vision for teaching and learning.

The refurbishment of our learning spaces is more than a facilities project, it is a tangible expression of our commitment to nurturing curious, collaborative, and future-ready learners. As we continue this journey, we remain focused on creating inspiring environments that reflect the School’s values, support our teachers’ practice, and respond to the evolving needs of our students.

Ms Narelle Umbers
Principal