PARENTS of students attending Goulburn's Trinity Catholic College are being told that from the start of next year, both girls and boys will be boarded at the St Patrick's campus.
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Confirming the letter, the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn's Catholic Education Office's head of finance and planning, John Barker, said the move was all about functionality.
He said the Catholic Education Commission (CEC) had recently undertaken a review of the boarding operations in Goulburn and identified a number of issues that needed to be addressed if a quality boarding operation was to continue long-term.
Mr Barker said they included the amount and expense of travel conveying girls to and from the St Joseph's campus to attend school.
Operating separate boarding facilities for a relatively small number of boarders was "simply unsustainable" too, he noted.
"Trinity Catholic College will commit a considerable sum of money to refurbishing the boarding facilities, upgrading security, ensuring adequate supervision of boys and girls and reviewing boarding staff arrangements as well as continuing the high quality cleaning, catering and other support services," Mr Barker said.
There would be several advantages for all boarders, including greater opportunities for tutoring and organised recreation events.
Mr Barker acknowledged there had been a $3000 difference between boarding fees paid for the boys and the girls.
"This was in the girls' favour because the supervisory services were being provided by the nuns," Mr Barker said.
For the full story, please see Wednesday's Goulburn Post, available from our front office in Auburn St, or at all leading newsagencies across the Goulburn area.
