Enrolments at St Brigid’s have been steadily climbing to the point now where they are very strong. There is fantastic interest from our local feeder schools as well as significant growth coming from the public system.
I probably spend more time than is healthy thinking about enrolments and how to grow them. The reason being is that I know what healthy enrolment numbers can do for a school. They lead to additional resources, increased teacher numbers, more subjects on offer, greater breadth to our co-curricular activities, increased security for staff, increased competition that drives higher standards, more opportunities for our students, etc, etc.
Having worked in a developing school before, I’m also acutely aware that booming enrolment numbers can be confronting for some members of our community who are concerned that the College could become so big that students get lost in the mix. Whilst I understand those concerns, I can assure you that at St Brigid’s we will always work hard to ensure every child is known and their wellbeing remains at the front and centre of our mind. The pastoral care at the College is an absolute strength of ours and must be maintained.
When I think about how schools grow, I’m conscious that enrolment numbers can be influenced by several factors. There is leadership, the student experience, vision, school improvement, reputation, demographics, location, price, reputation, marketing, academic performance, wellbeing, catholicity, sporting opportunities, co-curricular activities, and the list goes on.
Clearly all of these factors can play their part in attracting more students to our College. Having said that, there are two other factors that in my mind contribute most to a thriving and growing school. They are parent satisfaction and the quality of our staff which are inextricably linked.
Word of mouth continues to be a major contributor to our growth. Satisfied parents lead to strong retention, which leads to increased enrolments. We are so grateful to have such a supportive group of parents in our community who value the College and the opportunities it provides your children. By no means, are we a finished product, there is still lots of room for improvement, but I feel fortunate to be surrounded by a great parent body who are willing to genuinely engage with their child’s education and drive us to be the very best school we can be.
Secondly, our staff are clearly one of our finest advertisements. I want to be clear that when I refer to staff I mean our entire staff (teachers, support staff, office staff, our general hand). I have been fortunate to work with some outstanding people during my teaching career and this group is second to none. They are invested in the profession, care deeply about your children, open to improvements, prepared to go the extra mile and are genuinely committed to this community. I thank them sincerely for all that they do in helping to grow the College.
Growing schools experience growing pains. We will be no different but trust in the fact that what ever challenges lie ahead, we are well equipped to deal with them and will always ensure that the students are at the centre of all decisions we make.
Paul Lynch
Assistant Principal
