New Emmaus Christian College primary campus to open at Brooklyn Park next year

A multimillion-dollar project has started to turn an old western-suburbs site into a new school — it’ll open next year. SEE THE CONCEPT IMAGES

Principal Andrew Linke with Harvey Reddin who will start school next year and Zenita Malibe who is a foundation student. Picture: Tom Huntley

• 2017: Emmaus Christian College plans to open new campus

A multimillion-dollar project is underway to turn a former western-suburbs school site into a new one — and it’ll open next year.

Emmaus Christian College is transforming the old Salesian College building at Brooklyn Park, more recently occupied by the tertiary Adelaide College of Divinity, into a new primary campus.

It will have room for 340 R-6 students, with two classes at each year level, and 40 in an early learning centre.

It will open next year with ELC to Year 2.

After Year 6, students will be guaranteed middle school places at Emmaus’s R-12 South Plympton campus, which principal Andrew Linke said was “well and truly at capacity” with 743 students.

A render of Emmaus Christian College's new Brooklyn Park campus. Supplied

Mr Linke said work was underway on “completely gutting” the two-storey building for its overhaul into a modern campus, where teaching would be inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy of experiential learning, and outdoor areas would focus on nature play.

“(But) we still do value some well-established conventional teaching practices as well, which means teachers having discreet classrooms to work their magic,” he said.

“There’s no other protestant, evangelical schools in that area in the western corridor. It’s providing parent choice.”

Another render of the new campus. Picture: Supplied.

The Advertiser first revealed Emmaus’s hopes for the Brooklyn Park site in early 2017, when it was in contract negotiations to buy it from the Uniting Church. The contract was finalised last year, along with the nod from the Education Standards Board to operate a new school and development approval from West Torrens Council.

Salesian College opened as a Catholic boys school in 1954, went co-ed in 1978 and closed in 1996 after enrolments halved to the low 300s.

The Adelaide College of Divinity has moved into neighbouring buildings.