New school faces

By Lachlan Ellis

Hundreds of Moorabool kids had their first day at school last week, beginning their exciting education journeys at primary schools across the Shire.
In total, 533 Foundation students have enrolled across 17 primary schools in Moorabool – down from 584 last year, a decrease of almost 9 per cent.
The decrease in enrolments is seen most sharply in schools in more rural parts of Moorabool: for example, Bungaree had no Preps enrol, compared to 5 last year, and St Mary’s Clarkes Hill had 1, compared to 5 in 2021.
On the other hand, all but one Bacchus Marsh-based primary school had Foundation enrolments increase.
Bacchus Marsh Primary School had the most enrolments with 112, compared to 96 last year. St Bernard’s has welcomed 57 Foundation students, up from 49.
Bacchus Marsh Grammar had the second-most enrolments in Moorabool with 103 at its Maddingley Campus, while Darley had the third-most with 80. Pentland Primary saw its Foundation enrolments rise from 63 to 65.
Moorabool Shire Mayor Cr Tom Sullivan said he wasn’t surprised by the disparity in enrolments between residential and rural Moorabool, given the “cyclic” ups and downs in enrolment figures for rural areas – but he hopes Council can foster more stable growth.
“In the rural areas of Moorabool, the average age is somewhat older than in the residential areas, where there’s a number of young people coming in and having children. So I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that there is a downward trend in rural enrolments,” Cr Sullivan told the Moorabool News.
“There’s residential growth in Bacchus Marsh and Ballan, so there’s more people coming in…but there’s an inability for people to move into some more regional areas, because there’s no opportunity to build new homes, so that affects enrolments.

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-02-08/1

in the 8 February 2022 edition
OR
pick up a paper around your town.