Saints College Fitzroy North is helping neurodiverse students excel in their studies

Saints College’s new Fitzroy North campus is giving students facing barriers in their education the opportunity to excel in their studies, when mainstream schools might not be the right fit for them.

When high school student Bernie attended mainstream school, he said he felt as if he was a “puzzle piece” that didn’t quite fit in with the rest.

It wasn’t until the 14-year-old moved to Saints College’s new Fitzroy North campus at the start of this year that he finally found his place.

“Mainstream school is like a puzzle … unless you’re the perfect piece, it’s not going to be quite right,” Bernie said.

The Year 9 student is one of 80 pupils completing their education at Victoria’s first “radically inclusive” school with a curriculum specifically designed for neurodivergent students.

Fitzroy North College, which opened this year, is the latest addition to Saints College – a school aimed at children and young people who are disenfranchised from mainstream education, that’s part of Edmund Rice Education Australia Victorian Schools Ltd.

But unlike Saints College’s seven other campuses which have youth workers, Fitzroy North College has education support staff in each class and follows the Victorian curriculum in a way that’s tailored to students with diverse needs.

Year 9 students Audrey 13, Alex 14 and Bernie are among 80 students studying at Saints College Fitzroy North. Picture: David Caird

Saints Education director Chloe Hand said the idea to open a school attuned to students with neurodiverse conditions such as Autism and ADHD, stemmed from an increase in “school can’t” – otherwise known as school refusal – rates post-pandemic.

“After the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, children and young people were expected to re-engage with in-person schooling, and yet, the attendance rates and levels of students from Year 1 to 10 have not returned to the pre-Covid percentages,” she said.

“Students that were experiencing stressors related to the school environment – such as lack of adjustments, sensory overload from crowded classrooms isolating and exclusionary practices by school – are experiencing what is now known as ‘school can’t’.

“Often these young people are not refusing to learn, but the inaccessible school environments make it too challenging for them to participate.”

Ms Hand said Fitzroy North College offered small class sizes which enabled a personalised approach to learning.

The school is suited to students who have experienced barriers engaging in education such as challenges transitioning to high school, mental health, neurodiversity, school refusal and anxiety.

Breakfast, morning tea and lunch are also offered to students for free to allow them to build connections with each other and their teachers.

“The week has predictable routines (and) there is also access to wraparound allied health and youth work support on campus to meet the needs of young people,” Ms Hand said.

Saints College has opened up its new Fitzroy North campus which is tailored to students with neurodiverse needs. Picture: Supplied

Bernie, who enjoys studying sustainability and media, said he valued the flexibility the school provided.

“I like the flexibility when it comes to learning and the fact that if you say, ‘I like gardening’, the school would say ‘what can we do to start a gardening club’, or ‘how can we improve things’,” he said.

Fitzroy North College has a small number of places available for Year 7 to 9 students, with no formal diagnosis required to enrol at the school.

Ms Hand said the school was working towards opening its doors to students in Years 10 to 12 from 2026, with the school able to facilitate up to 250 students.

“Our young people have so much insight into what they need to be able to learn, but their voices are often not heard,” she said.

“Our job as educators is to remove the barriers that exist for our neurodivergent learners so that learning becomes accessible for everyone.”

Originally published as Saints College Fitzroy North is helping neurodiverse students excel in their studies