The announcement comes as St Mary’s prepares to close its doors permanently, with most students at the Oxley Vale campus forced to relocate to St Nicholas’. 

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said the $2.054 million in funding could be accessed “almost immediately” and would go towards the construction of four new classrooms, a library, a canteen and two toilet blocks. 

A further $880,000 has been provided by Catholic Schools to the improvement project.

St Mary’s parent Malcolm Thompson, whose two children have chosen not to attend St Nicholas’ and will be starting at St Joseph’s next year, said the bottom line and the hope of funding was the reason for the imminent closure of St Mary’s. 

“Their aim of closing St Mary’s to get funding from Catholic Schools looks like it’s paid off at the expense of St Mary’s,” Mr Thompson said. 

“It was a nice little school with a lot of potential. It was like a family.”

Mr Joyce highlighted his personal connection with St Nicholas’ – his brother attended in the 1970s, and one of his children was enrolled at the school. 

He said the government funding, from the Capital Grants Programme for non-government schools, would improve and expand the school, as well as provide local jobs for construction workers. 

It is hoped the new facilities will assist with the new influx of St Mary’s students to St Nicholas’.