Top school’s off-campus plans for year 9 students
Private schools often send tricky Year 9 students off-campus for the year, and now McKinnon Secondary College has joined the trend, building a whole new campus specifically for the Year 9 cohort. SEE THE PLAN.
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Top performing government school McKinnon Secondary College has taken inspiration from elite private schools and confirmed it will quarantine Year 9 students at its new campus.
Year 9 is considered a tricky time for teenagers, with raging hormones and higher absenteeism, and many schools send them off to regional Victoria to help build confidence, resilience and independence.
For many of the private schools the experiences come with extra fees.
In the case of Geelong Grammar, which sends its year 9 students to Timbertop, near Mansfield for a tech free outdoor program, the cost is around $73,000.
Prince Charles is a famous alumni and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson taught there during a gap year.
But the Year 9 students at McKinnon Secondary will be sent to a new purpose built campus a few kilometres away in East Bentleigh.
The new site, part of a development called East Village, can accommodate between 650 and 1100 students when it is fully operational.
It will also rotate Year 8 classes through each term.
Local Bentleigh MP Nick Staikos has given some insight into the hotly anticipated zoning, to be announced early in 2021.
“The zone currently takes in some of East Bentleigh. It will go further into East Bentleigh.
But it would be completely unrealistic to expect all of {postcode}3165 to be in the zone. We have an equally great school in East Bentleigh, Bentleigh Secondary College, that we have also invested heavily in,” he said.
Mr Staikos confirmed the make up of the cohort, reported by the Herald Sun in March, for the school to open in 2022.
McKinnon’s existing site on McKinnon Rd turns away around 100 potential year 7s each year. Urban renewal has seen many new houses built in the area, meaning the zone has had to be reduced to meet the demand.
In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Staikos confirmed the detail about the South Drive site.
“McKinnon Secondary College’s second campus will be a great win for our local community. We’ve worked hard over the last couple of years to make it a reality. And now I can confirm that it will be a Year 9 campus that will also accommodate a portion of Year 8, alternating each semester,” he said.
He went on to explain the reason behind the two-campus model.
“Year 9 is a challenging year. Ask any teacher. It is a tricky year in which to engage our students. At the new campus, Year 9 students will have a strong focus on STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They will set career goals and develop creative and critical thinking. And they will also mentor Year 8 students,” he said.
“When students return to the main campus in Year 10, they will be better equipped to set their educational goals and get on a path to realise their aspirations.”
Mr Staikos said while the State Government had committed $70 million to the project it was up to the school to come up with the best use of the facilities.
The current McKinnon site has 2200 students and enrols 400 students in year 7. Families buying or renting in the area and moving out once they have secured a place have also been cited as a reason for the demand.
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WHERE OTHER YEAR 9 STUDENTS ARE:
Wesley College: Students from the school’s three campuses spend eight weeks at Clunes, a one-time gold rush town outside of Ballarat. They have to cook for themselves and those there in second term volunteer for the popular Clunes Booktown. The fee is just under $5000 on top of the nearly $33,000 yearly fee.
St Kevin’s College: Year 9s from the Toorak campus spend a year at Waterford, the former Vaucluse College in Richmond. The fees are same as at Toorak, coming in around $21,000.
MLC: Girls from the Kew campus go to Marshmead near the Croajingolong National Park for 8 weeks. It costs $4700 on top of the Year 9 fee of $31,320.
Ballarat Clarendon College: Students spend a term on King Island costing $5760 on top of the $17,820 fee.
Geelong Grammar: Year-long program at Timbertop. It costs close to $73,000.
Lauriston Girls School: Students spend a number of stints at Howqua, three hours north of Melbourne. They have eight blocks during the year with each block comprising four to five weeks. It costs the annual school fee of $37,281 plus the Howqua charge of $27,660.
Strathcona Girls School: The Canterbury school sends Year 9s to Tay Creggan, in Hawthorn. It is thought to be the first independent Year 9 girls campus, established in 1969. Unlike many Year 9 programs students return to their families at night and remain part of the whole school community for school events and celebrations. Covered in the annual $32,000 school fee.