A great Australian school: Wesley College examined by Andrew Lemon (Second Hand Book)

Description SECOND HAND BOOK Wesley College, Melbourne, has by weight of power, influence and reputation long been regarded as one of the leading schools of Australia. Yet despite the distinction of educating two Australian prime ministers, the college has resisted the view of itself as a school for the elite. Wesley’s allegiances have traditionally been to progressive forces: religious tolerance, ethnic diversity, academic open-entry. To this has been added in recent decades, powerfully expressed, the right of girls to receive an equal education to boys. An independent historian has now been offered privileged access to the school’s records and stories. In a work of warmth and insight, Andrew Lemon adroitly charts Wesley’s evolution from foundation in 1866 as a Methodist boys’ school to its present status, as a Uniting Church multi-campus coeducational enterprise. Controversial at times, this forthright account will challenge as well as entertain. It also makes a broader contribution to educational debate by exploring the role of independent schools in Australia, how power is exercised in them, the tension between quality and equality in education, the impact of schooling on later life, and the contrast between single-sex and coeducational practice. Specifications: Condition: Good. General signs of age and use. Publisher: The Helicon Press Year: 2004 Format: Hardcover Pages: 623 ISBN: 0958678588