Education options abound for Heartford families

For families making a new community their home, nothing is more important than schools and childcare. And for families considering making Heartford, Donnybrook that new home, the education options are plentiful.

In this article, we’ll go through some of the schools and childcare facilities that will be easiest for Heartford residents to get to.

HAYES HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

There are two really important things you need to know about Hayes Hill Primary. The first is that it may have a different name by the time you’ve moved in to Heartford. Hayes Hill is its interim name while it’s being built. The school will accept students from 2023.

The second is that it’s the government primary school you’ll be zoned to as a community resident (until the proposed new school is built next door to Heartford – more on that later).

How far? Less than 2 kilometres from Heartford

How long? About five minutes in the car. About 20 minutes to walk.

HUME ANGLICAN GRAMMAR – DONNYBROOK CAMPUS

By far the closest established school to Heartford (as of mid 2022) is Hume Anglican Grammar’s Donnybrook Campus.

A relatively new school, at the time of publication, it offers Prep to Year 6 enrolments, but will be offering Prep to Year 12 by 2028.

How far? Less than 2 kilometres from Heartford.

How long? About five minutes in the car. Ten minutes on foot.

MOTHER TERESA CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Situated in Craigieburn, this is the closest Catholic school, and it’s a wonderful blend of old and new. Most classes are taken in modern buildings throughout the campus, but a special program called the Kitchen Garden takes place in the historic Olrig Homestead. It was built 150 years ago and is now surrounded by a beautiful vegetable garden, which students take great pride in maintaining.

How far? Less than 20 kilometres from Heartford.

How long? About 20 minutes in the car.

PROPOSED PRIMARY SCHOOL (NO NAME YET)

Although there are several education options very close to Heartford at the moment, none will be more convenient to residents than the proposed primary school. It’s planned to be built literally next door to our community and, better still, it will have a community centre attached.

There’s no fixed construction date for the school yet.

How far? Once built the school will be hundreds of metres from all Heartford residents.

How long? A ten-minute walk at the very most.

EDGARS CREEK SECONDARY COLLEGE

The two closest government secondary schools to Heartford are Edgars Creek and Mount Ridley P-12 College (see below).

Edgars Creek opened only a few years ago – and you can tell as soon as you step foot onto the campus. The buildings are strikingly modern, accommodating a curriculum that features Spanish, Digital Technologies, Visual Arts, Food Technologies and Media, in addition to staples such as English, Maths, Science and Humanities.

How far? Less than 15 kilometres from Heartford

How long? Under 15 minutes in the car.

MOUNT RIDLEY P-12 COLLEGE

As the name suggests, Mount Ridley P-12 College is different to many of the other state schools in the area, as it offers classes for students of every age: from five (Prep) to 18 (Year 12).

The school offers Italian and Japanese as language options, in addition to accommodating Saturday classes for those interested in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil or Turkish. There’s also an emphasis on Sport, Performing Arts and Music.

How far? Less than 20 kilometres from Heartford

How long? About 20 minutes in the car.

KINDER AND CHILDCARE

There are numerous childcare and kinder facilities available in the area.

Just some include Annadale Childcare, Goodstart Early Learning Centre Craigieburn, I Am Learning Childcare Centre, Kinbrook Family Daycare, Kool Kidz Childcare Greenvale and Lockerbie Preschool.