Baptist College to open in Dalyellup next year

A new private school catering for Kindergarten through to Year 12, with an attached early learning centre, is set to breathe new life into a vacant campus in Dalyellup.

Bunbury Baptist College plans to open its doors on the grounds of the former Ocean Forest Lutheran college on Norton Promenade and is slated to open for the 2019 academic year – subject to government approvals.

In its first year the school will welcome students from Kindergarten to Year 7, with the secondary school growing to include Year 12 by 2024.

The college will also be home to a specialist early learning centre for infants through to school-aged children.

It will be the 14th Baptist college to be established in WA and it will be a member of the Association of Independent Schools WA.

Inaugural college principal, Alison Burnley said the aim of the college was “to encourage students to develop a love for learning, initiative and personal discipline, social responsibility, a secure sense of self-worth and a personal awareness of God”. Bunbury Baptist College will welcome families from different faiths, including those with no church affiliation.

Ocean Forest Lutheran College closed its doors in December 2017 due to declining enrolments numbers, 14 years on from its first intake of students.

It was announced in April that Baptist Education Resources had bought the site – the desired outcome for the Capel Shire Council who had hoped the site would be retained as a school.

The council shared the ovals with Ocean Forest Lutheran College and plans to work with the new owners to continue the joint use.

Shire chief executive officer Ian McCabe said the opening of the college was “a welcome addition of choice for residents”.

“The Shire of Capel looks forward to the school being a vital part of the Dalyellup community,” he said.

The Bunbury Baptist College board will hold a community information session at the college from 7pm on July 25 for anyone interested in enrolling.