I'm Crystal, a regular Melbourne mum trying to choose a secondary school in Melbourne for my daughter. I’m a firm believer that there is more to choosing the best school for your child than rankings and numbers on a table. In this podcast, I speak with parents, students, education experts and even principals to get a better understanding of schools and the education system in Melbourne.
Character development, challenge and community service at Woodleigh School with Char Palmer
Char Palmer, winner of the Woodleigh Prize at Woodleigh School in 2025 shares their love of their journey through school. They talk about how Woodleigh helps students build character and find interests outside of academics. In this fun chat we talk about the physical and mental challenge of "Hada", the variety of Activities offered and the emphasis on giving back.
12 Aug 2026
Psychological assessments - What's involved, when to get them and what to do with them
Hayley Jennings ( Chin ) is a psychologist and founder of Step By Step Psychology and one of the sponsors of Melbourne Schools.
In this interview, she guides us through different kinds of psychological assessments available for children and adolescents. We speak about when is the best time to do them, how they are done, what is the benefit and what can be done with the reports.
If you've ever considered a learning difficulties assessment of neurodiversity assessment for your child, this interview may help.
24 Jul 2026
IB, Marshmead and extracurriculars at MLC with Madeleine McGregor
Madeleine, the high-achieving 2025 ex–Vice Captain at MLC, shares her school journey after joining midway through secondary school. We discuss her decision to pursue the IB over the VCE, how she balanced a demanding schedule of extracurriculars alongside her studies and leadership role, and her experience at Marshmead in Year 9. She also reflects on her time at MLC and outlines her plans for the future beyond school.
14 May 2026
A look into admissions into private schools with Paul Walsh
There's a lot of mystery and anxiety around waitlisting and admissions into Melbourne private schools. In this podcast, I chat to Paul Walsh who was Director of Admissions and Community Engagement in a co-ed private school for 15 years. We talk about the waitlisting process, if you should be honest in your application as well as the role that NAPLAN might play in school admissions.
10 Mar 2026
How the home environment affects child behaviour with Penny Miller from Families In Mind Design
Welcome to Season 2 of the Melbourne Schools podcast! In this conversation I speak to Penny Miller, founder of Families In Mind Design and sponsor of Melbourne Schools. Penny has unique skills combining 10 years of child development expertise with interior design. We chat about the intersection of child development and interior design and how the home environment can affect child behaviour.
29 Apr 2025
Avila's nurturing culture and welcoming school environment
Liv has two daughters who both go to Avila. We chat about how they chose the school and why it's been a perfect fit for her older daughter. We chat about the culture of the school and if what I learned on the tour is reflected in her daughters' experience there so far.
26 Mar 2025
The inclusive sports culture and community at Mentone Grammar
Lisa is the mum of two sons who go / went to Mentone Grammar. In this conversation we talk about finding a suitable school environment where her kids could thrive. We also chat about the inclusive sports culture, community and academic culture at Mentone Grammar.
25 Feb 2025
Daniel Cash speaks about Melbourne Grammar's inclusive all boys culture
Daniel is already an an accomplished writer and law student after graduating Melbourne Grammar's as school captain in 2023. In this podcast we chat about his experience growing up at Melbourne Grammar. We cover the inclusive and nuturing culture at Melbourne Grammar, growing up in a wealthy school and how his school experience has set him up for university and life beyond.
5 Dec 2024
Comparing Singapore and Australia's education systems and how to teach critical thinking
Dr Timothy Tan shares insights on comparing Singapore and Australia's education systems, and how to teach critical thinking and creativity in his unique and enjoyable learning approach.
26 Nov 2024
The high achieving culture and breadth of opportunity at Haileybury College
Haileybury College alumnus Archie shares insights into the high-achieving student culture and breadth of opportunity that set him up for success after 13 years at the school.
1 Nov 2024
What to look for when choosing a primary school with Kasey Easdown
Kasey is the principal of a small Catholic primary school as well as a parent of a primary school student. In this episode she gives parents some tips on what to look for when choosing a primary school for their child.
17 Oct 2024
The community and culture of respect at Mazenod
Dexter is a dad to two girls and boy, all of whom are in Catholic schools. In today's conversation we chat about his son's school Mazenod College. Dexter shares why he chose Mazenod ( and some of the other schools he considered ), what's important to him in a school and Mazenod's community and culture of respect.
9 Oct 2024
Private school culture at a public girls school at Canterbury Girls Secondary College
Kate is a mum of three girls who currently go to Canterbury Girls Secondary College. In this conversation she shares her thoughts about why she chose girls education, why she loves Canterbury Girls and how her girls with different personalities have fitted into the culture at the school.
Find out more about Melbourne Schools (https://melbourneschools.com.au/)
Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbourneschools)
21 Sept 2024
What is involved in matching students with schools with Paul O'Shannassy
Paul is an education consultant specialising in matching students with suitable private schools in Melbourne. In this conversation we chat about how he came to offer such a unique service, why there's a demand for it and how he does what he does.
Paul has been consulting for over 15 years and has helped hundreds of families find the right school for their child. We chat about what is the process of finding the right school and what are the most important things to look for when matching a student with a school.
Find out more about Paul's service at www.regentconsulting.com.au
Find out more about Melbourne Schools (https://melbourneschools.com.au/)
Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbourneschools)
17 Sept 2024
The parallel learning experience and the culture of care at Tintern
Jo is an experienced mum of 3 boys, all of whom have been students at Tintern Grammar since primary school. She generously shares with us why she chose Tintern for her three boys as a teacher herself.
In this conversation, Jo talks about the benefits of parallel learning and the community minded culture at Tintern in the education of her boys.
Find out more about Melbourne Schools (https://melbourneschools.com.au/)
Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbourneschools)
2 Sept 2024
Selective schools and the education system with Thuy Pham
Thuy Pham is the founder of Spectrum Tuition. Starting from humble beginnings teaching students at home, over the past 20 years Spectrum Tuition has coached countless students through selective school tests and scholarship exams.
In this conversation, Thuy talks about the problems she has seen in the education system and why she thinks tuition can help. We chat about where her passion and drive for education comes from and what she's seen over the years of tutoring students.
Find out more about Spectrum Tuition at www.spectrumtuition.com
Find out more about Melbourne Schools (https://melbourneschools.com.au/)
Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbourneschools)
1 Sept 2024
The selective school experience with ex MacRob school captain Ananya
Ananya is a recent graduate of MacRobertson Girls School - one of the few selective schools in Melbourne. Ananya graduated as school captain and now has aspirations to become a doctor and works as a tutor for younger students.
In this episode, Ananya shares her experience of selective school, why she chose to go to selective school and how hard is it to get in. In this conversation Ananya is wonderfully articulate, humble and generous while sharing her wisdom about selective schools.
Find out more about Melbourne Schools (https://melbourneschools.com.au/)
Join the Melbourne Schools Discussion Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/melbourneschools)
10 Aug 2024
Trailer
Welcome to the Melbourne Schools Podcast with Crystal Wong. Learn more about Melbourne Schools at www.melbourneschools.com.au.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,586
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
26
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
32
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