Message from the Principal

As we head toward the end of Semester 2, we can look back on numerous highlights from the sporting, academic and arts fields as well as - of course - looking back on the positive relationships and friendships that have grown over the year so far. This is particularly true for our Cohort 2030 students in their first semester of high school!

Well done to the Senior Play team

I would like to highlight the exceptional work of the Senior Play team who embarked on a new journey in theatre for Preston High School this year, creating Exiles - the Senior Play. Learning from our successful musicals, the team this year pursued the dramatic arts through a stretching and challenging format of a devised performance developed collaboratively across multiple performance styles. The Senior Play wove together stories and excerpts from Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, The Outsiders, historic texts of colonial Australia and various theatrical plays, all centred around the characters and core idea of The Golden Age by Australian playwright Louis Nowra. Exiles explored the creation of identity and queried how exclusion and inclusion in the national narrative constructed the nation we inhabit today. It was a challenging piece of theatre and one that stretched our students and audiences; the result was a play and performances that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with professional theatrical productions. 

Preston High School in the news

Community members may also have seen our school featured in The Age newspaper as the fastest growing school in Victoria over the five years from 2019-2024, with a 797 per cent growth over that time eclipsing even schools in the urban growth corridors and other new schools. 

To quote from Alex Crowe's article:

"Preston High principal Sean Butler said infill development and population growth in surrounding areas had increased demand for public schools in Melbourne’s north." Butler previously told The Age he had expected 60 students to enrol in the school’s first year, in 2019, but 178 applied. In its second year, it received 300 applications for 125 spots. He said Preston High was fortunate to have quickly gained the community’s confidence. 

 

‘‘We’re also really lucky that in the north of Melbourne, there are a lot of good, high-quality public schools people want to send their children to. All the schools in our Darebin and Yarra area are thriving ... it creates pressure, but it’s not a bad pressure.’’ 

 

During its rapid expansion, Preston High has maintained strong academic results – it received standout NAPLAN results in 2023 and a Victorian Education Excellence Award for Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students."

The significant growth that the school has experienced has been matched by timely building expansions and support from Government and the Department of Education, with particular thanks to successive School Councils. I know that the High School for Preston group will be proud that they accurately predicted the demand for a high-quality public education offering for local kids way back! In 2026, we anticipate that the school will grow again to around 1400 pupils, pending the Grade 6 enrolment processes that are currently underway in Primary Schools.

Sean Butler

Principal