The dedicated team at a unique Melbourne school that provides Indigenous students with a school and boarding program is about to expand, thanks to a Ross Trust grant.

The Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) caters for students from remote and regional communities across the Northern Territory and Victoria. Each year, 22 students arrive at MITS in Year 7 (11 girls and 11 fellas). The students spend two years learning at the MITS classrooms and live together in one of the MITS boarding houses, which provide a culturally celebratory home-away-from-home.

After Year 8, the students continue to board at MITS but move into their Years 9 to 12 education at one of 12 Pathways Schools. The schools include government, Catholic and independent colleges.

Lia Bartholomew is the Head of Boarding and Wellbeing at MITS. A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, Lia explained that in early 2023, MITS employed mental health practitioner Emma Puddy to work with students at the girls’ boarding houses.

“Emma has done incredible work in connecting with our 39 senior female boarders and building trusted relationships with them and their families,” Lia said. “She advocates for our girls in our Pathways Schools, ensuring they continue becoming even better learning environments for our students.

 “Our girls feel very comfortable in visiting her wellbeing office, discussing any psychosocial issues they may be facing, and issues such as nutrition and health, vaping and smoking, and sexual health.

“As a result, we’re seeing better retention of our senior female students, compared with our senior male students – about 90 per cent to 75 per cent.”

Lia said the school was keen to recreate the outcome for their fellas. 

From 2025, The Ross Trust will provide $150,000 over three years to fund a male staff member to support the young fellas in a variety of ways, including helping them stay engaged at school.

Lia said it would be a unique and satisfying role for the right person.

“We want to find somebody who is excited about supporting our fellas, their families, and their schools,” she said. “While we would love to find a First Nations person, we are also open to other applicants. The most important thing is that we find somebody to be a strong, trusted and committed role model.”

Senior Grants Manager Meghan Weeks said the Ross Trust was delighted to support MITS for the first time.

“Indigenous families in remote and regional communities want educational opportunities for their children, including, for some families, schooling in large cities,” Meghan said. “Many Melbourne schools also want to support Indigenous students by offering academic and boarding scholarships but often the challenges of being away from home can be too much.

“MITS is doing a fantastic job in offering access to greater educational opportunities and choice and providing a culturally safe and positive home environment.”

Lia said that 13 Year 12 MITS students will finish at their various schools in 2024.

“We are reflecting on that number – we are so proud of them,” she said. “Ultimately, we would love to set up an alumni program so these young people can keep in touch with their peers and the schools in the future. We want them to be proud of their achievements.”

MITS welcomed its first cohort of 22 Year 7 students in 2016. It now has 80 students and more than 50 staff. 

The students live across four boarding houses in Richmond and attend Year 7 and 8 in classrooms at Richmond High School and at the Richmond Football Club building in Punt Road.

Find out more about MITS.