Catholics schools “do more” to attract new students

Student numbers are back on the rise at Catholic Schools after enrolment figures hit a record low in 2018.

Parents are being wooed back to the state’s Catholic school system with new and improved facilities after a lag in enrolment growth.

Enrolment figures collected in February this year showed student numbers were climbing at a rate of 1.1 per cent — up from a record low of just 0.6 per cent in 2018 — with 220,000 students now in the system.

While Catholic education leaders have attributed the dip in enrolments to rising fees, critics argue the drop was due to greater secularism in the community and the fallout from the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse.

NSW Catholic Schools chief Dallas McInerney conceded some parents may have lost faith in the system at the time.

Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney

“There was a point in time when that was very real, but that is now in the rear view mirror,” he said.

“Our schools are the safest environments for learning they have ever been in the 200 years of Catholic education and that has been recognised by, not only the Catholic community, but also the wider community. That is why they’re coming to our schools now in greater numbers.”

He said a record spend on infrastructure on schools, a focus on smaller pupil-to-teacher ratios and better employment outcomes had contributed to the recent surge in enrolments.

“I think there is recognition of the value that Catholic schools deliver. We do have a track record of having the best post-school employment figures of any sector in NSW,” he said.

Mr McInerney said the majority of Catholic school students were Catholic but the schools appealed to a broader section of the community.

“Families may not come from a Catholic background but they are drawn to the Catholic ethos and what it can mean for their children’s learning,” Mr McInerney said.

Emily and Sam Manion from Roseville send their three children, (from left) Iris, 5, Hugo, 9, and Fleur, 11, to Catholic Schools. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Sam Manion said it did not take much to persuade his non-Catholic wife Emily to send their three children to the Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Lindfield. Their eldest, Fleur, is now at Loreto Normanhurst.

“(Holy Family) had a really good community feel and Catholic schooling aligned with the values we were trying to teach the kids at home,” he said. He acknowledged that other local public schools were free and also provided an excellent education.

“The quality of the public schools in certain areas is fantastic and Catholic schools know they have to do more and schools like Holy Family are clearly doing that,” he said.