Girls public school drop
Students flock to Catholic schools
GEELONG’S only public allgirls school has recorded an enrolment decline of more than 30 per cent since 2010, as student numbers at the region’s Catholic single-sex schools continue to rise.
According to MySchool data, regional Victoria’s only girls public school, Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College, has recorded a drop from 936 in 2010 to 616 in 2017.
Meanwhile the region’s three Catholic single-sex schools — Clonard College, Sacred Heart College and St Joseph’s College — have all recorded enrolment gains.
Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College is one of six public girls schools in the state, an offering Deakin University senior lecturer and researcher Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli says is vital to ensuring all families are provided with varied education options regardless of economic status.
“I think there should be options out there to meet the specific needs for different families,” she said.
“Some students are musically gifted so they should attend a school with a specific music focus.”
Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College principal Michelle Crofts said having the choice of a government singlesex school was important.
“For some girls and their families, an all-girls learning environment is what they are seeking. Having that choice is important,” she said.
While 2016 research by American psychology professor Diane Halpern found there was no advantages of single-sex schooling, February research from the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia showed female students in single-sex schools were 85 per cent more likely to take ad- vanced maths than those in co-ed schools and 79 per cent more likely to do chemistry.
Ms Crofts said many students enjoyed being in an environment where they were not distracted by boys, did not feel self-conscious and were able to be themselves.
“Before coming to MFG I had only worked in coeducational contexts. I did not appreciate that, for some girls, an all-girls context helps them to thrive,” she said.
The decline in public school enrolments is not exclusive to Matthew Flinders with government schools across the board — including Geelong High School and Newcomb High School — recording a reduction in enrolments between 2010-17. The region’s public secondary schools recorded no growth in enrolments from 2013-17, with the 1.5 per cent of government school growth driven by primary enrolments. AN IMPRESSIVE indigenous artwork is inspiring kindergarten kids during play time.
Bellevue Preschool, at Highton, commissioned wellknown Surf Coast-based indigenous artist Nathan Patterson to paint the large mural. Patterson had previously helped out with educating the preschool’s students on indigenous art.
Bellevue Preschool centre director Melissa Foote said Patterson incorporated symbols and different styles of art, which he has discussed with the kids, into the mural.
The kids “love” it, Mrs Foote said.
“There’s the You Yangs in it, some birds, animal foot prints, the sun,” she said.
“It just sort of sparks their creative thoughts when they’re in their role play.
“Having an Aboriginal artist come in and spend time with the children is a really good way of exposing them to all different aspects of the culture.”