Westall Schools Regeneration

We completed the next stage of the Westall Schools Regeneration project. We built a new learning wing for Westall Secondary College.

We built on the upgrades we completed at the school in 2020 by delivering the next stage of the primary school's master plan.

What is the Westall Schools Regeneration project?

The Victorian Government is investing in the future of Westall through the Westall Schools Regeneration project. This investment is supporting the upgrade and modernisation of Westall Primary School and Westall Secondary College. In the 2020–21 State Budget, Westall Primary School received $7.2 million to build the second stage of their masterplan.

This second stage focussed specifically on creating a hub link that connects the primary school with Westall Kindergarten. The kindergarten is part of Kingston City Council’s Community Hub, which also provides maternal and child health services.

The project supports the partnership between Westall Primary School, Westall Secondary College, Kingston City Council and the Colman Foundation to implement the Our Place approach and integrate the delivery of education, allied health and wellbeing services for the local community.

What was built?

As part of the works program, the Victorian School Building Authority delivered:

• the hub link connecting to the Kingston City Community Hub
• an additional Learning Centre building
• landscaping and other site elements around the new Learning Centre building.

The hub link includes community spaces to establish the Our Place approach for the Westall Primary School community.

How does the community benefit?

The new Learning Centre building provides students of the school more learning opportunities than ever before.

Linking Westall Primary School with the Community Hub provides many benefits for local families and children.

These include:

• a single entrance to Westall Primary School and the Community Hub
• providing parents and carers with access to a range of allied health and wellbeing services that improve their children’s readiness for school
• on-site Community Facilitators to help families to connect with services tailored to their needs.

The Westall hub link supports an integrated approach to education, health and community services that benefits the local community.

What is the Colman Foundation?

The Colman Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that supports the achievements of improved social outcomes by placing education at the heart of a disadvantaged community.

The Colman Foundation developed the Our Place approach to promote positive education outcomes for children and families in disadvantaged communities.

What is the Our Place approach?

The Our Place approach creates a shared entrance between a government school and early learning centre and provides facilities where parents and families can access a range education, allied health and wellbeing services.

The Our Place approach supports the establishment of an integrated learning community to improve social and educational outcomes for families and children.

Key features of the Our Place approach include:

• A single point of entry to promote engagement of families and support children in their transition from kindergarten to school
• Facilitating partnerships between early years and primary school providers to integrate and coordinate services
• Creating shared spaces for community services, such as adult education and training, volunteering and job-seeking services
• Providing families with better access to tailored health and wellbeing services
• On-site Community Facilitators to assist families and children to connect to education, allied health and wellbeing services.

We have completed Stage 1 of the Westall Schools Regeneration.

The project delivered a new gymnasium, learning centre, hardcourts, car park and refurbished administration building for Westall Primary School. New hardcourts were also delivered for Westall Secondary College.