Catholic schools in year 12 rethink

ONE of Hobart’s oldest and most prestigious boys’ schools, St Virgil’s College, could once again offer education to year 12.

ONE of Hobart’s oldest and most prestigious boys’ schools, St Virgil’s College, could once again offer education to year 12.

Hobart’s Catholic Diocese is reviewing its senior secondary education, and colleges such as St Virgil’s might again offer year 11 and 12 classes.

St Virgil’s has not offered the final two years of high school to students for more than 20 years.

Archdiocese of Hobart business manager Ron Ward said the time was right to review the situation.

Guilford Young College has been the unofficial Catholic pre-tertiary college in the Hobart area for two decades with St Virgil’s being one of its major “feeder” secondary schools.

There are 140 students in year 10 at St Virgil’s.

It is too early to know what percentage would decide to stay on at St Virgil’s rather than attend Guilford Young College, or other public colleges in the Hobart area, if a decision was made to extend the Austins Ferry campus to years 11 and 12.

Mr Ward said that in light of the State Government’s restructuring of education in Tasmania, in particular the extension of some schools to years 11 and 12, the Catholic Education sector had been examining its response and assessing its future direction.

“It is therefore timely to review the current provision of year 11 and 12 education in the greater Hobart area through a process of consultation with all stakeholders,” Mr Ward said.

“While Guilford Young College will continue to be the primary provider of year 11 and 12 education, consideration will be given to other Catholic schools currently offering education to year 10 to be extended to year 12.”

At last weekend’s Old Virgilians Association Centenary Dinner, Archbishop Julian Porteous said that one school that would logically be part of the review process for consideration was St Virgil’s College at Austins Ferry.

It is unclear what other Catholic schools might be considered for extension.

Guilford Young College was founded in 1994 and opened to students in 1995 after a restructuring saw some high schools hand over their senior secondary classes to create one senior secondary college.

Other Guilford Young feeder schools include Sacred Heart, Mount Carmel, Dominic and MacKillop colleges.