Learning To Lead: A History Of Girls' And Boys' Corporate Secondary Schools In Australia

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Few institutions have shaped the character of Australian society more profoundly than its elite corporate secondary schools — and Learning to Lead presents the first comprehensive history of both girls' and boys' establishments that defined generations of the nation's leaders. Geoffrey Sherington, R.C. Petersen, and Ian Brice chronicle the origins, evolution, and social function of these influential institutions, from their colonial foundations through to their modern incarnations, illustrating how they mirrored and moulded the values of Australia's ruling classes. The work argues that these schools were never merely places of academic instruction — they were carefully engineered environments designed to instil discipline, social hierarchy, and civic identity. Drawing on extensive archival research, the authors detail the competing ideals of masculinity and femininity that structured school life, and how those ideals shifted across the decades. For anyone seeking to understand the deep roots of privilege and aspiration in Australian culture, this landmark study raises questions that resonate far beyond the schoolyard gate.