Northern Bay (Corio)
bookmarksSite priorities
- Children access support for healthy development and wellbeing.
- Children engage and connect to high-quality learning.
- Parents and Carers are confident, capable and connected.
groups Site Partnership Group
Northern Bay College, City of Greater Geelong, Meli, Department of Education, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Colman Education Foundation (Our Place).
attach_money Funding Partner
Kennards Hire Foundation.Analysis
In 2025, Northern Bay continued to see strong engagement across the site, alongside ongoing improvements in school attendance. This reflects the school’s use of attendance data and targeted follow-up with children and families, supported by close collaboration with Our Place and partners. Participation in on-site activities remained stable, with some variation linked to service provider staffing and scheduling. Partnerships continued to strengthen, with Northern Bay College leadership showing interest in extending the Our Place Approach to other campuses in response to community need.
keyboard_return Looking Back
Moving Forward keyboard_return
- Increasing access to recreation: A co-designed Sport & Active Recreation program connected 80+ families with local clubs and Get Active Kids voucher support.
- Access to legal support: Barwon Community Legal Service delivered regular on-site support, contributing to the expansion of legal services across five Our Place sites.
- Sustaining early help: The DFFH Early Help program was refunded for two years, enabling ongoing delivery of parenting programs, bicultural support and playgroups.
- Adult engagement: Participation in ‘Give it a Go’ continued to increase, with a focus group and case study demonstrating the program’s value for parents.
- Improved school attendance: Absences have improved compared to similar schools over four years, stabilised by stronger use of data and targeted support for families.
- On-site employment services: Following strong engagement in 2024–25, Parent Pathways will begin a regular on-site presence from 2026, improving access to flexible employment support.
- Healthy Development and Wellbeing Support: Deliver an early parenting program for expectant and new parents from migrant and refugee backgrounds, trial embedding an allied health professional in playgroups, and develop partnership to provide vision screening for all kindergarten children.
- Strengthening engagement in learning: Improve interpreter and language support at key touchpoints including enrolment, orientation and meetings, strengthen visual and translated communications, and explore extending continuity of learning partnerships across additional Northern Bay College campuses and feeder kindergartens in response to AEDC vulnerabilities.
- Building parent confidence and connection: Co-design and deliver parenting programs, strengthen parent and carer voice and leadership, support social connection, and expand pathways into adult learning, volunteering and employment.