Forest Hill College is a co-educational state secondary college in Burwood East, Victoria, Australia. It was originally established in 1970 as Burwood Heights Secondary College, later re-opening as Forest Hill College in 1990.
The 1954 Melbourne & Metropolitan Planning Scheme rezoned a large section of land in the then-rural locality of East Burwood, paving the way for residential development. During the post-war housing boom, thousands of new residents—many of them European migrants—settled in the area.[1]In response to the population surge, the State Government acquired part of a former orchard off Burwood Road to establish public education facilities. Burwood Heights Primary School opened in 1965, followed by Burwood Heights High School in 1969.[2]
The name “Burwood Heights” was adopted from the adjacent housing estate developed by successful property developer Paul Fayman in the early 1960s. The estate comprised over 250 residential lots and included the creation of the nearby strip of shops and new roads such as Robinlee Avenue, Ruby Street, and Faye Street.[3]
Burwood Heights, 1975
Design andconstruction
Burwood Heights High was designed by the Public Works Department using a standardised architectural configuration. Similar layouts were later employed at Fairhills High School (1973) and Highvale Secondary College (1977).[3] Construction occurred in multiple stages and was undertaken by various contractors. The first tender was awarded to McDougall-Ireland in late 1969, with work commencing on the Science Block (S Block) in November 1970.
Original site development plan
By April 1974, enrolments had reached 504 students. However, due to a planning oversight, the general classroom and administrative buildings were still incomplete—only the foundations had been laid. As an interim measure, portable classrooms were installed until the permanent structures were finished. The school was officially completed and opened in 1975.[4]
Reopening as Forest Hill College
In 1990, Burwood Heights merged with Nunawading High and Blackburn South High to become Forest Hill Secondary College. The Nunawading and Blackburn South schools were designated as junior campuses and Burwood Heights became the senior campus. This configuration continued until the junior campuses closed in 1997 and it's students were moved to the recently-expanded Mahoneys Road (ex-Burwood Heights) campus; where the school remains today.[5]
Upgrades
Up until 2010, Forest Hill College was divided into 2 sub-schools, Junior (Year 7-9), and Senior (Year 10-12), with a courtyard for Year 7–9, a courtyard for Year 10, and another courtyard for VCE Year 11–12. In 2022, Forest Hill College received 10.9-million-dollar funding, from the state Government, to refurbish the Science, Arts, iT, and Food Technology blocks, which also include the canteen and toilet blocks. Construction is estimated to start mid 2024.[6]
1 2 "Capital Expenditure Works Files: Burwood Heights High School (VPRS 8797/P0001)". Public Works Department via Public Record Office Victoria. 1969–1978.
↑ "Some learn in halls, theatres". The Age. 11 February 1974. p.5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
