Introducing THE EDGE 

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students

Welcome back to Term 3! You might notice some exciting changes when you return to campus next week! I am thrilled to announce the opening of Clayfield College’s newest and most innovative learning space – THE EDGE. Far more than just a building, THE EDGE will be a dynamic hub for Entrepreneurship, Design, Growth and Engineering, designed to ignite curiosity, inspire creativity and empower students with the mindset and tools to shape bright futures.

Open to students from the start of Term 3, THE EDGE marks a significant milestone in the life of our College. While we have had a number of revitalisation and refurbishment projects in recent years, this is the first new building to open since 2009. It is a powerful symbol of our growth, confidence and clear commitment to becoming a thriving co-educational school. By aligning state-of-the art building design with the latest innovations in STEM teaching and learning, we can offer our students incredible opportunities for exploration, problem-solving, collaboration and innovation.

Inside THE EDGE, students will find six flexible learning spaces including a Fabrication Workshop, which is purpose-built to support a diverse range of creative and technical endeavours. From 3D printers and laser cutters to bandsaws, vinyl cutters, heat presses and traditional woodworking and metalworking tools, this workshop enables students to bring their ideas to life. 

The opening of THE EDGE is just the beginning. Following the incredible generosity of the Clayfield community during our recent Giving Day, I am excited to share that the Clayfield College Foundation will fund the development of a new Secondary School precinct. This next phase will refresh the existing Japanese Courtyard, transforming it into the Foundation Courtyard, a vibrant new space at the heart of the Secondary campus. We also plan to make use of land reclaimed from the College-owned block of flats to expand the footprint of the Secondary School precinct. 

Projects of this scale and vision are only made possible through the collective commitment of our broader College community. We extend our sincere thanks to Mr Wayne Knapp, Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association (PMSA) Board Chair, as well as members of the PMSA Board; Mr Alan Swanson, PMSA Chief Executive Officer; the College Advisory Council; the P&F Association; the Clayfield College Foundation; and the Old Collegians’ Association. We also acknowledge the leadership of our Project Controls Group including Mrs Elizabeth Hughes, PMSA Director of Assets and Property; Ms Leesa Taylor, Director of Corporate Services; Mrs Trudi Woodhead, Operations Manager; Mr Steve Wintraaken, Project Manager from Blades Project Services; Hutchinson Builders and our ICT Team. 

A heartfelt thank you goes to our Teaching and Learning Team – in particular, Mrs Lakshmi Mohan, Mr Jacques Stemmet, Mrs Chantal Carter, Mr Brett Steeples and Mrs Ianthe Campbell – for bringing the educational vision of THE EDGE to life. And of course, thank you to our students and staff for their patience and support during the construction phase.

As works commence on the next exciting chapter of this precinct, we remind families to please continue to respect all construction fencing and signage. These are in place to ensure the safety of our community. Please also note that parking remains unavailable on the vacant block off Bayview Terrace.

THE EDGE is not just a space – it is a bold step into the future of learning at Clayfield. We can’t wait to see how it will ignite the bright futures of our students for years to come.

We look forward to hosting the official opening celebration of THE EDGE as part of STEM Week in mid-August. 

For an early preview of what is to come, take a look at our video flythrough of THE EDGE below. 

Kind regards

Dr Andrew Cousins

Principal