Melbourne High students to shift into portables after ‘extreme’ safety concerns raised

Up to half of all classes at Melbourne High School could move to demountables next year after the state’s building authority committed to critical safety work, but a full restoration of its century-old “castle on the hill” remains in doubt.

The prestigious all-boys public school is expecting classes currently held in its main Gothic-style building, nicknamed the T-building, will shift to 30 portable classrooms while the site is closed to students for safety work in 2027.

Fire and electrical upgrades in a second building, known as the N-building, will get underway later this year but will not disrupt classes.

The Victorian State Building Authority agreed to electrical and fire-system remediation in the two main buildings after staff threatened to walk out over safety concerns, following an Education Department report highlighting the defunct systems’ “extreme” risk.

The authority has regularly visited the South Yarra school to scope the immediate and longer-term maintenance works since the walkout threat was made public but is yet to commit funding to a full T-building refurbishment.

Melbourne High School did not renew its more than 30-year contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club’s hockey division for 2026 to make space for the demountables on its hockey field.

MCC Hockey chair Alison Foenander said the “unexpected” decision would be disappointing for everyone who has a strong connection to the school.

“For generations of players, coaches, volunteers and families, Melbourne High School has been much more than a hockey facility,” Foenander wrote in a letter to members.

“It has been where lifelong friendships have been formed, premierships celebrated, young players have taken their first steps onto the field, and countless hours have been spent representing a club we are all proud to be part of.”

In May, an Education Department health and safety officer visited Melbourne High at the school’s request to gather information for the report. This followed dozens of unsuccessful attempts by the school to secure funding to address building problems.

Half a dozen reports, four produced by the school and two by the Education Department, between 2020 and 2025, and seen by this masthead, detail thousands of defects ranging from water damage to major structural issues.

School estimates for the institution’s refurbishment range from $50 to $100 million, with costs amplified due to its heritage listing.

Melbourne High, the only all-boys school among the state’s four public selective-entry schools, has a Victorian Heritage Register listing due to its “historical, architectural and aesthetic significance”. Thousands of Year 9 students apply for about 340 coveted places at the school .

The T-Building was constructed in 1927 to accommodate about 700 boys when the state’s first secondary school on Spring Street became too dilapidated.