Education in the eastern suburbs is about to change with the reimagining of three Catholic schools into state-of-the-art, innovative centres for contemporary learning.
Sydney Catholic Schools’ Executive Director, Tony Farley, has announced a dynamic master plan for the Pagewood and Matraville area.
The plan includes a state-of-the-art educational facility to bring together the communities of St Agnes Catholic Primary School Matraville and Our Lady of the Annunciation Pagewood and an expansion of Champagnat Catholic College to meet the future schooling needs of a growing Pagewood-Matraville community.
Excitingly, the single-sex school will also be welcoming its first intake of Year 7 girls in 2023.
There’s high demand in the area for secondary co-education and, currently, there is no systemic Catholic option provided, Mr Farley said.
The key message for all is that the future of Catholic education in the community is bright, innovative, revitalised and poised to deliver exceptional quality in contemporary learning.
Unveiling the building plans, Mr Farley said Champagnat College will receive extensive new facilities, including a new three-storey block featuring a resource centre, seminar rooms, digital technology spaces and a canteen. Science labs, specialist drama, music, dance and fitness facilities will also be constructed.
There will also be a number of new classrooms built with breakout spaces to support the latest in modern teaching practices. The new facilities will include more outdoor space and a covered outdoor learning area where students can engage, learn and socialise.
Champagnat’s expanded school campus will be delivered in stages over the next six years, to cater for nearly 1100 students in Years 7 to 12 at the project’s completion.
Local primary students will also gain a brand new school when Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Primary School at Pagewood and St Agnes’ Catholic Primary School in Matraville combine to form one state-of-the-art facility on the Matraville site in 2024.
Three new multi-storey buildings are planned for the existing site, as well as a shared parish hall and flexible, light-filled open learning spaces.
The flexible design will equip our students to engage in a constantly changing world, SCS’ Botany-Randwick Network Director, Dr Jacqueline Frost, said.
She said the new school plan will provide “a wonderful opportunity for students to access purpose-built facilities that will enhance their learning journey.”
The community will also welcome upgraded parish facilities and the addition of two new early education centres to the area – on both the Pagewood and Matraville school sites – that will set our local children on a Catholic path to success in their learning, schooling and life.
The master plan provides for a continuum of Catholic education, from Preschool to Year 12, that caters to all students’ abilities, gifts, talents and skills, Mr Farley said.
Community feedback is welcome from parents, staff and parishioners.
Feedback is welcomed via a master plan website which includes the latest news, project milestones, community webinars and frequently asked questions.
For more information and to share your feedback, visit Pagewood Matraville Master Plan
What to Expect
Champagnat Catholic College Pagewood
- Expanding and going co-ed, starting with Year 7 in 2023.
- The expanded secondary school will cater for 1080 students in Years 7 to 12.
St Agnes and Our Lady of Annunciation Matraville
- Amalgamation of St Agnes and Our Lady of Annunciation Catholic Primary Schools into one brand new primary school on the Matraville site by January 2024.
- The combined primary school will cater for 420 students in Kindergarten to Year 6.
Early Learning Centres
- Two new early learning centres will be established at the Pagewood and Matraville primary school sites.
- The centres will each cater for 60 children.