Bacchus Marsh Grammar (BMG), one of Victoria’s fastest growing schools, has announced it is expanding its Woolea campus in Melbourne’s west to cater for secondary demand.
The announcement comes as Melbourne experiences significant population growth, putting pressure on the state’s schools to adapt. Under the Victorian Government’s ambitious ‘School Building Boom’ project, more than 100 new schools will be built by 2026.
Since opening its doors in 2019, the Woodlea Campus is flourishing with a current school population of 1,000 students from Prep to Year 8 and 100 students in the Early Learning Centre, making it the largest independent school in the State’s west.
The secondary expansion, commencing in 2023, will see a range of new facilities developed at the Woodlea Campus, including the creation of a new three-level complex that gives students access to state-of-the-art facilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines (STEM), and literacy development.
Future developments include enhanced music and performance spaces and dedicated hospitality areas, complimented by a further expansion of the grounds and student spaces.
Upon completion, the Woodlea campus will see 1,750 students in Prep to Year 12 and an Early Learning Centre of 100-150 students over a five-to-10-year period.
‘Challenging students to develop a better Australia’
The secondary expansion, named ‘Project Kaizen’, will consist of two streams that offer acceleration, one in STEM and the other in legal studies along with a standard education stream.
“The focus of our Senior School program at Woodlea is on STEM, languages and a project that enriches and challenges students to develop a better Australia,” Bacchus Marsh Grammar principal Andrew Neal told The Educator.
“The program offers the capacity for young graduates or teachers and leaders with experience to fashion a new program focused on academic excellence and innovation.”
Neal said the Woodlea environment is “a very dynamic one”.
“This will be a great place for new graduates or experienced teachers and leaders to make their mark.”
Woodlea Acting Project Director Charbel Youssef said it is important to continue to deliver on Woodlea’s vision of lifelong learning and access to quality and affordable education for the community.
“The Woodlea community is growing and establishing at an unprecedented rate, and this expansion will provide students with an end to end quality Bacchus Marsh Grammar education, all within the one campus.”