Erasmus Primary School is a school in

Hawthorn, Victoria Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn recorded a population of 22,322 at the 2021 census. Glenferrie ...

, a suburb of

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, serving children from prep through year 6. It is founded by the Education Renaissance Trust, which is connected with the

School of Economic Science The School of Philosophy and Economic Science (SPES), also operating under the names the School of Philosophy and the School of Practical Philosophy and legally named the School of Economic Science (SES), is a worldwide organisation based in ...

, also known as the School of Philosophy.

Pedagogy

Erasmus has a unique curriculum for an Australian primary school. The school incorporates meditation and mindfulness practices on a daily basis from early grade levels; in addition, the curriculum includes Latin and Sanskrit, the latter of which former headmaster Jonathan Tickner described as 'almost scientifically perfect'. The school also teaches once-a-week classes in philosophy and scripture, drawing from a mix of Eastern and Western philosophy, particularly relating to the

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hinduism, Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the Āstika and nāstika, orthodox Hindu school Ved ...

school. The school's website features quotes by

Shantanand Saraswati Swami Shantanand Saraswati (1913–1997) was Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math monastery from 1953 to 1980; he was a direct disciple of Brahmananda Saraswati and succeeded him as Shankaracharya. His life In 1953, five months before his death, ...

, former head of the

Jyotir Math Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or Jyotir Math is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the 820 CE philosopher-saint Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine o ...

Hindu monastery and pioneer of the Advaita movement. The unusual curriculum and pedagogy of Erasmus Primary School has received mention in the national media.

Statistics

Erasmus is a small school, with 95 students enrolled in 2020. The school's

NAPLAN The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a series of tests focused on basic skills that are administered to Australian students in year 3, 5, 7 and 9. These standardised tests assess students' reading, writing, l ...

results are above the national average; students in years 3 and 5 average 55 points above the national average in reading, 40 in writing, 48 in spelling, 58 in grammar, and 47 in numeracy.

Connection with the School of Economic Science

Erasmus Primary School names

Leon MacLaren Leon MacLaren, born Leonardo da Vinci MacLaren (24 September 1910 – 24 June 1994), was a British philosopher and the founder of the School of Economic Science (SES). MacLaren was inspired by Henry George, Socrates, Dr Francis Roles, Pyotr Ous ...

of the

as its founder. Schools associated with the School of Economic Science have been the subject of

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

scandals and

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

accusations. Erasmus was discussed extensively in internet forums for former students of the London-based St James Independent Schools, another SES-related educational institution, regarding child abuse experienced by the former students and their families; this forum was later the topic of a private inquiry finding that children were "criminally assaulted" during their time at the St James and Vedast schools.

References

{{coord missing, Victoria (state) Advaita Vedanta Alternative education Primary schools in Melbourne Private primary schools in Melbourne 1996 establishments in Australia Educational institutions established in 1996 Buildings and structures in the City of Boroondara