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A Star News Group Publication
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Milestone for theatre By Mikayla van Loon It’s a milestone year for the CPP Community Theatre after seven decades of bringing shows to the stage. The theatre is celebrating with its play, COSI, set in a psychiatric facility where residents are putting on a performance of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti. The play, along with a selection of other fantastic shows, will be on this April starting on Friday 10. At its heart, COSI is a comedy but vice chair Samuel Taylor said it also goes beyond that. “It is a laugh for minutes. It is silly, it is mayhem. It is people with all sorts of, I suppose, mental health issues putting on a play that is incredibly challenging to put on,” he said. “It’s bringing them together. We love the way that that actually just links to CPP, not not in the same way necessarily, but we feel like CPP brings together people from all walks of life, many different backgrounds.” Read more on page 9
CPP Community Theatre’s 70th anniversary will be celebrated with exciting performances in April. (Supplied)
Education shift Independent school enrolments are surging across Victoria, outpacing growth in other parts of Australia, with Melbourne’s outer east seeing particularly strong increases. Data from Independent Schooling shows Knox recorded a staggering 60.3 per cent jump, the Yarra Ranges rose by 11.9 per cent, while Cardinia saw a 10.8 per cent decline. Experts say the growth reflects shifting family pri-
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orities, population increases in suburban corridors, and greater access to a variety of schooling models. Nationwide, independent school enrolments grew 3.9 per cent in 2024, more than triple the overall student growth of 1.1 per cent. Over the past decade, student numbers in the sector have climbed more than 30 per cent. Chief executive of Independent Schools Victoria, Rachel Holthouse said Melbourne’s outer growth corridors are seeing the strongest expansion.
“Families are looking for schools that reflect their values or provide specialised support. They’re prepared to make sacrifices to invest in their children’s education,” she said. “Ms Holthouse said cheaper independent schools are giving more kids the right learning environment, while the sector also supports jobs and the local community.” Education expert Dr Amanda Samson from the University of Melbourne highlighted that the
trend is less about quality differences and more about choice. “Parents now have more options to select schools aligned with their values, and lower-fee independent schools in the outer suburbs are helping meet this demand,” she said. Dr Samson said public schools are still going strong, with top academic results and plenty of local demand. Read the full story on page 4
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