Nudgee College refurbishment includes early learning centre

A private Brisbane boys school is planning to open its doors to children under five as part of a major refurbishment on campus.

St Joseph's Nudgee College at Boondall. Picture: Glenn Hunt/The Australian

A PRIVATE Brisbane boys school is planning to open its doors to children under five.

St Joseph’s Nudgee College at Boondall currently caters to students from Years 5-12 but is proposing to establish an early learning centre on campus.

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The proposed centre, which would provide care for about 130 children up to five years, forms part of major extensions to the school, including new and refurbished buildings and sports facilities.

An image showing the early learning centre proposed for the St Joseph's Nudgee College campus at Boondall.

Principal Peter Fullagar said it was not uncommon for schools to have an early learning centre, either on site or off campus.

“We have over 300 people come to work here every day and some of these are young people with families,” he said.

“We’ve done our research in the wider college community and the wider community in terms of that need for young families.

“As an educational facility we felt we were ideally placed to offer this service.”

The grandstand at St Joseph's Nudgee College, Boondall is being refurbished.

Mr Fullagar said there were no plans to extend the educational offerings to include Prep to Year 4.

He said they hoped to open the Mary Rice Early Learning Centre at Nudgee at the start of 2021.

It will be located within a refurbished Mackillop Building, formerly used for accommodation and offices, on the southwestern portion of the 136ha campus.

The centre is included in a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID), which Mr Fullagar said was “effectively seeking approval to activate a number of significant projects which are in our master plan”.

“We’re hoping that sometime in the third quarter of this year we’ll receive that approval and will be able to commence work in the last quarter of this year.

“The projects will be phased in over 10 years, starting with the early learning centre.”

St Joseph's Nudgee College principal Peter Fullagar.

The other big projects in the MID are a refurbishment of both the Treacy Building and the Flats (the college ovals).

“The wings of the Treacy Building are being refurbished and redeveloped as classroom spaces with a new teaching and learning focus.

“They will be new contemporary classrooms, including some for the new year 11 and 12 curriculum.

“We’re also making the building, and the Duhig Building, more accessible with internal lifts.”

The Gallaghar Building, which currently houses temporary staffrooms, will be demolished.

The redevelopment of the sports fields includes better quality surfacing, a new cricket oval, digital scoreboards, new change rooms, and more shade, viewing facilities and seating for spectators.

There are also plans to build a bigger dam to irrigate the ovals.

The ovals at St Joseph’s Nudgee College will be refurbished as part of its Master Plan. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Other projects in the MID include new landscaping in the Old Boys’ and Edmund Rice malls, a refurbishment of the Purton Building for learning areas and offices, and an enclosure and roof deck over the swimming pool.

Mr Fullagar said the refurbishment was planned to meet the strong demand for places at the college, with the current enrolment of 1575 students expected to increase to 1688 by 2020.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of work done so far. I see the plans and when they come to fruition they’re really going to make a difference in the lives of our boys here.”

The planning process for the college’s master plan included an extensive consultation process with staff, students and parents.

■ The proposal can be viewed at planning.dsdmip.qld.gov.au/id-consultations

Submissions can be made until May 1.