STUDENTS have reportedly been turned away from Maitland All Saints College's junior campus as the diocese pushes ahead with its plans to shut the Year 11 to 12 school, St Mary's.
The Newcastle Herald has been told staff were made aware that St Peter's, which caters to years 7 to 10, was having to turn away Catholic students for next year because of a lack of capacity.
A Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle spokeswoman said all three lower Hunter Catholic secondary schools, including All Saints', St Bede's at Chisholm and St Joseph's at Lochinvar had received "unprecedented demand" for Year 7 enrolments.
"The demand is an indication of the community confidence in Catholic education in our region," she said.
"Accordingly, we have made temporary changes to our 2024 enrolment policy for the lower Hunter region only to accommodate Year 7 enrolments in this region as best as possible.
"This includes a commitment to ensure our current students in Catholic pathway schools receive priority enrolment across our three lower Hunter secondary schools."
She said the high schools were all working to accommodate demand, and that principals were consulting with families about their individual needs.
The diocese still hasn't received approval to build new facilities at the St Peter's campus as the school prepares to shut St Mary's and co-locate years 7 to 12.
Students, parents and teachers at the college sent a letter to the newly-installed bishop last month begging him to reverse the decision to close the senior campus.
The Save St Mary's Action Group argued the closure goes against the wishes of about 4500 people who don't want students moved to the "cramped" and "crowded" St Peter's junior campus.
The school announced it planned to close the Year 11 and 12 senior campus and move all students to St Peter's after a review of its four-day week model and structure in 2021.
The diocese engaged external advisers Dr Dan White and Terry O'Brien to conduct an independent review of the school.
That review found that "the ideal, long-term configuration of All Saints' College is for it to be situated on a single campus by no later than 2026, utilising the current St Peter's campus site, and supplemented by appropriate land purchases and associated major capital works".
The diocesan spokeswoman said families of the Catholic school system were being assured that all 12 secondary schools across the diocese are equitable and "designed to best support each student to achieve the best possible learning outcomes".
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