The Ignatius Learning Centre is a Catholic Specialist Secondary School in Melbourne for boys aged 15-17 who are involved with the youth justice system. The school provides a safe, holistic and therapeutic learning environment, and promotes the development of the whole person – including intellectual, physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual elements of each young person.
How does the school help?
Many of the young people we work with have been excluded from education – often, for years. Some young people who are caught up the in the criminal justice system need a focused, tailored program to help them get back on a track and fulfil their potential in a school environment that understands their complex lives and the trauma they may have experienced. This led Jesuit Social Services to establish the Ignatius Learning Centre in early 2021.
Drawing on our Jesuit Heritage, the school is guided by Catholic Social Teaching, Ignatian Pedagogy, Jesuit Social Services’ ‘Our Way of Working’ framework, and informed by evidence-based educational practice. The school fosters life-long learning by providing a holistic education, enabling students to heal, learn, and experience success in a safe and supportive learning environment.
By providing an education that fosters responsibility and transformation, the Ignatius Learning Centre restores hope, offers a sense of belonging, and enables students to flourish and reach their potential.
How does the school work?
The Ignatius Learning Centre is a Catholic Specialist Secondary School located in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. It supports a small number of students, and their families, to tailor practical relevant learning plans that are culturally appropriate and focused on the student’s own interests and goals.
We offer our students two pathways for their final years of school:
- the Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major (VCE VM) Senior Secondary Certificate
- the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC), an inclusive foundational certificate, designed to be completed over a minimum of two years.
The certificates are a practical option for students in Years 11 and 12, providing work-related experience and a qualifications recognised by TAFE institutes and employers, helping students move from school into work, an apprenticeship or traineeship, further training or higher education pathways.
Students will cover the complete VCE VM suite:
- Literacy, Numeracy, Work Related Skills, Personal Development Skills and Vocational Educational and Training (VET) subjects.
- VCE subjects on offer (and contribute to a VPC Certificate): Psychology, Philosophy and Legal Studies
- In 2024, the VET subjects on offer are: Hospitality CERT II, Visual Arts CERT II, Creative Industries CERT II (Music), Barbering (Salon Assistant) CERT II, Sport and Recreation CERT II and Carpentry (as a component of WRS)
Students are also able to engage with Jesuit Social Services’ existing programs and services, including Artful Dodgers Studios, The Outdoor Experience, Jesuit Community College (a Registered Training Organisation), the Ecological Justice Hub, and can use the sport and recreational facilities in and around Richmond.
Who can participate?
Students eligible for the Ignatius Learning Centre are:
- Male, aged 15–17, and in contact with the criminal justice system, and
- Disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education
- Subject to sentencing under Section 360 of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 and able to attend the Ignatius Learning Centre
- Being considered for: a Youth Control Order (YCO), Youth Attendance Order (YAO) or Youth Supervision Order (YSO); or are on Remand and facing a custodial sentence, and
- Eligible for enrolment in a Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
Where is the school located?
The Ignatius Learning Centre is located in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond.
- Address: 326 Church Street, Richmond 3121 VIC
- Our school is located behind St Ignatius Church (Church St, between Swan St and Bridge Road)
- Closest train stations: East Richmond and Richmond Stations. Both connect directly from Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations, CBD.
- Closest tram stop: Route 78, St Ignatius Church/Church St. The school is directly behind.