The most disadvantaged school in our local area received the lowest capital upgrade funding. We are asking for equity, transparency and a review.
Fair Funding for Pender’s Grove Primary School
Every Child Deserves a Fair Start
All children deserve safe, modern and well-resourced learning environments.
Capital funding decisions shape the classrooms, facilities and learning spaces our children use every day. In a needs-based education system, funding should reflect disadvantage and community need.
Public data shows that this is not what has happened for Pender’s Grove Primary School.
What the Data Shows
Pender’s Grove has the highest proportion of students in the lowest socio-educational quarter among comparable local schools.
• 28% of students are in the Bottom Quarter
• Only 30% are in the Top Quarter
Despite this, Pender’s Grove received $481,985 in capital funding.
Nearby schools with significantly lower disadvantage profiles received between $3.16 million and $17.6 million.
We believe this discrepancy deserves explanation.
Funding Compared to Local Schools
The numbers in context
The following Socio-Educational Profile data is drawn from publicly available Victorian Government information.
Thornbury Primary School
- 8% Bottom Quarter
- 47% Top Quarter
$17,600,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation.
Preston South Primary School
- 7% Bottom Quarter
- 54% Top Quarter
$14,630,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation
Westgarth Primary School
- 1% Bottom Quarter
- 80% Top Quarter
$12,970,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation.
Bell Primary School
- 25% Bottom Quarter
- 69% Top Quarter
$7,172,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation.
Fairfield Primary School
- 1% Bottom Quarter
- 68% Top Quarter
$7,000,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation
Alphington Primary School
- 2% Bottom Quarter
- 71% Top Quarter
$4,500,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation
Wales Street Primary School
- 5% Bottom Quarter
- 58% Top Quarter
$4,100,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation
Northcote Primary School
- 2% Bottom Quarter
- 67% Top Quarter
$3,160,000
Funding type: Upgrade and modernisation
Pender’s Grove Primary School
- 28% Bottom Quarter
- 30% Top Quarter
$481,985
Funding type: Capital Works Fund
Out of $71.6 million allocated across these schools:
Pender’s Grove received less than 1% of the total funding pool.
Meaning
Funding vs Disadvantage
The data shows a clear pattern:
Schools with the highest socio-educational advantage received the largest funding packages.
The school with the greatest disadvantage received the least funding.
At the same time, schools with higher advantage profiles often have greater fundraising capacity within their communities.
This raises important questions about equity in capital allocation.
Insight
What This Means for Our Children
Funding affects:
• Learning environments
• Access to modern facilities
• Student wellbeing
• Community confidence
• Long-term educational opportunity
When infrastructure investment does not align with disadvantage, it risks widening the gap rather than narrowing it.
Our children deserve facilities that reflect their needs.
Transparency
Our Request
We are asking for:
• Transparency about how capital funding decisions are prioritised
• A review of funding allocation for Pender’s Grove
• A commitment to equitable infrastructure investment
This is not about taking funding away from other schools.
It is about ensuring that need is properly recognised.
Why Fair Investment Matters
What Funding Looks Like in Practice
These images illustrate the difference that capital funding can make to a school environment. While some nearby schools have benefited from significant upgrades and modern facilities, Pender’s Grove has not received comparable investment. The comparison highlights how funding decisions directly shape the learning spaces available to students and raises important questions about whether investment is reaching the schools with the greatest need.
Your role
Help us seek fairness
If you are a parent, grandparent, neighbour or community member, you can help.
We encourage respectful, evidence-based communication with our local representatives.
How You Can Help
- Review the data
- Contact your local MP
- Ask for transparency and a review
Email your MP
Use the form below to create a draft email that you can review, copy and paste into your own email before sending to your local MP.
The email will also be sent to your inbox for you to edit and forward if you prefer.
”The strength of the school’s culture has not always been matched by the quality of its facilities.
Campbell HughesOffice of Kat Theophanous MP | State Member for Northcote