School History
St Brigid's Primary School, located in Ballan, Victoria, has a rich history tied to the local Catholic community. Its origins trace back to 1856 with the establishment of St Agnes, Ballan’s first Catholic Church. By 1858, this church began serving as a school. The timber used for the original church was sourced from a sawpit on Wall's paddock, located southeast of Bostock Reserve, a property later owned by Jack Egan in 1962.
On December 13th, 1859, the Denominational Schools Board reported that a school had been operating in Ballan for two months, although the exact location of the building was not specified. Known as Ballan Catholic Common School No. 100, it had 34 students under the instruction of lay teacher Mr James Devereaux, marking the humble beginnings of what would later become St Brigid's Primary School. For over a century, this historic building served the dual purpose of being both a church and a school, supporting the spiritual and educational needs of Ballan’s Catholic community.
On August 6th, 1900, the Ballan Times first announced the establishment of a primary school connected to St Agnes Church. The school opened on August 8th, 1900 with an anticipated attendance of 40 to 50 children. In 1912, the school adopted the name St Brigid’s to align with the newly built St Brigid’s Church nearby.
A significant event in the school’s history occurred in 1963 when the original wooden school building was destroyed by fire. Despite the devastation, Miss O’Kane, the dedicated teacher at the time, ensured that classes continued without interruption, relocating students and maintaining lessons.
In 1964, Miss O’Kane retired and the Josephite Nuns assumed their teaching duties at St Brigid’s. On March 8th, 1964, the new St Brigid’s school building was blessed and officially opened by Archbishop Simonds. Head Teacher Sister Jerome (Patricia Williams) and Sister Margaret Marcia (Culhane) from the Josephite Order were permanently appointed to St Brigid’s.
The Josephite Nuns continued their mission at St Brigid’s for 12 years, with 1976 marking their final year of teaching at the school. Their legacy lived on, as their work continued at nearby St Michael’s, Springbank until 1986 and St Patrick’s, Gordon until 1993.
In 2024, St Brigid's has an enrolment of 115 students and has expanded to include seven learning centres, a modern library and an administration area. The outdoor facilities feature two sandpits, an oval, a new adventure playground and a recently upgraded basketball court with reversible basketball/netball rings, a running track and newly installed synthetic turf. Since 2017, the multi-purpose building has been in use, offering a flexible space for various activities such as Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education and Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) classes.
At St Brigid's, our goal is to provide a high-quality Catholic education that promotes the holistic development of every student. We focus on nurturing each community member's self-image, self-esteem, and confidence in all aspects of school life. St Brigid's is dedicated to improving learning outcomes for all students by offering both support and challenges across key learning areas, ensuring their continuous success as learners.
Our educational program follows the Victorian Curriculum (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority), which includes the eight key learning areas and four capabilities. In addition, our curriculum integrates Religious Education, social justice and knowledge development. Literacy and Numeracy skills are taught explicitly, based on evidence-based practices, while specialist classes offer students opportunities to engage in Physical Education, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and STEM. Daily Auslan lessons are conducted through a collaborative approach called 'Teachers as Co-Learners.' Intervention programs are in place, with progress closely monitored through thorough and ongoing data analysis.
St Brigid's Primary School is one of two schools in the St Patrick’s Parish Gordon and we continue to strengthen our connection with our Parish and value our relationship with our Parish Priest, Fr Justin Driscoll and parishioners. As a Catholic School with a firm belief in our faith, students are offered opportunities to experience Prayer, Scripture and Liturgy. St Patrick's Parish Gordon has a Sacramental program which is family based, parish supported and school resourced.
At the heart of St Brigid's ethos is a commitment to holistic growth. As a school, we strive to foster qualities such as bravery, collaboration, curiosity, perseverance and resilience in both student and adult learners. Guided by the courage and warmth exemplified by St Brigid herself, we aspire to be an inclusive learning and faith community.
