Oberon Primary School to house kinder following Alexander Thomson closure

Parents who fought hard against the closure of their much-loved kindergarten have received the news they were hoping for.

Alexander Thomson Uniting Kindergarten in Belmont will close at the end of 2025. Picture: Alan Barber.

A group of Geelong parents who were left furious after learning their children’s kindergarten was slated for closure have received some welcome news.

Geelong MP Christine Couzens on Thursday confirmed a minimum of 118 kindergarten places would become available for three and four year olds at the site of Oberon Primary School (OPS) in 2026.

The news comes after the Uniting Church said it would close its Alexander Thomson kinder on Thomson St in Belmont at the end of 2025, resulting in the loss of 126 fully-funded places.

The sites are less than 1km apart and Alexander Thomson committee member Megan Linklater said the community was delighted with the development.

Ms Linklater said parents wanted staff to transition to the new free kinder, but details were being worked through.

“This (OPS) is definitely going to meet our needs,” she said.

“Ideally from a parent perspective, what we would love is for the whole of Alexander kindergarten and its culture to shift just to a new building.

“We’re confident that can occur.”

Oberon Primary School will become home to a kindergarten in 2026. Picture: Alison Wynd.

Mr Linklater said the Department of Education initially discounted OPS as an option, but Ms Couzens’ advocacy had helped reverse that position.

Ms Couzens visited OPS on Thursday where she said the kindergarten would be constructed in modular form.

Modular kindergartens are constructed in a factory, in sections known as modules, to take advantage of faster construction times.

Builders then assemble the modules on-site before connecting utilities, completing outdoor play areas and landscaping grounds.

“The project responds to strong local demand for kindergarten in the Belmont area and will ensure local families have ongoing access to sessional kindergarten programs,” Ms Couzens said.

Geelong MP Christine Couzens. Picture: Mark Wilson.

Alexander Thomson parents presented a petition with 650 signatures to Geelong council at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Ms Linklater said she hoped City Hall would be involved in the move to OPS, particularly because it would likely become a council-run kinder.

“We still want the council on board and be supportive with whatever they can do to help the process move quickly and easily,” she said.

Geelong council’s executive director of city life Anthony Basford last week said an additional kindergarten in Belmont was essential.

“While department data indicates that there is sufficient capacity in Belmont, this does not align with the feedback we are receiving from the community,” he said.

The Uniting Church plans to transform the kinder into a daycare centre.

Originally published as Oberon Primary School to house kinder following Alexander Thomson closure