History
In the late 1920’s, Archbishop Duhig,
concerned with the fact that many Catholic children had to attend the
Kedron State School, approached the Franciscan Friars of the area with a
request to build and staff a local Catholic school. Plans for the
school were drawn up and by the end of 1929 the building was completed.
In January 1930, three Irish born Franciscan sisters arrived in Brisbane
to open the school. Thus began an association that has enriched the
academic and social life of Kedron to this present day.
At St Anthony’s we are uniquely
positioned with two order owned independent Catholic High Schools in the
precinct. Historically, students from St Anthony’s have gone on to
attend both Padua College and Mt Alvernia College. Together these three
schools form an entity that is known locally as the ‘Franciscans on the
Hill (FOTH). Our schools enjoy the opportunities that our close
proximity to one another affords us. We engage in a range of educational
experiences and participate in many varied liturgical celebrations
together. The Franciscan influence remains strong within the school and
the community with the Friars still administering the Parish and the
Franciscan Sisters still living in the community and volunteering their
time in the school.
Many families who seek enrolment at St
Anthony’s are past pupils of either Mt Alvernia or Padua and are seeking
the same Franciscan education they had. This enriches our connection to
the Franciscan tradition and supports the authenticity of our shared
experience
School Description
St Anthony’s Primary is a
co-educational Catholic school offering placements from Prep to Year 6
(boys to Year 4). We have a current enrollment of 674. St Anthony’s
offers a broad and rigorous educational program that promotes equity and
excellence for all its students. We promote a schooling experience that
encourages all members of our community to live out the gospel values
of Jesus in light of the Franciscan tradition and in the footsteps of St
Francis, St Anthony and St Clare.
Faith and Family Demographics
Teaching and learning in Religious
Education at St Anthony’s is responsive to the needs and religious
backgrounds of students and the contemporary contexts for learning in
the Religion classroom.
St Anthony’s attracts students from a
variety of socio-economic backgrounds as well as from a number of
different ethnic groups. While many of our students come from an Anglo
background, our school is also home to students from Italian,
Indonesian, Sudanese, Indian, South African, Canadian, Irish, Polish,
Philippino, Sri Lankan, Papua New Guinean and Kuwaiti backgrounds and
currently draws from a wide catchment area encompassing 53 suburbs. Most
of these are in and around the Kedron area including, Gordon Park,
Grange, Stafford, Stafford Heights, Wavell Heights, McDowall, Aspley,
Chermside and Everton Park. Students come from as far afield as
Kurwongbah, Samford and Norman Park.
Of a population of 674 students, 591
(87.7%) are Catholic, with other Christian denominations comprising 53
students (7.9%) the remaining 4.4% of the population is made up either
Other, No Religion or Not Stated. (Please see graphed information
below). St Anthony’s has seen a rise in its Catholic enrolment over the
last five years, while other denominations have remained steady. St
Anthony’s has many families who are involved in the local parish.
