‘Bursting at the seams’: The schools that can’t keep up with student growth

Faith-based schools in Melbourne’s growth corridors are among the fastest-growing private educators in Victoria, with school leaders attributing the boom to parents favouring schools that reflect their religious values.

Of the top 20 private schools that have recorded the biggest enrolment jumps over the past decade, more than half are faith-based – eight Islamic and five Christian – The Age ’s analysis of enrolment data shows.

Al Siraat College in Epping has grown by 911 students in the past 10 years – an increase of 142 per cent.

Most of the school’s students were born in Australia, with their parents or grandparents migrating mostly from the Indian subcontinent or the Middle East. Collectively, the school’s families speak 39 languages other than English.

The expansion has brought growing pains, which deputy principal and co-founder, Rahat Arain, credits staff for managing “like a beautiful garden, growing”.

“We are bursting at the seams, and trying to have our infrastructure play catch-up with the growth,” she said.

“The pressures from the community wanting to enrol in an Islamic school have driven up the class sizes. That’s something that we then address through extra support staff in the classroom. This adds pressure to staffing to make sure that we have what’s required for a growing school population.”

At school, all students learn Arabic and participate in prayers. Islamic teachings are also incorporated into the curriculum.

“For example, when we’re looking at civics and citizenship, you can look at it from a faith-based perspective as well,” Arain said.

“What does our creator say about how we should be living a civic life? How does that compare to the opportunities we’ve got in Australia and democracy, and so forth.

“Obviously, every school brings its own flavours, but I think our parents are looking for that overlay of how does it relate to who I am as a Muslim and how can [my child] access the curriculum?”

The Australian International Academy of Education in Coburg – which opened in 1983 after a donation by then-king Khalid of Saudi Arabia and claims to be the oldest Islamic school in the country – has added 950 students in the past decade. The increase followed the opening of a new campus in Caroline Springs in 2014.

The Coburg campus, which has added 270 students in the past decade, recently opened a new multimillion-dollar building housing a prayer room and year 11 and 12 classrooms, and is nearing capacity, said campus head Michelle Shears.

“Families are increasingly choosing faith-based schools because they are seeking an education that supports not only academic achievement, but also the development of strong character, values and a clear sense of identity,” Shears said.