St Francis Xavier College is a 7–12 Catholic co-educational school in Victoria, Australia. In 2024, it had over 3,000 students and 333 staff, with over 1,500 students and teachers in the Beaconsfield campus alone.[2] It has campuses in Berwick, Beaconsfield and Officer.
Campuses
St Francis Xavier College has three campuses:
Beaconsfield: Opened in 1978, the campus houses students years 10–12[3]
Berwick: The Berwick campus was opened in 2003. It serves students years 7–9[4]
Officer: Having opened in 2012, the newest campus accommodates students years 7–9[5]
Closed/converted campuses:
Cranbourne: Opened in 1987, converted to St Peter's College seven years later[6][7]
History
The Beaconsfield campus was opened on 7 February 1978, with an initial intake of 72 students, with the first principal being Robert Schneider.[3][8][9] Due to the increase demand for the Beaconsfield campus, the Cranbourne campus opened in 1987. However, seven years later the campus was converted into St. Peter's College.[6] The Berwick campus, opened in 2003, is a dedicated junior campus, serving students year 7 to 9, with the intention to serve the community of Berwick, and neighbouring communities like Narre Warren and Cranbourne.[4] The most recent campus to open is the Officer campus, which opened in 2012. Much like the Berwick campus it is for students between years 7–9. The Officer campus is meant to serve as the campus for students residing in Pakenham, Clyde, and outreaching suburbs of the Gippsland region.[5]
St Francis Xavier College VCE Result 2012-2022[12][2]
Year
Rank
Median study score
Scores of 40+ (%)
Cohort size
2012
202
30
4.6
354
2013
261
29
3.7
412
2014
206
30
4.7
386
2015
154
31
5.8
415
2016
186
30
5.9
435
2017
253
29
4.3
513
2018
188
30
5.3
541
2019
220
29
6.1
505
2020
229
29
5.9
598
2021
259
29
4.3
615
2022
265
29
3.9
564
Extra-curricular activities
The school participates in the annual athletics carnival and swimming carnival, where students from different houses compete.[2] St Francis Xavier College is also a member of the Southern Independent Schools (SIS).[13] The college participates in SIS chess, debating, music, public speaking and sport.[2]
SIS premierships
St. Francis Xavier College has won the following SIS senior premierships.[14][15]
Year sevens in 2020 were unable to complete NAPLAN because of COVID-19. However, the same cohort participated in year nine NAPLAN in 2022.[2]
Percentage of Students who met all Minimum National Standards[2]
Year
Grade Seven
Grade Nine
2021
94.4% – 97.0%
91.8% – 97.7%
2022
94.9% – 97.8%
88.7% – 96.5%
The college takes note of a "notable drop for our Year 9 students", citing the reason being that they spent a "significant proportion of Year 7 and 8 learning remotely", because of COVID-19.[2]
Students can check attendance on the college's timetable site for students, SIMON. Absent without reason will lead to a message being sent to the student's parents. Further lack of reasoning, the student's care group teacher will follow up for investigation. And attendance offices are also called upon to follow up the absence.[2] However, anecdotal evidence from students suggests that if a student is absent without reason, the change will be reflected on SIMON with no further follow up by teachers or office staff.[citation needed]
Camps, retreats and experiences
Year 7 camp
Year 7 camp takes part at the start of the year (exception being COVID-19). This camp is in order for students to get to know each other, especially those of their house and of their care group. The three-day experience is filled with activities.[16]
Year 8 city experience
Year 8 students get to experience a five-day program in which they explore Melbourne city, to learn about the "landscape, public transport and culture". Students work together in teams so that they can collect data, which is later used in a group-based inquiry project.[16]
Learning adjustments
Hands On Learning is an educational program, founded in 1999, that adjusts student's education to support social and emotional development. The college is one of one hundred and twenty schools which offer the program. The program is run only at the junior campuses (Berwick and Officer). The program aims to engage in a practical learning style instead of an academic one. The college states that the program is to help students that are not supported with traditional learning programs, because those students could otherwise "disengage from school, demonstrate challenging behaviours and report low levels of belonging". The college states that 95% of students who participate in the program get an apprenticeship or job. Furthermore, the college states that beyond learning the program is based on four principles: a place to belong, people to belong to, real things to do, and a chance to give back.[17][18][19]
Principals
Principals plaque at St Francis Xavier College Beaconsfield (2023)
Previous and current principals of the school can be seen as according to the image of the plaque on the right. The current principal, since 2015, is Vincent J Feeney.[1] Maree Johnson had an auditorium named after her.[20]
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