As Brisbane continues to grow, it’s no surprise that our popular city needs new schools. But, exactly how do you create a school from scratch? We visit King’s Christian College Logan Village to find out what goes into building a school from the ground up.
Since King’s Christian College Logan Village welcomed its first early learning students in 2019, this fledgling campus has steadily found its wings. Now, three years on and with almost a full primary school in place, we visit this bustling campus to find out what goes into building an entire school community from just an open space and a mission to educate.
Where did it all begin?
In October 2019, King’s Early Learning in Logan Village opened its doors to a small group of children aged two and a half to five. Just three months later, in January 2020, King’s Christian College Logan Village primary school welcomed 60 Prep to Year 3 students.
With their Reedy Creek campus turning 40 years old and the Pimpama campus turning five that year, King’s Christian College aimed to deliver their proven exceptional education program to the many families settling in the Logan area.
At the opening of the Early Learning Centre, Tracey Verreynne, Group Director of Early Learning at King’s Christian College was excited for what their new venture had in store.
“We can draw on 40 years of experience, success and innovative teaching methods, and blend that with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure that our students are given the best opportunities for success, and that we deliver a Christian education for tomorrow’s generation,” says Ms Verreynne.
Jump forward three years, and this Logan Village campus is bursting with learning.
“The time has flown by, but those foundation students that joined us in 2020 will already be heading into Year 6 next year, which will make us a complete Prep to Year 6 primary school,” says Peter Fossey, Head of Primary at King’s, Logan Village.
As well as adding a year level each year, the College has had to cater for significant growth in student numbers across all years. They also added two new Pre-Prep rooms in 2022 to meet the growing demand for quality early education in the area.
“To allow for the rapid growth in student numbers as well as adding Year 6, we are building a new two-storey primary classroom block,” says Mr Fossey.
The new primary building will include eight classrooms, flexible learning spaces, school reception and will be ready for the start of the 2023 school year.
Stage Three: Introducing High School
In the following year (2024), those same foundation students will be heading into Year 7—their first high school classes.
“To cater for this next stage of growth, in 2023 we will build our first high school classrooms,” says Mr Fossey.
This first High School building will include seven general classrooms, science lab, Design Technology lab, and a Food Technology / Textiles speciality room.
“The whole school campus is meticulously master-planned, with building programs designed to match the needs of the students as they move into older year levels and student numbers increase,” says Mr Fossey.
Continuing on the trajectory of adding a year level each year, King’s Logan Village will be Prep to Year 12 College in 2029, when their foundation students reach Year 12.
“Our aim across all our campuses is to provide affordable education for young people who desire the opportunity to lay the foundations for successful lives,” says King’s Christian College Executive Principal Mr Rees Davis.
What’s a school without a community?
The community within the campus is just as important as the modern facilities they enjoy. Therefore, a key part of building a school is establishing a strong sense of community. And at King’s, that community begins with the littlest members, through the King’s Playtime mornings.
“Our Playtime mornings provide families with the opportunity to meet each other and the children to play and socialise. Many of our Playtime families become King’s families once they experience the welcoming community for themselves,” says Ms Verreynne.
King’s Playtime for preschoolers (aged 0 to 4) includes messy play, child-centred play spaces, and an environment that encourages learning through play.
“Let your child interact with other children, while you relax over a cuppa!” Tracey says. “We provide the perfect environment for you to build lasting relationships with other parents, carers and grandparents in our community.”
Playtime at King’s Logan Village runs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 8.30am to 10.30am, during school term time.
Once children join the Early Learning Centre, the preschoolers become familiar with the greater King’s environment through regular excursions around the campus. These excursions allow preschoolers to explore various areas of the College and feel a sense of belonging to the King’s community.
“Counting school buses, playing on the large ovals, visiting primary classes, joining in Primary lessons or having older students reading with us. These all add value to the program that we offer to prepare our preschoolers for their first year of school,” Tracey said.
The College also holds a huge range of events throughout the school year to foster a sense of community and allow families to connect. These include King’s Easter Fest, movie nights, music and dance performances and more.
And, to ensure the community is well connected across all King’s campuses, as well as providing senior education for Logan families whilst that campus grows, the College also provides a courtesy bus service for siblings in Year 5 and over to their Pimpama campus.
Current facilities at King’s Christian College Logan Village
- Early Learning for children from two and a half years of age
- Community playgroup for preschoolers during term time
- School canteen service available for lunches
- Out-of-school-hours and vacation care
- After-school activities, including sport, dance, drama, chess and Lego BrickBuilders
- Air-conditioned classrooms
- Onsite community centre/auditorium
- Rugby field and multi-purpose courts
- Large outdoor playground and jumping pillow
- Apple Distinguished School
- Bus service from Beaudesert (via Jimboomba and Yarabillba)
- Courtesy bus to King’s Pimpama campus for siblings in Year 5 and above
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