School reaches enrolment milestone

A LOCAL primary school has just passed a major enrolment figure, as the region continues to experience strong population growth.

Pentland Primary passed the 500 student milestone for the first time in the school’s history this week, and Principal Andrew Harrison said there’s a real buzz around the school community.

The school is one of the fastest-growing in Moorabool Shire partially due to the rapidly-growing Maddingley area, much of which falls in Pentland’s catchment.

“I think we probably are the fastest-growing school, though we don’t have a solid source on that. I do know that for the last few years, we’ve been growing by at least a hundred students a year,” Mr Harrison said.

“It’s exciting for the school, it’s the largest that student enrolment has been in the 30 years that the school’s been open.”

To accommodate for the rapid growth in student numbers, Pentland Primary has had two new buildings constructed recently.

“We’re working closely with the Department of Education, and they continue to provide us with new facilities and new relocatable buildings,” Mr Harrison said.

“Last year they dropped in a new double-storey portable. It’s a beautiful, state of the art building. It’s been a perfect addition to the school.

“We’ve also got a few little buildings and grounds projects on the go to keep up, but it’s all going well.”