Sabrina Liu set to evolve education with Ivy School as it aims to be nation’s ‘First School of the Future’

A global citizen and international tertiary educator is on a mission to provide an alternative offering to the education sector through an institution aiming to be the nation’s ‘First School of the Future’. Ivy School plans to deliver the WA curriculum alongside the institution’s five key pillars of academic excellence, pastoral wellbeing, global citizenship, entrepreneurship and sustainability for K-12 students. Perth-based founder and executive director Sabrina Liu said her vision for the school stemmed from her desire to provide her own children with the best education. “I tried to look for a new education system for my own children ... I found something missing here,” she said. “I want my children to become global citizens, to care more about the global trending things, to be more sustainable and to have transferrable skills when they grow up and to adapt well for the future. “Technically we don’t have any competitors because we are providing a different option for those parents who are looking for the alternatives for their kids who look more into the environment, into the more global citizenship, entrepreneurship.” Ms Liu, who has lived, studied and worked in China and the Netherlands, plans to establish the school in the South West region between Busselton and Margaret River. “The South West region, I think, is the most beautiful area,” Ms Liu said. “With less population, with the distance from the city, I think it gives students a peaceful place to concentrate on the environment and on their studies.” Ms Liu has placed great importance on embracing the environment as the third teacher, saying she valued experiential learning. “Going forward, we will have our students spend more than 50 (per cent) of their time studying outside,” the educator said. “The environment will be their teacher ... the students and teachers, they can have an interaction in the natural environment instead of sitting in the concrete classroom.” Completion of the school’s construction is slated for 2025 as they aim to have their first intake of students by 2026.