‘People don’t want it’: Greater Shepparton Secondary College enrolments drop by 200 in first year
About 200 students have ditched the new Shepparton school merger, including 160 fewer Year 7 students. But the Education Department said it’s to be expected. FIND OUT WHY.
Goulburn Valley
Don't miss out on the headlines from Goulburn Valley. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Shepparton’s new ‘super school’ has seen a steep decline in enrolments, recording a drop of more than 200 students from last year.
Victorian Department of Education figures reveal new school-merger Greater Shepparton Secondary College had 2334.2 full time students enrolled as of February 2020.
But before the merge, Shepparton High School, McGuire College, Wanganui Park Secondary College and Mooroopna Secondary College had a combined 2543.5 students in February 2019 – 209.3 more than this year.
Of the total, 160 fewer Year 7 students started at Greater Shepparton Secondary College this year compared with the number of Year 7s starting at the four high schools in 2019.
Save our Schools chair Robyn Boschetti said the decline reflected the community’s lack of confidence in the new school.
“The numbers show that people don’t want it,” she said.
Ms Boschetti also said she knew of “five or six” other students who had moved from Greater Shepparton Secondary College since February to surrounding schools.
But a Department of Education spokesman said the drop was not a shock.
“Fluctuating enrolments are to be expected during the initial years following a merger while a new school builds its reputation and identity,” the spokesman said.
“We anticipate strong enrolments at Greater Shepparton Secondary College from 2021.”
The spokesman said all Shepparton and Mooroopna high schools had seen declines in student enrolment each year from 2011.
“Below-average public secondary student outcomes and declining enrolments at Shepparton and Mooroopna secondary schools are among the key factors behind the investment in the Shepparton Education Plan and the development of Greater Shepparton Secondary College,” the spokesman said.
While analysis of Department of Education data showed the combined enrolments at the four Shepparton public schools have dropped each year from 2011, this has been the biggest yearly dip yet.
Of the surrounding schools, Numurkah Secondary College had 266.4 students in 2020 – an increase of about 28 from last year, while Kyabram P-12 College had 511.5 secondary students, a decline of about 15.
A Notre Dame College spokesman said their school “certainly” received more applications this year, but each year level has been “heavily oversubscribed” for a number of years and enrolment numbers are capped.
St Anne’s College Kialla principal Sue Carroll said the two-year-old primary and secondary school, which currently caters for Foundation year and Years 1, 7 and 8, was “growing exponentially”.
She said they currently had 150 secondary students and would welcome 80 students next year.
At the beginning of 2020, Shepparton’s four public schools were merged into one school called Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
The new college is being built on the old Shepparton High site, which has recently received a $119 million boost in state government funding for its completion by 2022.
In the meantime, college students are spread across the Wanganui, McGuire and Mooroopna campuses.
The Victorian School Building Authority website said the new state-of-the-art college would cater for 2700 to 3000 students.
Check out more stories at The Goulburn Valley News here
Want to become a digital subscriber? Join now on our latest offer here
Like us on Facebook here
Contact Madi Chwasta at madi.chwasta@news.com.au
MORE GOULBURN VALLEY NEWS
SHEPPARTON’S TOP 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL
THE CRIMES THAT SHOCKED GOULBURN VALLEY
WHY THESE GOULBURN VALLEY EYESORES MUST GO
SHEPPARTON RIDERS ‘HEARTBROKEN’ AFTER JUMPS DESTROYED
WHY SHEPPARTON IS THE KEBAB CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA
GOULBURN VALLEY A FRUITFUL PROPERTY OPPORTUNITY
SHIRTLESS MAN TERRORISES WALKERS ON SHEPPARTON RIVERBANK
COBRAM HAIRDRESSER’S ALLEGED DRUGS SHAME