By Bridie Smith
Private schools are offering a 60-hour week to students as parents look for ways to make home life fit around work commitments, meaning some children could have longer work days than their parents.
Co-ed Caulfield Grammar is set to introduce organised activities to book-end the traditional school day at its new Shelford campus, after the school’s market research showed parents wanted out-of-hours programs to be treated as additional learning opportunities that complemented the curriculum.
MasterChef finalist Kishwar Chowdhury, with her children, Seraphina, 8, and Mikayle, 15, is developing cooking classes for Caulfield Grammar students.Credit: Penny Stephens
“From a parent perspective, that 7am to 7pm school concept is very real,” principal Ashleigh Martin said.
“I think it’s an expectation, actually, that there are engaging activities that involve purposeful learning. And I think that’s got a lot to do with working parents and dual-income families.”
Caulfield Grammar parent Kishwar Chowdhury said the prospect of school-run extracurricular activities at the start and end of the school day was appealing.
“Having a place where they are not just being watched or looked after, but they’re using their time to do things, that’s something that every parent wants,” she said. “Having extracurricular activities, whether it’s music or sports or cooking, just means that your life is really well-rounded.”
A 2021 MasterChef finalist, Chowdhury will work with the school designing out-of-hours cooking classes, which will be pitched for ages 10 and up. They will be held in an on-site commercial-scale kitchen and adjoining classroom, with younger students also catered for.
“Younger students can follow a simple recipe just as easily as they follow Lego instructions,” she said.
The school’s Shelford campus will host out-of-hours programs from 2027, many of which will be included in the fees. This year, the private school giant is charging $42,822 for year 12 students, up 5.6 per cent on 2024, placing it in the top 20 most expensive schools in the state.
Other programs on offer include robotics and even lessons in how to host a lunch or perform stand-up comedy. Martin said the latter two were ideal approaches to hone public speaking skills and build etiquette and confidence.
Caulfield Grammar principal Ashleigh Martin at the school’s Shelford campus, where a new hub offering out-of-hours activities will be based.Credit: Jason South
He said he appreciated that for the majority of families, the cost of private school fees meant both parents had to work.
“That means schools need to be able to provide longer days when learning happens for longer, so parents can manage their own professional careers,” Martin said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of couple families with children aged under 15 had two parents employed in June last year. In 2005, that figure was 60 per cent.
At Genazzano FCJ College in Kew, secondary students can have casual or personalised gym training sessions from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Thursday.
The library at the Catholic girls’ school is open for students from 8am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, with learning support for subjects such as general maths, VCE English, chemistry and science available.
Other out-of-hours activities include a running group and recreational swimming. All are overseen by staff, at no extra cost.
Principal Loretta Wholley said the activities benefited not only students but parents juggling work and home commitments.
“We want to be able to offer students a wide range of activities, something they enjoy or something parents and students feel they need extra support with,” she said.
Haileybury’s before and after-school activities are held between 7am and 6pm and are run by staff. Depending on the campus and the student’s year level, options include robotics, drama, debating, running and chess clubs as well as yoga and dance classes.
Chess, swimming and robotics are also available during out-of-school hours to students at Melbourne Grammar’s junior campus, Grimwade House, which has a focus on recreational activities and those that extend learning. Programs on offer change but include skateboarding, taekwondo and public speaking this year.
The activities, run by staff, are available for primary students from 7am to 6pm on a user-pays basis.
At Melbourne Montessori College, principal Daniel Thomas said the school’s out-of-hours programs included a free weekly book club staffed by a teacher and a free Dungeons and Dragons club at the senior campus in Brighton.
At the school’s junior campus in Caulfield, there is a free djembe club before school, where students learn African drumming.
“It’s a fantastic example of how extracurricular activities can complement academic learning,” Thomas said.
Associate Professor Kay Margetts, from the University of Melbourne’s graduate school of education, said extracurricular activities, particularly those that were active, had benefits because they reduced students’ screen time. She could also see a benefit for parents juggling work when the children’s school day and activities were based at the same location.
However, Margetts said she did have concerns if parents were “outsourcing” their child-rearing responsibilities.
She said the effect on sleep of a longer day at school had to be considered, as did missing the chance to “just veg out” and have family time. She said there were big things to gain from little things such as eating dinner together.
“We know that sitting at a table and eating together and having a conversation is a really important thing for our children’s social skills and sense of belonging,” she said. “It’s also a time for finding out if there are issues at school or equally what good things are happening.”
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