College Profile

Caroline Springs is a rapidly growing suburban community located twenty kilometres west of Melbourne,

the capital of the state of Victoria, Australia. Caroline Springs College is a government college providing for students through kindergarten, primary and secondary education, spanning fourteen years of learning. Graduates move on to a range of tertiary educational settings or employment. The college enrolment is growing and is expected to stabilise at over 3200 students.

Caroline Springs College is a multicultural school community comprising over fifty ethnic backgrounds and the College builds global understanding into its programs.

A wide range of occupational groups are represented by college families with a high number of parents engaged in home duties or unemployed. The college receives significant levels of equity funding from the government in recognition of the occupational status of parents.

The college strives to offer world class educational practices and is creating an evidence informed culture on which to base decisions and provide direction. The adoption of contemporary pedagogy is supported by an organisational structure that guides students through integrated phases of learning. After enrolment in kindergarten (K) at the age of four years, students progress to the first primary year or preparatory year (Prep). There follows a further six years of primary education, Years 1 to 6. Secondary education is provided over a further six years, Years 7 to 12. However the phases of learning span these traditional levels to provide early years programs (K to Year 4), middle years (Years 5 to 9) and later years (Years 10 to 12).

Caroline Springs College is a four-campus institution. Brookside caters for Prep to Year 9 students, Creekside and Springside for K to Year 9 students and Lakeview is a Years 10 to 12 campus.  Each campus is aligned to whole of college expectations and policies which provides seamless transition for students.

Brookside Campus, which opened in 2000, is one of three schools which comprise The Brookside Learning Centre, and was the first educational facility in the area.  Mowbray College and Christ the Priest Catholic Primary School were soon established in close proximity. The schools contributed to the construction cost of the facilities and share spaces under a joint-use agreement. The Shire of Melton, the local government entity, provides a child-minding centre, a maternal and child health centre and a kindergarten at the precinct. The schools use the shire’s sporting fields and link with other local government services such as Djerriwarrh Health Services.

Creekside Campus opened in 2006 for K to Year 9 students. The Shire of Melton has also provided a kindergarten, maternal and childcare centre, toy library and occasional care centre on the site. The college manages the kindergarten program as an integral part of the educational offering on this campus.

Lakeview Campus caters for Years 10 to12 and also opened in 2006 at the Town Centre. Lakeview provides our students with specific pathways to professional, business and trade-related employment. Links have been established with other educational service providers in the local community.  Lakeview has formed a number of strategic alliances with the Shire of Melton and Mowbray College, with shared construction of a three-court indoor stadium, a shared-use library and sporting grounds. The Shire of Melton has contributed to the building of the performing arts theatre within the campus, providing another facility for the wider community.

Springside Campus caters for K to Year 9 students and opened in 2009. Constructed in co-operation with the shire, the campus also offers maternal health services, a toy library, occasional care and meeting rooms for community use. St George Preca Catholic Primary School and Melton College are additional partners in this precinct.  The students will have full access to adjoining sporting facilities provided by the Shire of Melton.

The college employs committed and enthusiastic staff and currently has a youthful staffing profile. In keeping with its foundational philosophy, the college places high value on community interaction and participation, particularly the contributions that parents and members of the wider community make to improve students’ learning outcomes.  The college uses numerous formal and informal structures through which parents and community volunteers contribute.