Summer Hill teachers get a taste of the Field Studies Centre 

Each term, a cohort of Trinity’s Year 9 students travels down the coast to immerse themselves in the term-long outdoor education residential program at the Field Studies Centre (FSC). 

The students leave behind their families and their usual classes to embrace new opportunities for place-based learning, self-discovery, relationship building, and exploring new ways of being in community together. For every boy, it is a formative experience and a core component of life at Trinity. 

For staff at Summer Hill, however, the Field Studies Program (FSP) experience can feel as though it’s a world away. Without first-hand experience of the FSP, fostering understanding and awareness of how the FSP operates and develops students can be challenging. 

Mr Neil Van Heerden, Residential Operations Co-ordinator at the FSC, says that there can be limitations to visiting the Centre as many staff from Summer Hill do on occasion, something he knows from his time as part of the Summer Hill team. 

“I had visited the Centre as a Housemaster many times before, but never really understood just how counter-cultural and transformative the Program was until I enmeshed and immersed myself within the day-to-day life of the staff and students at the site.” 

That’s why, in late 2025, after Mr Van Heerden’s conversations with the Head of the Field Studies Centre, Mr Tim Knowles, the Field Studies Academic Program Co-ordinator, Ms Leah Arthur, and Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn, Head of Research and Professional Growth, a new initiative was born for Summer Hill-based teachers to experience immersion at the Field Studies Centre. 

Mr Van Heerden says he was “confident” that the introduction of this experience would “completely alter perceptions about the program and bolster more meaningful cross-campus connections”. 

“Providing time for staff to undertake the same activities as the boys was key – we wanted them to feel the discomfort, awe, and curiosity that the boys feel,” added Ms Arthur. “We felt that this would provide a rich source of practice reflection and professional discourse.” 

This new program was developed with three objectives in mind: 

• For staff to develop their knowledge and understanding of signature programs and pedagogies at the Field Studies Centre. 
• For connections to grow between teaching and learning at Summer Hill and the Field Studies Program, for both staff and students. 
• Increased insight for Summer Hill staff into the experiences of students at the Field Studies Centre. 

For just over two days, a small cohort of staff – 2 or 3 – travels down to Woollamia for their own Field Studies experience. 

While there, their schedule is jam-packed with site orientations, immersion in the outdoor education program, the academic and pastoral programs, evening activities, debriefs and reflections, as well as time to check in with their emails to stay on top of life at Summer Hill.   

Before returning to Summer Hill to see out their day in their regular classes, the staff are involved in a debrief discussion over breakfast guided by the program’s objectives. 

Ms Rachel Jensen (Mathematics) and Mr Daniel Williams (Teaching and Learning Librarian) were members of the second cohort to experience the immersion program. 

“At the FSC, the students follow our Maths programs in parallel to what we do here in Summer Hill. I wanted to see what the classroom learning environment is really like down there so I could have a better understanding of how to prepare them for the experience, but also to understand their context when they return,” says Ms Jensen. 

“The immersion experience gave me a greater appreciation of how much socio-emotional learning they do there. It seems obvious but every little thing there is different from home for our boys, and it is so interesting to see them interacting in the space,” Ms Jensen continues. “I also have a better understanding of what my colleagues are doing at the FSP, so I can collaborate and communicate with them better.” 

Mr Williams says he signed up for the experience to get more of an insight into this defining piece of the Trinity program, to better connect with students and enhance his ability to contribute to the holistic education at Summer Hill. 

“The experience provides a thorough, first-hand understanding of the FSP that is far more valuable than the theoretical understanding I held before attending the immersion,” he says. “I have been able to engage students in conversation, encourage continued reflection, and draw educational/conceptual connections across the different strands of my work … having a more genuine view of the FSC experience has helped me situate myself within the broader educational context of Trinity.”

As for their highlights? The ‘Solo’ and ‘Time on Country’ experiences left their mark. 

“Observing student interaction and engagement during Time on Country was a highlight, as to see them in an authentically place-based educational context affirmed the comprehensive nature of a Trinity education,” says Mr Williams. 

“I really loved the ‘Solo’ experience,” says Ms Jensen. “I was unsure what to expect, being dropped alone for a bit in the bush. Being a mum of two small children, I haven’t really had much alone time in a while!” 

As suggested, she left her phone behind, heading out into the bush with only a notebook and a box of prompts. 

“It was quite awkward at the start because I’m so used to having clear outcomes and jobs to complete that sitting in nature for an hour felt so unnatural to me. I eventually gave in to the boredom as there was literally nothing to do but contemplate nature. I ended up really enjoying slowing down and noticing small details around me.” 

As they expected, Ms Arthur and Mr Van Heerden saw how the experience started to fill in ‘gaps’ of knowledge and understanding about time in the FSP. 

“Their experience, at least in part, mirrored my own,” says Mr Van Heerden. They become FSP ‘converts’ so to speak – champions of the Program as a large-scale socio-emotional and learning intervention that sows seeds for growth in character, mind, body, and spirit.” 

“It was an incredibly satisfying experience. We built the experience around staff engaging in truly different activities [like ‘Time on Country’ and ‘Solo’],” says Ms Arthur. “The discussions that came out of these activities showed that the teachers were deeply considering the pedagogy and practice of the FSC and thinking about what it meant for boys.”

While the pilot program in late 2025 focused on Summer Hill staff visiting the FSC, during this time an idea was raised that a ‘reverse experience’ – where a member of the FSC staff spends time at the Summer Hill campus – could be of value. 

In March 2026, this became possible, with Mr Luke Reid (PDHPE teacher at the FSC), observing lessons, meeting with PDHPE Faculty members, and gathering information to inform a Professional Learning Team (PLT) place-based inquiry project he is completing throughout 2026. 

“I was particularly interested in seeing how their programs operate and exploring ideas that could enhance the learning experience for students at the FSC,” he said. “It helped me appreciate how big the transition can be for students when they move to the FSC campus, and why some students may initially find that adjustment challenging.” 

“The experience has given me several ideas that I’m looking forward to incorporating into my teaching.” 

As this professional growth program looks to continue in 2026, Summer Hill staff are encouraged to take up this opportunity to truly immerse themselves in life at the Field Studies Centre.