A primary school in Melbourne’s inner west has been forced to bus more than 60 students to a nearby high school for classes because its crumbling school hall poses a safety risk to kids.
St John’s Primary School in Footscray has been sending its year 5 and 6 students to Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Braybrook since late May.
St John’s Primary School in Footscray has been sending its grade 5 and 6 pupils to nearby Caroline Chisholm Catholic College. Credit: Joe Armao
Engineers found that the 100-year-old former church building used as a school hall was structurally unsound and needed to be demolished, according to emails principal Emily Conroy sent to parents.
The church was converted into a hall and does not house classrooms, but it is near them.
The “temporary measure” to move students was due to expire at the end of term 2, but parents were told on Friday that it would be extended until the end of term 3.
Concerned parents now fear there is no end in sight for the dozens of kids impacted.
In an email to parents in May this year, the principal said the dated school hall had to be demolished.
“The building has deteriorated significantly, and our structural engineers have advised that we must now take action to demolish the building as its structure continues to deteriorate,” she wrote in May, in an email seen by The Age.
“Unfortunately, this will affect access to nearby school spaces, particularly for our Year 5/6 children and OSCH [Outside School Hours Care] room.”
Since May 27, students have been bussed about 3.5 kilometres to Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, about a 10-minute drive.
A bus is used to take more than 60 students to a nearby secondary school.Credit: Joe Armao
“To make this transition easier for families, we will be arranging daily bus transport to and from our school. This allows families to continue with a single drop-off and pick up at our school each day, even with children in different year levels,” the email reads.
The students have their own dedicated classroom space and toilets separate from the secondary students.
Parents who spoke to The Age understand the safety concerns, but lament the lack of consultation and ongoing issues with infrastructure at the primary school.
One mother, who did not wish to be named, said it was the last straw for many in the school’s community.
“It’s about transparency and honest communication,” she said, explaining some parents were so concerned they decided to change schools.
Not knowing what was going to happen to the space or the facilities available to students in their last few years of primary school was concerning, she said.
“It’s been challenging not knowing what the future holds for a school where infrastructure maintenance has just not been a priority,” she said.
The mother added that questions had been raised about the state of the hall for more than a year, and feared that it would not be ready for students to return to the school in term 4.
“This is a significant building project, and I can’t see it being finished by that time,” she said.
Other parents noted they had been concerned about the hall back in 2024, before it was declared structurally unsound.
It was not functioning as a school site, the parent said.
Another parent, also concerned about being named, said losing the old building was “devastating”.
“It was really a sudden decision to demolish a historic building that came out of nowhere,” she said.
St John’s Catholic Church is a crumbling building that was used as a school hall but is now slated for demolition.Credit: Joe Armao
She said plans from the school included trying to repair the structure, and it was a shock to find out it would be knocked down instead.
Within a week of the building being declared unsafe, students were moved off-site, which she said was to protect their safety.
“I can understand that, but I’m disappointed with the lack of transparency from the Catholic Church, and it feels like our school has been abandoned,” she said.
The mother added that a significant amount of time was lost to ensure all the kids were on the bus safely and had their names ticked off.
“It’s significant how this has impacted our kids, they’ve lost an hour each day on the bus.”
Not having the grade 5 and 6 pupils at school also affected the rest of the children, who had friends across year levels.
“It shifts the whole dynamic of the school,” she said. “I feel so sorry for the year 6s, it’s their last year there.”
St John’s Primary School principal Emily Conroy confirmed students were being bussed to the secondary college’s Christ the King campus because of “urgent works” on the hall.
“The former St John’s church was gifted to our school several years ago to use as a hall. We are working as quickly as possible, including with the local council and engineers, to ensure the necessary works are completed in a safe and timely manner,” she said in a statement. “Importantly for our community, the beautiful facade of this century-old building will be retained.”
Some families said they were surprised to hear the facade would be maintained, after earlier being told the entire building would be demolished.
According to the school, the works will soon be complete, with no further impact on students or teachers from term 4.
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