Hundreds of Playford City families received a welcomed early Christmas present recently thanks to a new fee structure for the Elizabeth Mercy Schools Cluster.

The Elizabeth Mercy Schools Cluster, made up of St Thomas More School in Elizabeth Park, St Mary Magdalene’s School in Elizabeth Grove and Catherine McAuley School in Craigmore, announced lower fees to families recently.

The leadership team from Elizabeth Mercy Schools Cluster worked closely with school boards, staff and Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) to develop the new fee structure. The move has been welcomed by families ahead of the festive season. 

The decision is part of a broader effort by CESA to reduce the financial barriers to families wishing to choose a Catholic education for their child.

“We recognise that the north has taken a bit of a psychological and financial hit with the closure of the Holden Manufacturing Plant in Elizabeth over the last few years. We know families are doing it tough in those areas and wanted to do our part to ensure all children can take part in a high quality Catholic education,” said Bruno Vieceli, Assistant Director, CESA.

“We undertook an extensive analysis of each school’s financial position and families’ capacity to pay fees. Each school receives a different level of government funding based on the government’s assessment of the needs of that particular school community. The new fees reflect our commitment to make Catholic schools an accessible choice for families and makes the Elizabeth Mercy Schools Cluster some of the lowest private school fees in South Australia.’’

The Elizabeth Mercy Schools Cluster has been providing high quality primary school education in the Elizabeth area for more than 60 years and is closely aligned with secondary schools: St Thomas More College, Xavier College, St Columba College and St Patrick’s Technical College.

“Catholic Education in the north provides a place for every child, at every stage in their education journey. We are very proud of our schools’ ability to provide a safe, nurturing environment where the individual is celebrated for their own God-given talents and abilities.”

The new fees will apply for the schools from 2020, with Mary Magdalene’s School already rolling their new schedule out to families.