Dunlea Centre

Dunlea Centre, prior to 2010 known as Boys' Town Engadine, is an Australian residential secondary school for adolescent young people. Its specialised program provides therapeutic support and education to young people who might be experiencing emotional, behavioural and/or social difficulties.

The school is located in the Sydney suburb of Engadine, New South Wales and is run by specialist teachers and social workers.

Dunlea Centre's Primary Program caters to students from Years 3 to 6 (ages 8-12), offering a supportive and nurturing environment where students receive quality education along with individualised support to address their specific needs. This is a school-only program (not boarding). Students arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon just like a regular school program. The program focuses on building academic excellence, emotional well-being, and social skills.

The senior program (years 7-12) is residential in nature, meaning that the young people live on-site at Dunlea Centre Monday to Friday for the duration of the program. (Young people go home on school holidays and public holidays.) There are limited spaces for non-residential day students as well. The program focuses on building positive relationships, promoting healthy behaviours, and providing a structured and supportive environment for individuals with behavioural and emotional challenges primarily through its comprehensive social skill teaching.

The team at Dunlea Centre use the principles of the Teaching-Family Model to teach youth positive behaviours and coping skills, which can be applied to all aspects of a young person’s life.