Our School History

Our school began in 1920 when Sisters of Mercy from St Ann’s Convent in Warrnambool began teaching about 50 Catholic children from the Dennington area. A Catholic Church, St John the Baptist, had opened in Tylden Street in 1919. The Sisters of Mercy taught the children inside this building - the older students inside the church itself and the younger children in the Supper room at the rear of the church, for the next 12 years.

In 1932 a dedicated school building was erected after years of fundraising by the Catholic community. This weatherboard building comprised two large classrooms, small staff room, cloak rooms and a foyer. It, along with the Church Supper room, were the school facilities through to the early 1970s.

As enrolments increased, so did the need for more classrooms and upgraded facilities. A portable double classroom was placed on the grounds and in 1980 a new brick building was built. This comprised classrooms, a library and office space. In the late 1980s the school received a large bequest from Mr Leonard Hogan, a local businessman. This enabled extensions and improvements to be made to the school buildings and grounds.

The school continued to be run by the Sisters of Mercy with the assistance of lay teachers. In 1980 non-Catholic children were able to enrol in the school for the first time. At the end of 1989 the Sisters of Mercy finished their involvement with the school and it was passed over to lay administration.

In the early 2000s, as enrolments continued to rise and space became limited, a decision was made to relocate the school to a more spacious plot. Land was purchased in the north of Dennington and a new school opened in 2011 with a mix of permanent and portable classrooms. Further building works increased the number of permanent classrooms and facilities.

In 2020 our school celebrated 100 Years of Education.