11/06/2026
PART 2 — The Principal Who Shaped Modern SSPS
✨ THE PRINCIPAL WHO HELPED SHAPE THE SSPS WE KNOW TODAY ✨
Meet Jim Hewitt
In 1972, while Spensley Street students were still learning in portable classrooms on the muddy Walker Street site, a new principal arrived.
His name was Jim Hewitt, and his ideas would leave an incredible legacy.
Jim had worked in curriculum development across Victoria and believed schools should be places where children, teachers and parents learned together. When he arrived, he wrote down his vision for the future of Spensley Street — and, reading it today, it’s hard to believe it was written more than 50 years ago.
He imagined a school where:
💛 learning happened in a happy atmosphere
🤝 teachers planned and worked together
🌱 children learned through real experiences
🎨 creativity and culture mattered
🌍 the school belonged to the whole community
✨ every child was recognised as an individual
He trusted teachers as professionals, encouraged them to take risks and try new ideas, and believed students should play an active role in their own learning. He even introduced first names for teachers and replaced the school bell with music! (Although we’re quietly relieved his idea that male teachers should wear long socks with their shorts didn’t stand the test of time. 🧦😂)
Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that his vision still sounds incredibly familiar. Community, collaboration, curiosity, inclusion and joyful learning continue to sit at the heart of SSPS today.
And one of the boldest ideas of all? The open-plan, multi-age learning model that was just beginning to take shape…
Curious to see 50 years of innovative, inclusive and inspiring education in action? Come and experience our multi-age learning spaces for yourself at one of our upcoming Prep Tours — this Friday 12 June or Friday 17 July. We’d love to meet you! Booking link in bio. 🌿✨
