The future sustainability of Edmund Rice College Bindoon will be strengthened by a focused review of its educational model, its Governing Body EREA Colleges Ltd (EREAC) has announced this week.
As a result of this work, the College will apply to the Minister for Education to pause its operations and registration in 2025. This will be for a period of up to two years.
Edmund Rice College (ERC) currently supports approximately 60 First Nations students from a variety of communities across Western Australia.
EREAC and Catholic Education WA (CEWA) will work with all impacted students and families to ensure they are provided with the choice of an alternate enrolment at another WA Catholic school in 2025.
All staff impacted by this change will be supported either with an offer of redeployment, re-employment assistance or other support appropriate to their needs.
Experienced WA Principal Mark Sawle has been appointed as a Project Consultant to assist with the change process and support the EREA Colleges Board to determine appropriate future options in consultation with its Member, the Council of Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia.
As part of this work, EREAC will consult with CEWA, First Nations communities, the College community, government and other stakeholders.
EREA Colleges Chair Pauline Gately said the decision had not been taken lightly by the EREA Colleges Board.
“It follows a significant period of reflection where we determined, with the support and agreement of our partners Catholic Education WA (CEWA), that the school is not able to continue operating in its current format,” Ms Gately said.
“This is about reimagining a model of educational service delivery that best meets the needs of young people in a sustainable and student focused manner well into the future. This is our priority, and we want to take time to get this right.”
EREA Colleges CEO, Chris Woolley, said a recent decline in enrolment, the evolving educational and social needs of students and the complex heritage site have put pressure on the model currently in place.
“The review will ensure that we are best able to continue to appropriately meet the educational, social and emotional needs of all students, and this must be paramount,” he said.
“The pause in operations will allow time to develop an alternate educational model that takes the College forward with the needs of young people and the College’s sustainability as our ultimate focus. It will also allow us time to consider the critical infrastructure requirements of this complex heritage site in consultation with local authorities.”