21 September 2023
STATEMENT FROM MOST REV ANTHONY RANDAZZO, BISHOP OF BROKEN BAY AND MRS EILEEN YOUNG, CHAIR DOMINICAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA
Increased Support Class Options for Students with a Disability
The Most Reverend Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay and Mrs Eileen Young, Chair of Dominican Education Australia (DEA) are pleased to share an exciting new development for families with children with disability in the Diocese of Broken Bay.
For many decades, St Lucy’s School Wahroonga has provided excellent educational opportunity for children with disability. It continues to do so, having started construction of 12 purpose built secondary classrooms, a VET Hospitality kitchen and Work Education facilities to enable the K-12 vision of St Lucy’s to be fully realised.
Since his appointment to the Diocese of Broken Bay, Bishop Randazzo has also listened to the stories of many families. He is aware of the acute need that exists in the sector of special education. Subsequently, he has committed Catholic Schools Broken Bay (CSBB) to expanding the range of services and support for students with a disability. Rather than establish a single stand-alone school in a particular location the Bishop has outlined a vision for a diocesan-wide Eileen O’Connor School which includes:
1. Establishing a network of support classes on CSBB school sites
2. Developing a specialist school on the Central Coast; and
3. Enhancing the capacity of all in CSBB schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities and their families.
Bishop Randazzo and Mrs Young welcome the new partnership that will emerge from the developments occurring at both St Lucy’s and in CSBB schools. St Lucy’s will continue to provide its own excellent education for children with a disability, whilst the Diocese of Broken Bay will now also provide the benefit of support classes directly through its own system of schools. This enables an extensive increase of options in Catholic Education for families with children with disability.
As CSBB establishes the Eileen O’Connor initiative across the diocese, it will be working closely with St Lucy’s to ensure minimal disruption to the students and their families.
From 2024, CSBB has made available two classrooms at Sacred Heart Primary School Pymble, for a period of 2 years, to assist St Lucy’s during the building program that has recently commenced. The St Lucy’s satellite classes previously operated at Wahroonga, will be operated at the new site at Sacred Heart, Pymble. Further, there will be an extension of the St Lucy’s lease of satellite classrooms at Narraweena for 12 months until the end of 2024 and an extension of the St Lucy’s lease of satellite classrooms at Narrabeen for 24 months until the end of 2025.
The Diocese of Broken Bay and Dominican Education Australia look forward to collaborating into the future in innovative ways for the benefit, education and wellbeing of all students with disability.
Most Rev Anthony Randazzo Eileen Young
Bishop of Broken Bay Chairperson, Dominican Education Australia