Falling enrolments seal fate of St Brendan's which will close at the end of the year

Families, pupils and staff were told last week the school would not reopen in 2024, with the decision made final on Monday.

Falling pupil numbers over recent years have left the school with 12 pupils this year, and with four grade six children set to graduate this year and no new enrolments for 2024 the school fell under the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited's viability threshold of 11, meaning it would have to close.

"It was a shock but probably not really unexpected," principal Inez French said.

"We have been in fairly steady decline for quite a few years. Every year we have to look at where we are heading the year after with enrolments."

Ms French said it was an emotional time for all involved.

"Obviously all the staff, children and families are really, really sad. St Brendan's has been part of Dunnstown for over 160 years and ... many families had two, three, four or more generations go through.

"There are lots of connections and relationships that run really deep and it's a really sad time for the community as we come to grips with what's happening, but when you get to a certain number it's not the best thing for the kids and teachers and families to remain."

Eleanor Dash has two daughters at St Brendan's - Lucy, 12, in grade six, and Sophie, 8, in grade three.

She admits to feeling "stunned" when the announcement was made despite knowing it was probably coming.

"We've all been trying to work hard on keeping the school running but it was something on the line there for a while. After all the hard work from staff and families, when the announcement was made it still makes you feel a bit stunned."

While Lucy will be heading to high school next year, Ms Dash and other parents must now find new schools for the remaining eight pupils who will be in grades three, four and five.

Some families are hoping to keep the children together at a new school so they don't lose the bonds they have made at St Brendan's.

"It would be nice if the kids could continue their school years with kids from their own school, from St Brendan's. They started their school lives with them and changing schools can be a huge thing so it would be great to keep the kids together who have become so close in their time at St Brendan's."

She said she also felt for the teachers who would now have to look for new jobs.

Like many families, Ms Dash's children are the latest of many generations in their family to attend St Brendan's Primary School - and their grandmother Jo Dash is the school librarian. Her husband went to school there as did many of his relatives including a great grandfather.

"We've had some great times through the school and been really involved with the Mountain of Fun Run (up Mt Warrenheip to raise funds for the school) and there's been so many things and opportunities the kids have had even being in that small school environment," Ms Dash said.

"We've been working hard for (the closure) not to happen and it's really just such a shame. There's so much history in the school itself and such community focus with so many people in the community having had a long connection with the school."

After the school holidays, the focus will switch to organising how best to celebrate the end of the school.

"We are not going to sit around crying our eyes out. We need to capture this and celebrate the rich history of the school and the community and after the holidays we will group together and work out what this celebration will be."

One family sure to return for the celebrations is the Leonard-Cahir-McKay clan who have had six generations of children educated at St Brendan's Primary School going back to the 1860s, not long after the school was founded in 1858 in a wooden building known as the Catholic School Shed not far from its present site.

More than 33 family members have attended the school with the final two - cousins Sienna Cahir and Kade McKay - graduating last year.

Nell Leonard, the great grandmother of Sienna and Kade, attended the school herself and was involved for 16 years as a mother, 20 years as a grandmother, and 13 years as a great-grandmother. Her late husband Leo was also educated there, as well as both their mothers, siblings and a grandfather.

The Leonard's seven children all attended as well as 14 of their 25 grandchildren and seven of their 33 great-grandchildren with Sienna and Kade the last of their generation to graduate from the school.

Nell's daughter Dianne Cahir said the school's closure would be a sad day for many families in the area.

"We probably knew it was coming, although we hoped it would hang out a bit longer," she said.

"Small schools have their place but when they get too small it probably does outlive its purpose."

Ms Cahir said even those with no direct ties to the school were invited along to school events.

"Just recently we had a lovely Mother's Day celebration. Even though we don't have kids at the school any more, we were still invited and everyone turned up. We had a Mother's Day liturgy, lunch, a cup of tea and everyone was able to catch up and chat with people you don't see outside the school environment.

"It's a shame for the town as it's probably one of the last community meeting places. All that will go and there will be these great buildings here ... what will happen with them?"

St Brendan's Catholic Church, on the same site as the school, still holds regular services on the first and third Sunday of each month.

The closure of a school in a small town often takes with it the hub of town activity but locals are determined that will not be the case in Dunnstown.

"Pretty much all the kids at the school are connected to Dunnstown Football Netball Club along the way and they will continue. Families are not moving out so they will still have that connection to community," Ms Dash said.

"Most of the kids know all the oldies in the community through the football netball club and that's the great thing, they've still got that connection to each other and families. A lot of the parents of kids going to school went to the school themselves and have remained friends over the years."

School principal Ms French felt the same way.

"It's a very resilient and strong community. They will still have common interest like football and netball and lots of family connections in many different ways that they will maintain. I'm sure the community of Dunnstown will continue strongly," she said.

Ms French had held out hope more enrolments would come, even extending enrolments until May 29, but a decision had to be made.

"We put a lot of effort into getting enrolments. We wanted to make sure we explored as many avenues as we could. We kept it open until May 29 hoping we would get enrolments, as a few more enrolments could have changed the outcome," she said.

For now the focus is on supporting pupils, families and staff through their next chapter of school.

"We are making sure staff, families and children are all OK and we will do everything to help support them to transition to their next school," Ms French said.

"We are working with other schools to make sure parents can have that opportunity of Catholic education."

Ms French is also the principal of St Mary's Primary School in Clarke's Hill where the current enrolment sits at 16, with two or three preps to start next year and three recent enrolments in other year levels.

DOBCEL chief executive Tom Sexton said it was with "a deep sense of sadness" that the difficult decision to close the school was made.

IN OTHER NEWS

"Inez French, principal, her staff and the families of St Brendan's have been tireless in their efforts to improve enrolments over the past few years," he said.

"Families will be supported in their preferred school choice for 2024 with a number of alternative Catholic schools within close proximity, ready to welcome and embrace the St Brendan's families.

"Similarly, the staff of St Brendan's will be fully supported to understand their options and career opportunities, including redeployment within other Ballarat Catholic schools, if desired."

The school started in 1858 in a wooden building known as the Catholic School Shed not far from its present site.

It was named St Brendan's around 1900 but when the church was built in the school site and the school moved to an area behind the church, it was renamed St Mary's.

In 1952 a new modern brick school building was built to replace the old wooden building and it underwent another change when the school was placed under the patronage of St Brendan's.

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