St Francis Xavier School in Corio looking to improve student safety thanks to $2m state government grant

Student safety at a Corio primary school will be enhanced if plans for a new building are approved by the state government.

Plans for a new administration building at St Francis Xavier School in Corio have been lodged with the state government.

The construction of a new administration building at a Corio primary school will improve safety by reducing the risk of unauthorised entry, with plans currently before the state government.

Under the plans, the single-storey building at St Francis Xavier School would face Caithness Crescent on the south-west boundary of the site and would act as an initial point of contact for visitors.

The catholic school’s existing administration building is located in the centre of the site, which poses a risk of unauthorised entry.

“The proposed works aim to eliminate this risk by removing the necessity to enter the school premises to access the administration area,” the plans state.

The building would consist of a reception area, five offices, meeting space, staff lounge, sick bay and toilet facilities.

A staff courtyard would adjoin the building, while extensive landscaping and paving would complement the works.

The new building would face would face Caithness Crescent.

The state government has allocated $2m for the project from its 2023-24 capital funding program for non-government schools.

Planning minister Sonya Kilkenny must approve the plans before construction can commence.

Located at 127-143 Bacchus Marsh Rd, the school opened 1976 and its classrooms initially acted as a church on weekends.

An extensive refurbishment occurred in 1994.

It emerged late last year that enrolments at the school had fallen to 162, a 17 per cent drop since 2018.

The school forms part of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools’ network.

Enrolments across almost 300 MACS primary and secondary schools increased by 1.2 per cent last year to 114,400, representing around one-fifth of all students.

Originally published as St Francis Xavier School in Corio looking to improve student safety thanks to $2m state government grant