$53m to be spent at three greater Hobart schools as part of Catholic College Extension Project
One greater Hobart Catholic school will gain an additional campus and two others will expand their existing campuses as they transition to include Years 11 and 12. Find out where the new campuses will be >>
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ABOUT $53 million will be spent at three Catholic schools across greater Hobart as they transition to include Years 11 and 12 by 2023.
As part of The Catholic College Extension Project, which was launched in Hobart yesterday, St Aloysius Catholic College will gain an additional campus at Huntingfield, while St Virgil’s College and MacKillop College will expand their existing campuses.
Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, said the project was the culmination of three years of research and planning, and would inject an estimated $53 million into the Tasmanian economy through capital works projects.
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“From the commencement of the 2023 school year three existing Catholic colleges — St Aloysius Catholic College, MacKillop Catholic College and St Virgil’s College — will begin to provide Year 11 and 12 Catholic education,” Archbishop Porteous said.
He said each of the colleges had presented detailed and comprehensive education plans that included enrolment projections, financial budgets, building designs and plans for the delivery of senior secondary education, in line with the State Government’s education reforms for Years 11 and 12.
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Executive Director of Catholic Education in Tasmania, Dr Gerard Gaskin, said the changes would give students more options for furthering their study.
“I’m delighted that Year 11 and 12 education will be provided at St Aloysius Catholic College, MacKillop Catholic College and St Virgil’s College,” he said.
“This will be in addition to the excellent Year 11 and 12 provision already offered at St Mary’s College and Guilford Young College’s Hobart and Glenorchy campuses.
“The benefits will see improved retention to Catholic education and, more broadly, Tasmanian education.
“We’re achieving this by providing students with a broader range of pathways to successfully complete their education.”
St Aloysius principal Joe Sandric said it was an “exciting moment” for his 1100 students, who were spread across two campuses at Kingston and Huntingfield.
The school is in the final stages of acquiring land and call centre offices at a site in Huntingfield, not far from the school’s existing Huntingfield campus, with renovations of the call centre buildings expected to start next year.
The school will eventually have junior, middle school and senior campuses.
Mr Sandric said as well as being good for retention rates, having Years 11 and 12 at the school would also significantly reduce travel times for many students. About 17 per cent of the school’s students hail from the Huon Valley, with most travelling to Hobart to complete Years 11 and 12 at Guilford Young College.
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