Kelvin Grove State College changes catchment area to slow growth

Queensland’s biggest state school has tightened its enrolment eligibility, changing its catchment area to slow rapid growth as it swells to more than 3500 students.

AUTOMATIC enrolment for staff’s children and current student’s siblings has been scrapped at Queensland’s biggest state school, while its catchment area has been revised, in order to cope with its rapid growth.

Kelvin Grove State College’s executive principal Llew Paulger yesterday wrote to parents informing them of the enrolment management plan (EMP) strategies to “stabilise” the school’s increasing student numbers.

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With a student population of about 3577 students, the prep to year 12 College has the most pupils in the state and the newly opened inner-city vertical Fortitude Valley State Secondary College is set to help ease the overflow of students at the College.

Kelvin Grove State College in Queensland’s biggest school. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The College has been working with the department over the past four years over “infrastructure needs that have been both acute and long term”, a letter to parents yesterday said.

“The key changes to the EMP are in relation to the removal of the automatic enrolment of siblings of students already enrolled at the College, who now live outside the catchment area and the automatic enrolment of children of staff members,” the letter said.
“The other key change relates to the revised College catchment, as a result of the new Fortitude Valley State Secondary College opening in 2020.

“Children previously residing within the College catchment, who are now in the Fortitude Valley State Secondary College catchment, from next year may be given priority to enrol subject to certain criteria.”

Fortitude Valley State Secondary College. Picture: AAP/Attila Csaszar

In explanation of the change to the catchment map on the College’s website, the College said that it was “under significant infrastructure pressure with an increasing number of enrolments over the last five years”.

A Department of Education spokesman said the department was committed to ensuring all Queensland students, no matter where they live, have access to high quality learning opportunities within their local communities.

“School catchments are not fixed or static, and are reviewed annually by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office to make adjustments for any new schools, new housing developments and/or changes to road networks that have occurred during the preceding 12
months,” he said.

“As Fortitude Valley State Secondary State College (FVSSC) grows each year, amendments

to the relevant year level catchments between FVSSC and Kelvin Grove State College will

be required.”