Around the world, the shape of a child’s learning still conforms to a timetable designed for uniformity, not individuality. Six periods a day. Bells that dictate when we think. Hours stacked back-to-back in unbroken cognitive exertion. It’s a legacy structure that predates our current understanding of learning diversity, neuroplasticity, and even childhood itself.

And while we don’t need to throw the timetable out entirely, we do need to recognise it as a powerful lever for equity—or exclusion.

The hidden rigidity beneath the façade of choice

Modern education prides itself on flexibility. But flexibility in subject selection, uniforms, or pedagogy means little if every child is still expected to learn algebra at 9:15 on a Tuesday, regardless of readiness, mood, or neurological profile. The reality is this: most schools globally still operate on near-identical time structures.

So, when parents are told they can ‘choose the right school’ for their child, they are often choosing cosmetic variation—not structural change.

Time as a source of exclusion

For some students, the traditional school day works well. They thrive with consistency, structure, and social contact.

But for others—especially those with learning differences, trauma backgrounds, mental health challenges, or high intellectual potential—the rigidity of the day becomes an obstacle, not a scaffold.

• According to the 2020 CYDA national survey, only 40% of students with disability complete Year 12, compared to 75% of their peers.
• Students in very remote areas of Australia are 50% less likely to complete Year 12 than their urban counterparts (ABS, 2021).
• Anxiety, burnout, and emotional dysregulation are now common exit points for bright students who simply cannot sustain 8 hours of intense collaboration or overstimulation.

This is not a problem of curriculum. It is a problem of design.

Time as a moderated variable: not a fixed constraint

At 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global, we didn’t reject the timetable—we reimagined it. We recognised that structure can be supportive, but only if it bends to human need.

Our approach uses technology to moderate pace, timing, and cognitive load, allowing students to engage in both independent and collaborative learning—but in the right balance, at the right time, for the right learner.

No child needs 8 hours of socialisation. Nor do they thrive in total isolation. Moderation is our mantra: enough routine to provide rhythm, enough flexibility to support wellbeing.

A return to discipline-specific thinking

We also believe the shift toward flexibility must not come at the cost of rigour. The loss of discipline-specific thinking—the ability to reason like a scientist, argue like a lawyer, or structure like a mathematician—has been one of the silent casualties of systems that prioritise generalism over depth.

True education teaches the long game. The International Baccalaureate understands this. Rather than focusing on short-term gains or quick wins, it fosters layered inquiry, personal growth, and reflective understanding. But even in IB schools, how time is structured remains one of the final frontiers of transformation.

What schools must now confront

The most important shift is not a new curriculum, a new tool, or even a new policy. It’s a new contract with time. Schools must start asking:

• Does our schedule support learning, or just logistics?
• Are students cognitively ready at the times we teach them?
• Are we offering variety in style but sameness in structure?
• Can we build systems that adapt, rather than ask students to?

The truth is, structure matters. But it must be crafted, not copied.

Fairness is not sameness

We do not need to abandon the school day. We need to refine it with intention, moderate it with care, and design it in service of the learner—not the clock. The most powerful innovation in education may not be artificial intelligence or adaptive software.

It may simply be giving children the time they need, in the way they need it.

And finally, it may be recognising that fairness does not mean every child has the same day—but that every child has the right one.

Cara Fugill
Principal of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global

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In 2023, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ embarked on a ground- breaking journey to reimagine education outside the bounds of a traditional school.

Having always been at the forefront of innovation, technology integration, and catering for the diverse needs of students through its excellent pastoral and academic programmes, the purpose of this project was to explore how a new model of learning might better cater for the unmet needs of families in the broader community.

Each school is made up of carefully interwoven decisions that work to educate our children; however, the structures of what we learn, how we learn, and where we learn are largely the same for all. But what happens when a child can’t access a traditional classroom? What other options does a family have?

Research would indicate there are an increasing number of families who feel that the education system is failing them. These reasons are often complex and varied, so resolving them all within the one structure seems an impossible task.

Due to the ongoing commitment and generosity of our Old 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Collegians (OSC) community, the school received a generous seed donation to invest in the project. Taking the lessons learned during COVID, the rapid advancement of technology platforms developed during this time, and better understanding the unmet needs of some families, the model of learning for 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global was conceptualised.

The co-educational school caters for students aged 12 to 25 through its three unique streams: Connect, Thrive, and Accelerate — each addressing an area of education that could benefit from a different approach.

Connect is our full school solution that will be built out to manage remote learners from Years 6 to 12 and will take education online. 

Thrive is our after-school co-curricular academic programme that offers students a deep dive into courses where there is a shared passion of an expert course facilitator and students.

Lastly, our Accelerate programme addresses the challenges that young people face in finding relevant education on careers, workplace skills, and how to advance themselves into strong positions and fulfilling professions early on.

Connect Year 7 has now been in operation for the past two months, and already the new model is providing families with a high-quality option for education. Our remote learners are enjoying a combination of collaborative online classes that are connecting these students across the state and delivered in our purpose-built streaming studios.

The collaborative classes occur daily between 8 to 11 a.m., allowing us to cover all areas of the Australian curriculum. A few highlights have been cooking with Mrs. McLeay, morning gatherings and assemblies with Mr. Valentine, and Humanities with Ms. Mfune. Classes are highly interactive and focus on building our students’ social and communication skills through the lens of the content they are learning.

The complementary component to this is the independent learning modules that have been carefully curated by our 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global teachers to focus on building content knowledge and developing thinking skills.

Using an inquiry approach, each module offers questions, model answers, and inbuilt support with the opportunity for the teachers to provide feedback and for the students to reflect on their progress. This has enhanced the rate at which students are acquiring new knowledge, giving teachers more time to show how this fits into a real-world application or has transferability into other aspects of learning.

Using an inquiry approach, each module offers questions, model answers, and inbuilt support with the opportunity for the teachers to provide feedback and for the students to reflect on their progress.

Similarly, this model of learning is also in place for our Thrive community, who have over twelve courses on offer across STEM, Business, and the Social Sciences.

Offered in difficulty levels 1 through 3, students can choose bespoke courses ranging from Philosophy and Ethics, Health and Medical Science, Mechatronics, and even Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While the courses are challenging and expect students to go beyond the curriculum, passionate Year 6 to 11 students who are keen and interested learners are developing incredible depth in their thinking.

Early indicators of success speak volumes about the impact of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global. From being selected as one of seven schools in the world authorised to deliver the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme wholly online to witnessing high levels of student engagement and satisfaction, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global has met the benchmark for educational excellence while offering a model that will provide for a new community of learners.

To learn more about our three streams please visit .

Mrs Cara Fugill
Principal of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global

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The International Baccalaureate Organisation has officially announced that 91¶ÌÊÓƵ has been selected as one of seven schools globally to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma online.

This programme will be delivered by 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s online school, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global. Headmaster, Dr Alec O’Connell said,

this is an incredible vote of confidence not only in 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global, but for the ability of a Western Australian school to offer access to a world class curriculum to families across all Western Australia, Australia, and the global region. Significantly 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global, is in a time zone shared by more than 60% of the world’s population, thus increasing access to the IB Diploma for many students who currently may be unable to avail themselves of this world class programme.

The International Baccalaureate is delivered in more than 160 countries and 5,700 schools across the globe. Since 2018 the number of programmes has increased by 34.2% with more than 1.95 million students completing an IB programme in 2024.

Head of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Global, Mrs Cara Fugill said, “Recent 91¶ÌÊÓƵ graduates are studying at some of the world’s most distinguished and highly competitive entry universities across the world, including Oxford, Harvard, London School of Economics, and the Wharton School of Business at UPenn. The IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation) has recognised the strength of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s programme and given it one of very few global licenses to now make that offering more readily accessible to students in a variety of settings and locations.”

Mrs Fugill spoke about the fact the school will not simply be online coursework.

With an equal measure of independent and collaborative face-to-face class time, the students will access an education that builds extensive knowledge, critical skills, within a supportive and personally connected community

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