Soon he'll say goodbye to the teachers and classrooms he's come to know over the past seven years and, after the idyll of summer holidays, prepare for life as a secondary student.

But this is no ordinary transition. Sean, 12, has been awarded a full scholarship to The Hamilton and Alexandra College, a school he never planned to attend.

His tuition, uniforms and books will be paid for by the R.M. Ansett Trust, which awarded its first round of grants during a ceremony at the Melbourne Museum on Wednesday night.

Sean, who returned to Gray Street Primary School yesterday morning after a whirlwind trip to the city with his parents, said he was amazed by the opportunity.

"It's great, really. I love my maths, and I love my sport as well - basketball and football," he said.

The Hamilton and Alexandra College, which is presently building a $6.3 million music and performing arts centre, prides itself on strong academic results and a broad curriculum.

Sean's mother Tracy said she had been shocked to learn a full scholarship to the school was an option for her son.

"I think what he's going to get from (going there) - the smaller class sizes and also the attention that they give every student - is just going to make him become a better person," she said.

"He likes his sport, so the sporting opportunities that the school gives him are going to be great for him as well."

The R.M. Ansett Trust, launched by Equity Trustees director and former premier Jeff Kennett, is expected to have a capital value of about $40 million and will award grants each year.

This week's ceremony was also memorable for Warrnambool-based Community Connections, which was given $150,000 to run its alternative education and mentoring program.

The program aims to meet the needs of traumatised and high-risk young people aged between 13 and 17 who are living in south-west residential care.

It was created to support those who are either new to or long-term residents of a care facility, with adult mentors trained to respond to participants' needs.

Keith Simpson, co-trustee who worked closely with Sir Reginald Ansett for 32 years, said his former colleague had a passion for education and was keen to see young people's talents nurtured.