Frequently Asked Questions
What is classical Christian education?
"Classical Christian education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty by means of the seven liberal arts so that, in Christ, the student is enabled to better know, glorify, and enjoy God." - circeinstitute.org
What is The Classical School?
The Classical School is a Pty. Ltd. company operating a tutoring service to home educated children.
ABN 15 666 478 039
ANZSIC Code 82190
The Classical School's tutoring service is a hybrid school alternative. We run weekly full day classes offering a classical Christian curriculum that aims to meet and exceed the requirements of the Western Australian Curriculum. Our teaching is grounded in a Christian perspective and example.
In order to enrol at the The Classical School, you will need to register your children for Home Education with the Department of Education.
Why do I need to be registered for Home Education?
The Classical School is not a registered school for the purposes of the School Education Act 1999 (WA). In order to enrol with us you will need to register as a home educator with the Department of Education to fulfil your obligations under that Act. You can easily register by contacting the North Metro Education Office:
NorthMetropolitanERO.PublicInbox@education.wa.edu.au
Do parents need to attend?
Short Answer: No, but you should be readily available.
Long Answer:
The Classical School is a prescribed (f) class of private tutoring centre providing an organised cooperation between homeschooling families. We are exempt from the Education and Care Services National Law (WA) Act 2012 as parents, family members or parent authorised nominees provide or share the education and care to children in our service; and parents or family members or parent authorised nominees are readily available:
Education and Care Services National Law (WA) Act 2012
Part 1 Section 5 (h)
education and care service means any service providing or intended to provide education and care on a regular basis to children under 13 years of age other than a service of a prescribed class
Education and Care Services National Regulations 2012
Chapter 1 Regulation 5(2)(f)
The following classes of service are excluded from the definition of education and care service:
(f) a service that provides education and care to children where the education and care is primarily provided or shared by parents or family members of the children and a parent or family member is readily available for the period that the child is educated and cared for and retains responsibility for the child.
All of our tutors are either parents, *family members, or parent authorised nominees of children in our program.
*family member, in relation to a child, means —
(a) a parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, or cousin of the child, whether of the whole blood or half-blood and whether that relationship arises by marriage (including a de facto relationship) or by adoption or otherwise; or
(b) a relative of the child according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander tradition; or
(c) a person with whom the child resides in a family-like relationship; or
(d) a person who is recognised in the child’s community as having a familial role in respect of the child.
Within the unique classical Christian community of The Classical School, tutors are recognised as having a familial role in respect of the children in their care, this is the well established cultural practice and common law doctrine In Loco Parentis.
Where & when will you be meeting?
We use the Parish Hall at St. Patrick's Anglican Church, Mt. Lawley (Cnr. First Ave. & Beaufort St.). Classes will be held in the Hall and Meeting rooms. We will be meeting Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
Are your staff qualified teachers?
Yes, all our staff are at least four year university trained. Our staff have post graduate qualifications in Classics and/or Education and between them have over three decades of teaching experience.
How will your classes be structured?
As student numbers allow, children will be graded into three groups according to:
Early Learners (K-PP) Kindergarten is for children who turn 4 before June 30 of that year.
Beginning readers' (Years 1 - 3), Year 1 is for children who turn 6 before June 30 of that year.
'Intermediate readers' (Years 4 - 6) and
'Advanced readers' (Years 7 - 9).
This is not 'hard and fast' and each child will be cared for according to their unique circumstances.
Within each class, students will be taught as a group, with individual differentiation as required.
What is your maximum class size
Classes will be capped at 16 students per age group (K-PP; Years 1 - 3 and Years 4 - 6, Years 7 - 9). This is subject to change at the discretion of the director.
How are you funded?
We are funded through parent fees and private donation. We do not accept government funding as we are not a registered school. Registered schools are funded about $16,700 for education per student in Australia, based on the Gonski funding model.
So how much will it cost?
2024 Fee Schedule
Kindergarten (Morning sessions only)
$4,800 annual fee. (including GST).
Pre-primary (Full Day)
$8,100 annual fee. (including GST).
Year 1 - 3
$8,100 annual fee. (including GST).
Year 4 - 6
$8,700 annual fee. (including GST).
Year 7 - 9
$9,000 annual fee. (including GST).
Payments can be made in one lump sum: Cash, EFT, direct debited credit card, or 12 monthly instalments direct debit.
Tuition will be pro-rata depending on the time of your enrolment.
Are you offering any 'elective' only classes
In Years K - 6, our unique three day program is designed to operate as an integrated programme. Elective classes are only offered to TCS students who are enrolled for our full program. In 2024 our Year 7 - 10 program is designed on a unit based enrolment system: 1) Humanities & Science, 2) Logic & Mathematics and 3) Music, Drama & Latin.
What subjects will you be teaching?
Subjects including English, Maths, Science, Humanities (History, Geography, Civics, Economics), Visual Arts & Music will be our core program. Along with Latin, Bible reading and prayer and lots of fun games and activities.
We will be offering the above through prism of a liberal arts curriculum including: grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music & astronomy. As we are a K-6 based tutoring service, our focus is on grammar, logic and rhetoric (known as the Trivium).
Charlotte Mason style 'nature study' and Montessori hands on activities are also embedded in our program.
Are you offering High School classes?
Yes! Since 2023, we expanded to include a Year 7 - 10 class with dedicated tutors. Our Year 7 - 10 program is designed on a unit based enrolment system: 1) Humanities & Science, 2) Logic & Mathematics and 3) Music, Drama & Latin.
What curriculum will you be using?
Our curriculum products are sourced from world leaders in Classical Christian Education, including Classical Academic Press, Logos Press & Memoria Press. Australian literature & history and old books are also incorporated into our curriculum. These products meet and exceed the requirements of the Western Australian Curriculum for the subjects we offer. Our Maths texts are mastery based and focus on processes and conceptual understanding. We use a a mix of Singapore Math, Saxon Math, Life of Fred and time tested maths textbooks.
Do we need to be Christians to attend?
TCS is primarily equipped to support Christian families "train their children in the way they should go".
As such we prioritise enrolling children from Christian families. If your children attend we will expect that they participate in our prayer and singing times, we will also expect them to act according to Christian ethical teaching.
If you are open to exploring more of the Christian faith, we are happy to meet with you and discuss how we might be able to serve you.
What about devices?
TCS is intentionally low-tech.
Students are not required to own a device. Tutors may use appropriate ICT to deliver content, but individual screen time or devices are not a feature of our curriculum delivery at The Classical School. We base this decision on emerging evidence from around the world about the impact of screen time on children and their cognitive and social development, as well as their wellbeing.
Why not a full week?
We know that with smaller classes and focussed learning students can achieve a lot more than in a regular school. Three days gives homeschooling parents the opportunity to pursue their own co-curricula and community based sport and cultural pursuits on Mondays and Fridays - not to mention extra long weekends!
What accountability mechanisms are in place?
We take child protection & safety seriously.
Parents are welcome on site to ensure accountability and safety. Parents receive weekly tutoring notes explaining the subjects and topics taught.
All tutors have a Working With Children Check (WWCC) and a National Police Clearance.
While not a registered school we do use the Non-Government School Registration Standards as our guide as a measure of best practice.
The Classical School is accredited with the Australian Tutoring Association (ATA), the peak body for the tutoring industry in Australia. The ATA provides us with a model code of conduct and training to ensure best practice.
As registered teachers with the Teaching Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA) we are committed to child safety and understand the moral and legal requirements to keep children safe in our care.
We use an insurance broker to guide us on the range of insurance cover required by industry best practice.
We are advised by a board of reference who provide wisdom, advice and consultancy from time to time as required.
Do you have a statement of faith?
While The Classical School Pty. Ltd. is not formally affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia, our tutoring service operates from a reformed Anglican tradition. As such we hold to the Bible, the historic creeds, the 39 Articles, the Book of Common Prayer and the Jerusalem Declaration to guide our doctrinal & ethical perspectives.
What is your view on human sexuality?
Our doctrine on human sexuality is informed by the historic teaching of the BIble. We also align with GAFCON's Jerusalem Declaration Tenet 8 (2008) and the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Resolution I.10 (1998). This is not an issue that we discuss with children, but we acknowledge that this is a culturally significant issue for parents discerning the right educational options for their children.