Marist College Ashgrove to move religious brothers’ accommodation off campus in five-year plan

A Brisbane college has officially launched a five-year plan for a new primary school, 10 new classrooms, a new assembly hall, and refurbishing three existing buildings.

Marist College Ashgrove’s brothers’ housing community on campus will be knocked down to make way for a new assembly and STEM learning complex.

The college, now in its 83rd year, officially launched its five-year strategic plan this week, parts of which have already been seen through public online development applications.

Among the major changes are a complete rebuild of the primary school which will soon welcome more than 200 extra students per year.

Artist's impression of the college’s new primary school. Photo: Supplied.

“In Years 5 and 6, we have always taken half a cohort and we’ve always knocked back up to 150 students in Years 5 and 6 every year,” MCA Head of College Michael Newman said.

“We’ve decided that is probably not a good idea because they are really diehards who really want to come here and that often forces their hand to go to other schools.”

The current brothers’ housing – Br Andrew Villa – will be sacrificed for a new assembly and STEM classroom building.

“The brothers are getting older obviously, there are less brothers, so in time we expect they will no longer be here on campus and they will be accommodated off campus,” Mr Newman said.

Marist College Ashgrove Head of College Michael Newman last been in the top job for three years. Photo: Supplied.

The new assembly area will accommodate all students and parents and take pressure off the gymnasium currently used for assemblies.

There will be 10 new classrooms, to be built between the existing primary school and tennis courts, mainly to accommodate for the expanded primary school intakes.

Meanwhile, the Br Peter Carrick Wing – a classroom and administration block – will be refurbished and include a new tuckshop.

The college library will also undergo renovations. The college’s Cyprian Pavilion function space is already being refurbished and expanded.

The other areas to be sacrificed will be part of the current courtyard area, and the vacant land between the current primary school buildings and the Matthew Hayden Oval.

The college’s current campus map. Photo: Supplied.

Development application plans for the new campus layout. Photo: Supplied.

Mr Newman said the college would rely on internal fundraising to make the expansion happen.

“We do hope to have some days where we ask members of the Marist family to help put money towards it, other than that we are looking at taking out some loans, we won’t be getting any government funding,” he said.

In announcing the five-year plan this week, Mr Newman said the college had also upgraded its IT network: “That was partly due to the data breach, but we still did it,” he joked.

The five-year plan was developed over the past two years using a 2021 parents survey, as well as talks with staff, old boys representatives, and the parents of boarders group.

Two of the main areas of improvement according to parents were uniform standards and academic results, particularly in NAPLAN and ATAR scores.

The college has already changed its uniform supplier and will change its formal hat and blazer. There has already been controversy over the school’s hats.

Marist College Ashgrove's five-year strategic plan launch on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied.

Academically, Marist has already increased the number of students achieving an ATAR above 90 from 27 per cent to more than 40 per cent in the past two years.

“Our NAPLAN has also improved significantly, we used to be 4.5% above the national mean and now we’re 6.4 per cent above,” Mr Newman said.

“We’ve done things like a writing program right through the school … our Year 9 results over the last three years have increased eightfold, which is amazing, and Year 7 threefold.”

The college will also look to better promote its boarding program in the state’s regions, and has started a new program this year allowing day students to stay on campus until 8pm and eat and study with the boarders.