Big boost for Catholic schools

By Kayla Jones

Jul 30, 2024

The Victorian Government will fund 67 projects at 65 Catholic schools across Victoria through the Catholic stream of the Building Fund for Non-Government Schools. Photo by Contributed

Several low-fee Catholic schools across the state will soon be able to upgrade classrooms and build new facilities, thanks to Victorian Government funding.

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Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes recently revealed that St Anne’s College in Kialla was one of 65 Catholic schools across Victoria set to receive government funding.

The college will receive $3.6 million of the more than $243 million funding, to put towards new learning areas and workspaces to meet enrolment demand.

Non-government schools are an important part of Victoria’s education system, with more than one-third of Victorian students studying at Catholic or independent schools.

“Thousands of Victorian kids go to a low-fee Catholic school every day — and we’re making sure those kids are learning in the best environments,” Education Minister Ben Carroll said.

St Anne’s College services students in Kialla, which is experiencing rapid population growth.

Principal Sue Carroll said the college welcomed the funding, which would contribute to the construction of its growing campus.

“We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Victorian Government for the funding received,” she said.

“As a college we opened in 2019 and grant funding has continued to provide us with the support for our facilities to expand, accommodating our growing enrolments.

“We have added a new year level each year to the primary and secondary areas after beginning with just Prep and Year 7 students in 2019.”

The grant funding comes at a pivotal moment for the college, having recently opened stage 2B of the master plan, and with stage 3A constructions currently under way.

Additionally, next year will be the college’s first year operating as a full Prep to Year 12 cohort with the addition of Year 6.

Mrs Carroll said the college was excited to see where this journey continued to take them, and was proud to have witnessed the journey of growth of students so far.

Catholic Education Sandhurst executive director Kate Fogarty said CES was incredibly grateful for the generous grant.

“This funding is a significant investment in the Kialla and wider Shepparton region, building on the already exceptional facilities that St Anne’s College has to offer,” she said.

“There is no doubt that St Anne’s College is poised to provide even more opportunities for students to thrive.”