- Published:
- Thursday 19 January 2017
The inaugural principal has been appointed to lead Victoria’s first vertical government school.
Minister for Education James Merlino and Member for Albert Park Martin Foley congratulated Noel Creece on being appointed principal of the new $44 million award-winning Ferrars St South Melbourne Primary School.
Mr Creece will start work in February, one year ahead of the school opening in 2018, to set up the unique school and to ensure that families living in Melbourne’s booming inner-south have certainty about the new school’s future.
Mr Creece brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and a strong history building thriving schools, as well as a passion for helping students and their communities.
He has worked in a variety of contexts including country, city and international schools, as well as small and large schools. He is currently principal at Lara Lake Primary School, where he has grown a school of 375 students to almost 700.
The five-storey South Melbourne Primary School is the first vertical government school in Victoria, and includes open space on each level and indoor and outdoor competition grade netball courts.
It is one of 42 new government schools in the construction pipeline following a record $1.8 billion investment by the Andrews Labor Government in new schools and school upgrades around the state.
The school design was recently awarded the Future Project of the Year at the 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards held in Berlin.
As well as giving students in South Melbourne state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities it will also incorporate an early childhood centre and spaces and services for the local community.
Enrolments are due to open in July 2017 for all year levels, ahead of the school opening in January 2018.
Quote attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“It is exciting that someone like Noel Creece, with his extensive experience building thriving school communities, will be the inaugural principal of South Melbourne Primary School.”
Quotes attributable to the Member for Albert Park Martin Foley
“Appointing Ferrars St South Melbourne Primary School’s principal a year early gives local families in booming suburbs the certainty they need about their new school and their kids’ enrolment for the 2018 school year.”
"This will be a wonderful school and I’m sure that local families will be pleased with this news.”