School Fee Information

We welcome all students and their families who share or respect our Catholic faith, values and traditions. Catholic education is supported by State and Federal funding, with families contributing the balance of the cost of educating their children. At times, some families are unable to meet their commitment to the full costs of education. As a Catholic school system, we ensure fee relief mechanisms are available to support families in time of need. We encourage these discussions on enrolment or as these needs emerge.

The School Fee, the Student Fee and Capital Fee are reviewed by the school annually after receiving advice from the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL), and are an important part of the school’s overall financial plan.

School Fees

St. Brendan’s is a Catholic school community that strives to provide its students with a holistic education in an inclusive community environment. We value our parent community and appreciate all that they do in supporting the life, nature and identity of St. Brendan’s. It is understood that part of the parent commitment to our school entails the payment of school fees. The charging of school fees are is a prerequisite for the school if it is to be eligible for Government funding.

School Fees for 2023 are: 

Student Fees: The Student Fee contribution is used by the school to meet all classroom expenses, such as art materials, resources, online programs, general classroom equipment and photocopying expenses. It also allows the school to buy resources for specific curriculum areas such as Religious Education, English, L.O.T.E. (Auslan), Maths, Library, Music and Science. Student School Insurance is also covered by the student fee.

The 2023 per Student Fee is $185

Family Tuition Fee: The Family Fee applies to all families regardless of the number of children at the school. The Family Tuition Fee is essential for the continued growth of our school as funds are used to buy school equipment, maintain the buildings and pay utilities. The 2023 Family Fee is $1000 per year or $250 per term or just $40 per fortnight over 25 fortnights.  Setting up a direct debit repayment plan is the preferred method of payment. Please contact Gracesyn at the office if you would like to implement this. School Fees can be paid by installments into our bank account, our bank details can be found at the bottom of the page.

Family Assistance Scheme: This scheme was introduced 5 years ago by the Catholic Education Office to make Catholic Education more accessible for those families in need. This scheme means that all families with a health care card can send their children to a Catholic school for a cost of $10 per week or $520 per year, this fee covers tuition and capital fees.  

To be eligible to receive the FAS, you must:

• Be either a parent or guardian of a primary or secondary school student, up to the age of sixteen.
• Be an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink pension, allowance or benefit with the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004 or be a Veterans Affairs (TPI) pensioner or be a foster parents.
• Submit your application to the school by the due date.

Capital Fee : The Capital Fee goes towards a number of areas in regards to capital works at the school, either helping to repay loans, to maintain capital purchases or to put towards capital building improvements required.The capital fee per family is $120. 

Booklist Fee: In relation to the cost of ‘Booklist Items’ St Brendan’s purchases all items on the student booklist in bulk and charge a ‘Booklist Fee’ as part of school fees. All booklist items are provided to students in the classroom at the beginning of the school year. As the school purchases these items in bulk we receive a discounted rate which we pass onto families. The per student booklist fee in 2023 is $70.

Swimming Fee: The swimming program runs throughout Terms 1 & 4 of each year and involves all students participating in group swimming lessons at Bluewater Fitness Centre in Colac, for one hour per week over the course of five weeks in each term. A total of ten lessons for the year.  It is an expectation that all children will participate in the swimming program as it is a compulsory component of the Victorian curriculum. The swimming fee is $70 per student in 2023.

Maintenance Levy: All families will pay an annual maintenance fee of $75 which will go towards the employment of our maintenance contractor.

Camp Fee: Students in Years 5 & 6 will be charged a camp fee annually. This fee is to cover the expense of the 5/6 Camp which alternates yearly between Sovereign Hill and Melbourne Urban Camp. Both camps involve a two night stay away from home and a wide variety of activities and experiences. It is an expectation that all children will participate in the camp as it is tied to the curriculum. The per student camp fee in 2023 is $200. Please note this fee is only charged to students in Years 5 & 6.

Technology Fee: Year 5 & 6 students are charged a technology fee. Over the two years this fee is charged students will have their own Chromebook to use in the classroom, which is then owned outright by the student (or family) at the completion of their Primary Education and is theirs to take with them when they graduate from St Brendan’s. While the students are using the Chromebook over the two year period it is owned by St Brendan’s during this time, kept at school at all times, insured by the school and maintained by our IT department. The per student technology fee in 2023 is $200. Please note this fee is only charged to students in Years 5 & 6.

Conveyance Allowance: The Conveyance Allowance assists families with the cost of transporting their children to and from school. Where a private vehicle travels more than 4.8km to pick up or drop off students at a bus stop, or to school (in cases where there is no bus available and St Brendan's is the nearest Catholic School), parents can apply for the reimbursement applicable through the Private Car Conveyance Allowance application.

A high percentage of families who attend St Brendan's are eligible for Conveyance Funding due to the remote location of our school and the limited buslines. Often families choose to use Conveyance funding to pay their school fees and in many cases families are left with little to no school fees left to pay after the funding has been applied.

Please contact the office if you drive your child more than 4.8km to the bus stop or to school, you may be eligible to receive conveyance allowance.

Additional materials:

At the beginning of each school year we ask each student to supply the following:                               

• 1 Large box of tissues
• Pencil case (no large wooden boxes)
• 'Fun Stationary' such as coloured pens, textas and highlighters (Note: This is optional. Crayons, coloured pencils etc. will be provided by St Brendan's as part of the Booklist items)
• Library bag

Fundraising

Catholic and Non-Government Schools are partially funded by both Federal and State Governments. The government supports the school with 72% of our costs of running the school each year. Most of this covers the costs of staff wages. As school operational costs are only partially funded by the Government, the commitment to Catholic education also entails a financial commitment.  The expectation from the Government is that we will meet its contribution with the shortfall of 28%. In order for our school to function effectively, it is necessary to meet this deficit through School Fees. As you can see, with a 28% shortfall, family fees are crucial and go a long way towards bridging the gap. 

The other way we meet the shortfall is through fundraising.  The Community Group, made up of parents within the school, takes on the commitment to support the school through fundraising initiatives and this also helps to keep fees down in the process. The minimum pledge for fundraising is $6,000 a year. The added benefit of fundraising is that it gives members of our community the opportunity to work together and build relationships, as well as ensuring our students are provided with the resources needed for a quality education.

Overall Fee Summary 

Example of a fee calculation: A family of 3 children in Grades 1, 4 & 6