St Mary’s Cathedral College gets $5m from fund set up to help disadvantaged students

Anthony Albanese’s old school has secured $5 million in capital grants funding from a scheme supposed to help those with disadvantaged students.

Anthony Albanese’s old school has secured $5 million in capital grants funding from a scheme supposed to help those with disadvantaged students.

The Capital Grants Program (CGP) guidelines make it clear that its funds are designed for school communities without the capacity to afford new and upgraded facilities.

It is “particularly for the most educationally disadvantaged students”.

Mr Albanese’s alma mater St Mary’s Cathedral College charges between $3520 and $5525 per year for the first child, with discounts applying to subsequent children. A building levy of $945 also applies to the eldest sibling.

The school website declares it is “committed to supporting those in need” with options available for those requiring financial assistance.

The private school where Anthony Albanese attended has secured $5 million in funding from a scheme to help disadvantaged students. Picture: Martin Ollman

The school will be using the funds to pay for the refurbishment and expansion of its ­facilities.

A DA for a four-level redevelopment of the building costing $19.7m was approved by City of Sydney Council in December.

The funding list — published on January 10 — showed Mr Albanese’s old school secured one of the biggest of the 22 grants issued to schools in NSW.

Other big winners included Edmund Rice College in Wollongong West ($5.7m) and St Patrick’s Catholic School at East Gosford ($4.6m). Edmund Rice College charges between $9290 and $11,230 for the first child attending the school.

The grant allocations come amid increasing pressure for the Albanese government to include capital funding for the public sector as part of the yet-to-be signed new National School Reform Agreement.

Capital funding for public schools ceased in 2017. The Albanese government has brought it back but at this stage only for 2023/24.

A proposed site in Woolloomooloo for a $19m extension of St Mary’s Cathedral College. Picture: Woods Bagot

In a submission to the National School Reform Agreement review, the NSW Education Department said capital funding was “crucial” to help students in need.

“The number of students with additional learning and support needs across all school settings continues to grow and many have more complex needs,” it said.

“Capital funding remains a crucial lever to facilitate such supports, in alignment with a key recommendation from the Gonski Review.

“This must be considered in the next NSRA if we are to lift outcomes and create inclusive educational environments for students with disability.”

The Sunday Telegraph put questions about the grants to the Prime Minister’s Office but Education Minister Jason Clare replied instead.

He, or his delegate, signed off on the grants after they were assessed by a corporate

body called a block grant authority, which runs the CGP.

Mr Clare said he was “committed to creating a better and fairer education system, including working with the states and territories to put every school on a path to 100 per cent of its full and fair funding”.

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