6 April, 2022
New school unveiled
Westbrook families will finally have a school within walking distance following an announcement by the Diocese of Toowoomba that it will be building St Francis Catholic College, a K-12 school.
The school will be built on the corner of Boundary Street South and Shoesmith Road, to the north-east of the township.
Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS), which runs schools for the Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba stretching from Toowoomba to Stanthorpe and west to Quilpie, is well into the planning stage of the project.
TCS said Westbrook was chosen as the location for a new school because it is a growing community that is family focussed, also recognising the lack of existing schools in the area.
“Being located on such a large parcel of land, with expansive views and easy pedestrian and vehicle access, the ability to deliver a College that will provide what parents want for their children and a place that will engage young people in learning through both natural and built environments is possible.”
It is named after St Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of ecology, with the aim of encouraging staff and students to embrace their surroundings and learn within them.
Up until now and until St Francis Catholic College is built, the nearest Catholic primary school to Westbrook, Wyreema and Cambooya has been St Anthony’s Primary School in Harristown, with high school students having to travel further to schools close to the centre of Toowoomba.
Community consultation and feedback as a part of Toowoomba Catholic Schools’ Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) application will begin later this month.
TCS said an MID provides a planning approval pathway to a development approval under the Planning Act 2006.
MIDs are assessed by the State Government and decided by the Planning Minister.
The MID approves a development envelope over the land, similar to a masterplan.
