The first sod was turned on a kindergarten and primary school development in Mount Atkinson, offering 178 kindergarten places and a new school on the same site.
With works beginning on Thursday, May 1, the kindergarten will include consulting rooms and out-of-school-hours care, with construction expected to be completed at the end of the year.
It will receive up to $6.75 million in funding as part of a partnership between the state and the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Early Years Education.
Works on the new St Marianne Cope Primary School also began on the same day, with the state funding $6 million to this project.
According to the state, the positioning of the kindergarten and primary school at the same site is aimed at making drop-off more convenient for busy parents and carers and easing the transition to primary school among children.
The kindergarten will be managed by MACSEYE, which is a subsidiary of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools.
MACSEYE managing director Heather Finlayson said that through the co-located space, “we’re providing more families and children with access to a strong foundation for lifelong learning, fostering exploration, growth, and thriving connections between early years education, St Marianne Cope Primary School, and the parish community.”
The St Marianne Cope Catholic Primary School is set to open to new students in January 2026.
