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Wyndham City

The City of Wyndham is located on the western edge of Melbourne, Victoria in south-eastern Australia between the metropolitan area of Melbourne and the coastal City of Geelong. Wyndham covers an area of 542km² and features 27.4km of coastline bordering Port Phillip to the east. The municipality is situated in one of Australia’s most productive regions, part of the largest area of rich basalt soils on the continent. Wyndham has a diverse richness that covers elements of city, coast and country areas making it a unique place to live, work, learn and play. Wyndham is adjacent to the municipalities of Greater Geelong, Moorabool, Melton, Brimbank and Hobsons Bay.

Some population statistics:

• Currently, in 2020, the City of Wyndham has a resident population of 288,212;
• In 2019, Wyndham experienced the largest population increase in the state of Victoria and the second-largest in Australia behind Brisbane;
• Wyndham also experienced the fastest population growth in the state of Victoria (5.9%), and the second-fastest in Australia, behind Camden NSW;
• By the year 2040, the City of Wyndham is expected to have a population growth of around half a million people, due to both an increase in local birth-rates as well as a large migratory population from other areas within the state as well as interstate and international arrivals making Wyndham their home. 

A range of social factors influences the wellbeing and development of the local community, including learning and education. Information about selected groups, social and health themes in Wyndham, as well as information about our wards, suburbs, and districts, can be accessed from the Wyndham Snapshot website.

We have also created a useful infographic (click to enlarge / download):

Formal and Non-formal Learning Infra-structure

Wyndham has a variety of formal and non-formal learning infrastructure, including private and council-run kindergartens, independent, Catholic and public primary and secondary schools, satellite campuses of Deakin and Victoria University, Victoria University PolyTechnic, the Gordon TAFE, The Wyndham Tech School, The Grange P-12 School, Neighbourhood Houses, Library Programs including Storytime and Rhyme Time, The Wyndham Cultural Centre and The Wyndham Community and Education Centre which offers VCAL and adult education training and workshops.

An example of a shared partnership project to support formal and informal learning is the Wyndham Learning Festival which is a partnership between the Wyndham City Council (WCC) and Wyndham Community & Education Centre (Wyndham CEC). This partnership was formed in 2016 to deliver Wyndham’s annual Learning Festival. Both partners have a genuine belief in, and passion for, lifelong learning in the Wyndham community, improving lives and outcomes for people from disadvantaged communities. The working group coordinating the Festival comprises WCC, Wyndham CEC and other community representatives, who share an interest in community learning, community development, and youth work, support the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Learning Festival. Well in excess of 5,000 people annually participate in all forms of learning across all Life Stages in the eight-day Learning Festival.

Additionally, planning is currently underway for the delivery of integrated education, child and family and community services in Truganina. Wyndham City Council is working with the Victorian Government to develop a detailed precinct master plan and design for the first stage delivery of a new integrated education and community precinct in Truganina. The master plan will provide a detailed program of infrastructure and services to be delivered in the precinct over time. The project will also provide a template for how co-located education and community health and recreation precincts can be planned and delivered in other locations.

Learning City Developments

Wyndham City Council strongly believes learning is fundamental to the future wellbeing, prosperity, and sense of belonging for the people of Wyndham. With the Wyndham Learning Community Strategy 2018 - 2023 as the driver, Council is positioning Wyndham as a pivot for innovation, change, and resilience in an increasingly complex and ambiguous world. The Wyndham Learning Festival, City Libraries, Community Learning Centres and strong community partnerships are critical vehicles for activating learning in Wyndham. Collaborations such as the Wyndham Integrated Learning Group, Literacy and Numeracy Network and the Building Blocks program further promote access and equity, foundation skills and leadership development at all levels of the community.

Other specific Learning City developments include the proactive focus on Family Centred Learning at Wyndham Park Primary School. Wyndham Park Primary School (WPPS) is an exciting place for young people and their families to engage in education. Core to the WPPS learning model is a focus on the family and the student. Its Community Learning Hub engages parents in learning alongside the children in family learning strategies, and partnerships such as with the Saffron Café ensure children have the personal resources they need to engage in and enjoy learning.

In 2017 Wyndham Kindergartens won the Improving Access and Participation in Early Learning Award in recognition of the initiatives to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs and Practice at scale.

The Grange P-12 School is known for the work it does in bringing the community into the school. Parents and grandparents are actively undertaking digital learning from the students at the school and the resources of the school are used by families and community groups from across Wyndham.

Key Activities in the LC field

Key activities in the Learning City field include the annual Wyndham Learning Festival (www.wynlearnfestival.org.au), the biggest learning event for the area with attendance by over 5000 people across 8 days 1-8 September through formal and informal learning opportunities.  The festival is a community-wide event with activities for all ages and interests, promoting lifelong learning for all and welcoming new events, sponsors and participants to reflect this diverse and dynamic learning community.  Previous Learning Festival activities have included cooking, pyrography, craft, hip hop dance, bowling, gardening, painting, cooking, lego construction, African drumming, creative writing, knitting, Spanish, ceramics, drawing, gaming, music therapy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Participants have also joined in the Wyndham Park Party in the Precinct and Pop Up School talked to the animals at Rhyme Time at the Zoo, heard inspirational stories of refugee survival and learned about local Aboriginal culture. A recent signature event was WynTalk #1 Craig Reucassell bringing his War on Waste to Wyndham where over 400 people were inspired with recycling, upcycling and sustainability ideas. Another stand out event is Congress, a citizens’ assembly that provides a platform for Wyndham community citizens to have their say and be heard for the first time. This event is jointly run through a partnership between Wyndham Community & Education Centre and Wyndham City.

Other key activities in the learning communities field include proactive work in supporting learning transition points in formal and informal education, a dedicated project on supporting inclusion and equity for People with Disability and their access and equity to learning in Wyndham, a Transformative Education Showcase and Educational Roundtable events for education providers, two annual WynTalks sharing thought leadership loosely based on the TedTalk model and the regional LearnWest Network with other neighbouring Councils in the West of Melbourne working in the Lifelong Learning Space.

Key Priority Areas for Future Development

Our goal is to be a global leader in the area of learning cities, leading with sustainability and initiative to inspire others to take the learning city path.

Aligning with the Wyndham 2040 Vision, our key priority areas for future development around community, lifelong and life-wide learning include:

• Expanding our work in Smart Cities to ensure this work aligns with our learning city direction;
• Supporting online and blended learning opportunities and initiatives for Wyndham.

Enhancing the various networks aligned to the Learning Community Strategy including:

• LearnWest – a regional network of Learning Communities in West of Melbourne;
• Learning City Portfolio Committee - oversees the Learning Community Strategy and is chaired by the Mayor of Wyndham City Council with the support of a broad array of community contributors and members;
• The Literacy and Numeracy Network - supporting a spotlight on the literacy and numeracy of Wyndham residents aged 0-8 years;
• The Wyndham Integrated Learning Network (WILG2) - which drives an agenda around People with Disability and accessible, inclusive, safe and engaging learning environments;
• Ensuring quality projects such as the Wyndham Learning Festival are delivered to support the changing learning needs of the Wyndham community.