THE former Sion campus of Catholic College Sale could soon be home to St Thomas’ Primary School under a plan drafted by the region’s Catholic education providers.
A statement from the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd (DOSCEL) – released on Monday, December 5 – revealed that it had been consulting and exploring the possible relocation of the primary school to the Our Lady of Sion building.
DOSCEL chief executive officer and director, Maria Kirkwood, said the relocation of St Thomas’ was an option being explored as the school on its current site would require infrastructure upgrades in the near future.
“This is a consideration that we have shared with the community, with our focus being to retain the historic convent and campus site, which is so significant to the history of the Catholic Church and community of Sale,” Ms Kirkwood said.
“St Thomas’ Primary School was led by the Sion Sisters when it opened 50 years ago, so in one sense, the primary school would be returning to its spiritual home.”
The planning and assessment of the Our Lady of Sion site has been ongoing since August 2021, with Diocesan Committee having explored possible future uses of the former convent building.
“We have been consulting within the community since August last year with the commencement of the Bishop’s and DOSCEL’s planning committees, established to investigate potential future use sof this heritage site,” Ms Kirkwood said.
“The release of the early concept design is an example of how we are communicating and engaging with the community so they might be part of the journey.”
Image: Contributed
The Diocese said in their statement that an architect had been consulted to provide “significant insights into how to transform this space into a contemporary environment”.
“Much work lies ahead to assess this as a concept, working with architects, engineers and planning authorities and our parish and school communities,” the statement read.
“We are delighted to share with our community the possibilities being explored to continue the 125-year tradition of Catholic education on this historic site and we look forward to working with the parish and school communities in this next planning phase.”
Ms Kirkwood would not be drawn on a timeframe nor estimated cost, but did say the project was “likely to be a significant investment”.
“This is the visionary stage. Much work needs to be done before any decisions are made,” she said.
“Extensive work is being undertaken with engineers and architects to develop a preliminary masterplan and concept plans.”
St Thomas’ Primary School is currently located on Raglan Street, next to the Guthridge campus of Sale College.
The school was officially opened by Bishop Arthur Fox on March 8, 1970.
The Our Lady of Sion building was previously used as the site for Catholic College Sale’s junior campus.
Following its closure in November 2020, the students now attend the college at a single site on Macalister Street.
