S7/Ep.07 - Boys’ and Girls’ Schools Working Together
From Exploring Boys' Education by International Boys' Schools Coalition
June 1, 2026 · 37 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the collaboration between neighboring boys' and girls' schools in Melbourne, focusing on coed initiatives and healthy relationships.
In this episode of the IBSC Exploring Boys' Education Podcast, Anna-Louise Simpson, head of Wadhurst at Melbourne Grammar School (Australia), and Kerry Oldman, middle school executive director and acting deputy principal at Melbourne Girls' Grammar School, discuss what genuine, sustained coed collaboration between neighboring single-gender schools can look like. Just 700 meters apart, the two schools have built a deliberate partnership that goes well beyond the occasional joint performance or school dance. Discover how the Melbourne Experience, a weeklong, student-led documentary project set across the city, creates the conditions for boys and girls to build real trust, take responsibility, and see past stereotype. Simpson and Oldman also walk through their Healthy Relationships Programme, which brings together year 8 students for structured—sometimes challenging—conversations about consent, online behavior, and gender equality. Tune in to learn what it takes for a boys' school to approach a neighboring girls' school with the humility and preparation that make collaboration genuinely worthwhile. IBSC Exploring Boys’ Education music composed and performed by Tom DiGiovanni. IBSC
People in this episode
Host: IBSC
Guests: Anna-Louise Simpson, Kerry Oldman
Topics covered
- coeducation
- collaboration
- gender equality
- healthy relationships
- education
Keywords
- boys' education
- girls' education
- coed collaboration
- Melbourne schools
- student-led projects
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Melbourne Grammar School, Melbourne Girls' Grammar School, IBSC
Places: Melbourne, Australia
More episodes of Exploring Boys' Education
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- S7/Ep.05 - Redefining High Performance in Boys’ School Sport · March 26, 2026 · 27 min
- S7/Ep.04 - Boys and the Deepfake Landscape · March 10, 2026 · 28 min
- S7/Ep.03 - The Boy-Friendly School · December 12, 2025 · 41 min
- S7/Ep.02 - An Actionable Blueprint for Boys' Well-Being · November 5, 2025 · 39 min
- S7/Ep.01 - Boys, Green Spaces, and Wellbeing · September 22, 2025 · 41 min
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