Pilot program paving path back to education for students with mental health conditions attracts funding boost, sparks calls for national roll-out

Media Release: Tuesday 30 July 2024

Data from a “game changing” pilot mental health program, Living Learning, shows that young Victorians who fell out of the school system due to mental health conditions and have taken part in the program, are successfully catching up and graduating. The Living Learning program is celebrating a $3.6 million dollar funding injection from the Victorian State Government and ignites calls for its embedding into the national education system.

A first of its kind in Australia, the Living Learning program supports 15-to-21-year-olds with mental ill-health who are isolated and have not stepped foot inside a classroom for years – often as a consequence of experiencing family violence and homelessness, which affect more and more young Australians every year.

The program responds to a growing education crisis, in which rising mental ill-health contributes to “school refusal”, early high-school drop-out rates, and 276,000 (8 per cent) 15-to-24-year-olds not currently studying or working in Australia.

Living Learning Manager Sam Barrett explains: “The program works because we combine flexible learning and holistic healthcare at school to support the goals of each student, whatever they are. For one, our occupational therapist installed a sensory tent to empower that student’s return to the classroom while avoiding overstimulation.

“That same student went on to improve their literacy and numeracy by the equivalent of eight grades in just two years, then graduate secondary school and take on a career in nursing. This game-changing program is achieving life-changing results.”

Data released today shows that at the end of their three-year support period, three in four (75 per cent) Living Learning students achieved literacy and numeracy scores needed to move on to technical and further education.

Four in five (80 per cent) students had moved into higher education or training, or were actively securing work or further study opportunities.

Developed as part of the Victorian Government’s Partnership Addressing Disadvantage initiative that brings together the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to solve complex social issues, Living Learning will support 216 young people to get back to school at the Hester Hornbrook Academy.

Hester Hornbrook is an independent registered school with a focus on addressing student wellbeing first to ensure academic success, providing educators and youth workers in every class. The school has campuses across Greater Melbourne and plans to open a Werribee campus in 2025.

Minister for Youth, Natalie Suleyman MP adds: "We are pleased to continue supporting the Living Learning program as it successfully re-engages young people experiencing mental health challenges through its individualised approach to mental health and education support.

“We know that education is key to the development of young people. Programs that are tailored to the needs of young people living with mental health conditions, like Living Learning, give more young Victorians a genuine chance at achieving a quality education.”

Barrett adds, “The evidence shows Living Learning gives young people a new pathway back to their education. With mental ill-health and school refusal rates on the rise, embedding it into the national education system would help to uphold every young Australian’s right to education.”

Find more information on Living Learning and how to enrol: hhacademy.vic.edu.au

Melbourne City Mission would like to thank our partners Gandel Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, The Ross Trust, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and the Victorian Government. This project would not be possible without their investment and commitment.