Introduction
Schools which receive ongoing recurrent funding from the Australian and Victorian Governments are required to publish annual data, in a number of areas, to comply with relevant legislation. We have presented this data in a form which we trust will be easily read and understood by the College community, and which will provide the information required under law.
Ballarat Christian College is a nondenominational, co-educational College catering for approximately 360 students in 2024 in Years Prep to 12. The College is registered as an education provider by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). A broad, inclusive and comprehensive program is offered from Years Prep to 10, with VCE, VET and VCE-VM offered to (some) Year 10, and to all Year 11 and 12 students.
Students are encouraged and guided to reach their God-given potential by striving for excellence in all endeavours. The College seeks to help students grow in the wisdom of God and to walk in His ways after initially having a saving faith in Christ. We foster the development of positive and harmonious relationships with other people, the environment and with God.
The College offers programs in many areas including pastoral care, student leadership and co-curricular, as well as a balanced curriculum based on the Australian Curriculum. Additionally, a Christian education program called Christian Living is taught, whereby the knowledge and heart of the Christian faith is transmitted through structured lessons delivered by Christian teachers.
OUR VISION Every learner reaching their God-given potential
To provide each student Christian education that gives opportunities to develop gifts and talents to fulfil the will of God in his or her life.
Board Chairman’s Report
Randall Dreger
Board Chairman
2024 was a year of blessing as we experienced the Lord’s provision and witnessed God’s handiwork in the growth of the College. More importantly, the end of year celebrations highlighted the wonderful impact that the College is having in the lives of the students. This is a primary focus of the board, to ensure that the College continues to embody its higher purpose. In this, we thank and praise our Lord!
Board Changes
There were no changes to the Board in 2024. Nevertheless, additional directors are being sought as current directors retire at the completion of their terms. As always, the Board will be seeking potential directors with a variety of qualifications, expertise and experience to further enhance the governance of the College.
Enrolments
The College student body again experienced a significant increase in student numbers in 2024 as enrolments increased to 360 students. With even greater growth forecast for 2025, the Board and Executive have grappled with strategic decisions including staffing, classrooms and other College offerings into the future. We thank God for this provision as we are given the opportunity, and responsibility, to educate and share God’s love with these new students and families.
Capital Improvements
Under God’s provision and timing the College acquired additional land at 117 Yarrowee St, as we continue to prepare for the future. The College purchased two additional buildings for the 2025 school year to cater for the significant increase in student numbers. Furthermore, we engaged education sector design specialists Paynter Dixon to create a formal Master Plan which will guide the College growth, potentially over the next 15-20 years.
Bus Service
The College bus service continues to be very popular and is a contributing factor to student growth in 2024 and projected growth in 2025. So much so, that we are expanding it again replacing one of the 24-passenger buses to a full-size 50+-passenger bus. Further bus routes may be considered into the future as Ballarat expands outwards.
Financial
Financially, 2024 was very challenging. As mentioned in last year’s address, growth creates strategic challenges. Additional expenses were incurred to bring the College to where we believe God is leading us and where it needs to be into the future. This resulted in a small operational loss of approximately $80,000 in 2024.
Summary
Although the College had a small operational loss, 2024 was a year of preparation for the blessing and growth that is being poured upon us. The College has responded to God’s marvellous provision with excitement and optimism. The 2025 budget returns us to an operating profit as we look forward to the wonderful plans the Lord has for us. I would like to thank the Principal, Ken Nuridin and the Business Manager, Simon Edwards, for their leadership, and the teachers and staff for their diligence and commitment. Together, we are making a significant positive impact upon our students and families. Praise the Lord!
Randall Dreger, Board Chair
Executive Leadership
Ken Nuridin Principal/CEO
Simon Edwards
Business Manager
Bianca Francica
Head of Primary
Scott McKenzie
Head of Secondary
Julie Gall
Head of Teaching and Learning
Principal/CEO’s Report
Ken Nuridin Principal/CEO
It is my pleasure to present my 2024 Annual Report for the College. 2024 marked another year of growth for the College, with 360 students enrolled as at the August census. Whilst not quite a record enrolment, our enrolment figures have returned to levels not seen for over a decade, and mark consecutive years of growth for the College. Most importantly, it seems that the College is on a growth trajectory, with promising signs of further growth in subsequent years.
To date, the growth has been reasonably accommodated largely within existing facilities and staffing, but the College has reached a point where future increases in enrolments will require additional investment in facilities and the hiring of additional staff.
Staffing
The staffing at the College remained very stable in 2024, testifying to the College’s attractiveness as an employer to its current staff and to prospective employees. We farewelled two teachers during the year: Mrs Christie Boseley, who returned to live in Geelong and a teaching role at Covenant College, and Miss Beth Simonis, who moved to Swan Hill to take up a teaching position at Swan Hill Christian School. To replace these teachers, we welcomed back Mrs Georgie Stevens, who returned early from leave, and we welcomed Mrs Kylie Gellert as a new addition to the teaching staff. Several non-teaching staff came and went during 2024. Miss
Amy Parry departed from the administration staff in April to live in the USA. Mrs Rebecca Sebit resigned from her student wellbeing role at the end of Term 2. At the end of the year, Miss Emma Dods concluded her role in the Education Support Staff and Mrs Kim Blackshaw resigned from her teaching role. Several non-teaching staff were welcomed during the year, including Mrs Danna Grills, Mr Andrew Paull, Mrs Amy How, Mrs Pam Jones, Miss Phoebe Whittle and Mrs Hailey McGilligan. Mr Andrew Paull took on the new full-time role of Projects & Facilities Officer. The other new non-teaching staff fulfilled part-time roles in the administration area, although Mrs Jones main role was the newly created position of First Aid Officer.
Following a two-year process, it was pleasing to have the new Ballarat Christian College 2024 Enterprise Agreement in place and approved by Fair Work Australia by the end of the year. The Agreement covers all staff, teaching and non-teaching, with the exception of the Principal and Business Manager.
The College Executive Leadership Team (ELT) remained unchanged from 2023 and comprised:
• Mr Ken Nuridin – Principal
• Mr Simon Edwards – Business Manager
• Mrs Bianca Francica – Head of Primary
• Mr Scott McKenzie – Head of Secondary
• Mrs Julie Gall – Head of Teaching and Learning
Every learner reaching their God-given potential
Infrastructure and Resources
Continuous maintenance and minor improvements were carried out across the campus during the year. As the College anticipates further growth in the years ahead, construction and architectural services company Paynter Dixon were engaged to create a new Master Plan for the College. The Plan envisages further development of the current campus, with the centre ‘creek’ being used as a connecting spine running down the centre of the campus.
In view of an expected enrolment of over 400 students in 2025, plans were put in place at the end of the year for two additional brand-new modular buildings, each with two main classrooms. One is to be sited between the current lower secondary wing and the Trades Training Centre and will primarily provide additional space for an additional Year 7 cohort. The second, larger two-room modular building is to be placed behind the 115 Yarrowee Street house and will initially house our senior secondary students, but ultimately will be purposed as a new music centre.
The College purchased another of the houses along Yarrowee Street that backs onto the campus, further enhancing the College's future ability to merge the acquired properties at a future point, thus providing greater scope for the siting of new facilities.
Students
The total enrolment of 360 students was made up of 159 students in Primary and 201 students in Secondary. Both Primary and Secondary sections saw increased enrolments, but the trend toward larger secondary enrolments continued, with the ratio between the secondary and primary enrolments being about 56% secondary and 44% primary. This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
The 2024 College Captains were Elouise Bartlett and Rylan Walter. The Captains held regular weekly meetings with the Principal, which provided an opportunity to share ideas and for the Captains to brief the Principal on matters raised at Student Senate meetings. The Captains ably represented the College at official functions, and I thank them for their leadership and service to the College.
2024 marked the first year that the College no longer offered the Certificate III in Christian Studies. The course was discontinued due to the increasing regulatory and financial burden of maintaining the College’s status as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), which was necessary as the course was owned by the College. With the discontinuation of the Certificate III course, the College applied to cease its registration as an RTO, which was approved by the end of the year.
Conclusion
The College is made up of many parts, much like we are reminded in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Just as the body of the church is unified, and yet comprised of many parts, so it is with the College. As a Christian school, our College relies upon and values the participation of each and every person in the College community. The College is not just the Principal, or the teachers, or the students, or any other individual or group. To reach its full potential, it needs everyone doing their part. As Paul reminds us, none of us can say to the other ‘I don’t need you!’ We are all needed and valued as we support each other to reach our God-given potential. There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptised by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (NIV)
Ken Nuridin Principal/CEO
Compliance Data
Senior Secondary Outcomes
Our class of 24 Year 12 students finished their studies with 100% of the VCE students achieving their Victorian Certificate of Education. The Median study score was 25.0.
Post-School Destinations
The following data supplied through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) indicates Year 12 students’ post-school destinations: Tertiary Offers: - 14 students
University Offers:- 14 students
TAFE/VET Offers:- 0 student
In Education and Training
Bachelor degree enrolled:- 12 students
Deferred:- 2 students
TAFE/VET (Cert + Diploma):- 0 students
Not in Education and Training
Employed:- 7 students
Looking for work:- 3 students
Other data from Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is outlined below:
School Programs
Number of VCE Units 3 & 4 with enrolments – 13 (and 5 via Virtual Schools Victoria) Number of VCE VET Certificates with enrolments – 2 internal: Certificate II in Building & Construction and Certificate II Applied Fashion Design.
Student Achievement
Staff Standards and Qualifications
All teachers are registered by the Victorian Institute of Teaching as either fully registered; provisionally registered, as in the case of ex-graduates; or as having Permission to Teach (PTT), in the case of teachers in the process of finalising teaching qualifications.
Staff at the College possess the following qualifications:
The workforce of Ballarat Christian College consists of the following.
Student Attendance
The College’s Student Attendance Policy and Procedures are to facilitate follow up of student issues relating to excessive lateness and absenteeism, through close monitoring of attendance data, direct contact with students, follow up letters to parents and interviews with students and parents. This role has been assumed by the Heads of School, along with homeroom teachers.
Administration staff follow up absentees daily where unexplained, and at least twice per week regarding written confirmation or medical certificates.
Parent, Student & Teacher Satisfaction with the School
The College uses the ACARA School Satisfaction Survey material for ascertaining feedback. This was conducted in the first term of 2024 to reflect student, staff and parent satisfaction with the College during 2023. This survey was widely distributed to College staff and parents, and selectively to a group of students. The results continue to be analysed and discussed by staff, the Executive Leadership Team, and shared with members of the College Board.
Parent Satisfaction Survey Results
Student Satisfaction Survey Results
Staff Satisfaction Survey Results
Every learner reaching their God-given potential
Student Outcomes from NAPLAN 2024
The highlighted orange proficiency level shows where the median score is located. The lines & boxes show the year level cohort in quartiles (groupings of 25%)
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
These results, along with other qualitative and quantitative data, will be used to inform improvement in teaching and learning, as outlined below.
A consistent, established testing regime, triangulation of data, detailed analysis of the data at a management level, quality feedback to staff and ongoing professional development regarding data analysis and strategies for change, have been the key features of the College focus on maintaining, supporting and tracking student gain.
Ongoing detailed records of student academic ability, wellbeing and demographics have supported and assisted to track student progress based on individual need.
Finance Report
2024 was another year of student enrolment growth (approximately 10% up on 2023). This presented challenges to the College budget. Despite this, the College continued to improve & expand its programs and facilities.
The key outcomes of the year from a financial viewpoint were: (i) a 10% increase in enrolments, (ii) continued maintenance of debtors, (iii) a sustained focus on resourcing of staff and student programs, and (iv) further developments for growth & improvement across the College.
The College's operating deficit was $83,163 [2023 – surplus $61,186]. The consolidated deficit for the year ending 31 December 2024, including capital donations, was $81,564 [2023 – surplus $63,786].
The Board acknowledges the funding grants received from both federal and state governments, and recognises its responsibility to act as a steward of the resources which God provides to the College.
Total Income -2024
Total Expenditure -2024
Please Note: There is a complete set of audited financial statements available to members on request from the Business Manager.
