St Brigid’s Primary School is waiting for local council to grant permission for its building construction

The old portables had to be built as a temporary solution when the enrolment number dramatically increased from about 150 to 300. Picture: DONGYUN KWON

By Dongyun Kwon

St Brigid’s Primary School in Healesville is looking forward to having a new facility for its preppies and Year 1 students.

The school made an application to Yarra Ranges Council to get the relevant permit on Monday 6 May.

St Brigid’s Primary School principal Tess Dwyer said they would remove the old portables which currently have three classrooms.

“We’re building a new building in the same location of those portables, which will be an early learning facility,” she said.

“The classrooms will be joining each other. They’ll be much more in line with the way that we now teach in teams.

“It’ll be really connected with the environment with indoor and outdoor learning spaces, which is very important for us.”

The enrolment numbers at St Brigid’s Primary School have significantly increased over time since 2015 and the old portables were built as a temporary solution.

The school has received a $1 million grant from the Federal Government to carry out this project.

“The rest has been funded by the school and also by MACS [Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools],” Ms Tess Dwyer said.

“We’re hoping the construction will begin around November this year, that all depends on the council’s permit process, and we expect them to take about 12 months to complete.”