A plan to re-jig the structure of three high schools in Sutherland Shire has reached its most significant stage - confirmation the vision to change the direction of Catholic education offerings in the area, will go ahead.
Sydney Catholic Schools has revealed its new education precinct in the shire's beachside suburbs.
The new model will transform three existing college campuses into Year 7-12 single-sex and co-educational contemporary learning environments.
De La Salle Senior College Cronulla, De La Salle College Caringbah and Our Lady of Mercy (OLMC) Burraneer will expand their enrolments, from the year 2024.
It's all to give families choice - something a majority asked for in a 2019 survey.
Under the shake-up, De La Salle Cronulla, which is currently a Year 11-12 school, will get a name change - St Aloysius College, to honour the connection to the local parish, after Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron saint of youth and students.
It will be a fully operational Year 7-12 school by 2027, and will have state-of-the-art facilities including a sports oval, a possible boatshed and cafe that will be staffed by hospitality and retail students.
Boys' 7-10 school, De La Salle Caringbah, and girls' 7-10 OLMC, will continue to be specialist single sex schools. But they will accept Year 11-12 students by 2025. They will be refurbished so students can take on HSC subjects and have access to HSC specialist teachers.
Both Caringbah and Burraneer schools will also consider offering the International Baccalaureate (IB). An alternative to the HSC, the IB delivers a globally recognised educational qualification, and is geared towards university preparation.
Each of the three schools will work together sharing resources, facilities and teaching expertise on an equal basis.
Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools, Tony Farley, says it's a defining moment, heading towards a "world-class precinct".
"This will be the only Catholic education precinct within the Shire's beating heart, on the boundary of the beautiful Gunnamatta Bay, with expanded student offerings at each school site and increased connectivity between the three campuses," Mr Farley said.
"Parents will now be spoilt for choice. This will be a precinct of vast opportunity...providing a smooth transition for students as they move through to the senior years of schooling."
There will be new subject offerings, linked to the surrounding waterways, including marine science and marine biology and aquaculture, plus sporting competitions in rowing, sailing and rugby, and creative and performing arts programs, alongside social outreach initiatives.
"The schools will be working with universities and local businesses to create real world learning opportunities for each student to achieve in their chosen area of study, in readiness for the jobs of tomorrow," Mr Farley said.
"Students will have equal opportunity to be at the forefront of the rapidly growing marine and maritime industries and to walk in the footsteps of the best aquatic veterinarians and ocean engineers.
"Combining our resources and specialist teaching expertise will offer unparalleled opportunities for synergy and innovation as we usher in a new era of collaboration, where students benefit from access to learning opportunities, facilities and natural amenities."
Research shows the independent education sector is growing. The Independent Schools Australia Research Report, School Enrolment Trends and Projections 2022, reveals that in the past five years, it saw an average enrolment growth rate of 2.3 per cent per year. In the same period, the government sector grew by 1.1 per cent and the Catholic sector, grew by an average of 0.6 per cent per year.
Overall school enrolments are projected to increase in the Catholic sector by 0.8 per cent per year. But the report also reveals the need for more space to house students.
Director of Public Policy at Christian Schools Australia, Mark Spencer, says non-government schools have largely reached capacity.
"We are calling on the Commonwealth Government to review capital funding support, which was not addressed in the Gonski Reviews, and plan to help school communities fund the buildings that will be needed to accommodate this growth and help meet parental demands," he said.
All three schools within the precinct will retain their current principals.
After 2023, Year 10 students at Burraneer and Caringbah will have the choice of staying on at their schools or applying for a place in Year 11 at Cronulla.
Applications can be submitted for all three colleges for Year 7, 2024 and Year 11, 2024 from Term 4, 2022.
There will be open days in late October and early November.
