Enrolments now open!

Expressions of interest for the 2018 school year at Southbank’s new vertical primary school on Ferrars St are now open to local families.

Principal Noel Creece has already received more than 120 applications from local families interested in enrolling their children and he said a large proportion had come from the Southbank, South Wharf and CBD catchment zone.

And since his new school was still under construction, he said he was enjoying the chance to go to local kindergartens and families and find out more about his new community.

“This is all being done on the go. There’s no office!” he said. “I’ve got a nominal base in Albert Park College’s Bay St campus which I use but, because of the nature of meeting people, professional development and meeting parents, it’s very handy to be mobile.”

“I basically just say where are you? I’ll come close to you because I’ve got a meeting there. It gives me a good chance to find out more about the area as well as their background. It gives me a bit of a demographical dipstick.”

With construction of the new school ramping up, Noel said he had also started the process of interviewing teachers, having already received overwhelming interest for positions.

As he learns more about his new local area and meets more families, he said he would be able to find the teachers with the right skills to fulfill a program catered to his future students.

And with the school located in the Montague Precinct of Fishermans Bend, he said parents he had met to date had all been very receptive to the idea of building a new community together.

“The parents are really quite accepting that they’re here as pioneers,” he said. “I can’t sell them a fully matured system but I can say look come along and help us build a community so people are eyes wide open around that.”

“They understand that it will take some building. They’re very patient and they’ve got the spirit of the pioneer so it’s great.”

With the school to cater for 550 children from prep to grade six when it opens next year, Noel said he had received a healthy and diverse expression of interest.

He said that it would remain as expressions of interest only until later this year when the Department of Education officially confirms the enrolment zones for the new school.

However, in the meantime he said he was making himself “super available” to meet with any interested parents and encouraged families to touch base with any questions.

To fill out an enrolment form or to find out more information about the school email Noel on: [email protected]