The Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst is building three new early learning centres at once under one funding partnership, all three built modular, all three operated by the one body: Sandhurst Catholic Early Childhood Education and Care. Huntly, Long Gully and Kialla are live construction projects right now, forecast to open between 2027 and 2029, each adding a 33 to 66 place kindergarten alongside an existing Catholic primary school. For a builder or head contractor working parish land, the ownership pattern is different from a standard greenfield kinder: the parish owns the land, the diocese’s early childhood body runs the service and funding application, and the head contractor holds the building contract while the module supplier carries the factory certification. This guide sets out the three Sandhurst sites, what the Building Blocks funding actually covers per room, and where a builder’s head contract starts and stops on a diocese-run modular kindergarten.
Three sites, one diocese, one delivery model
All three confirmed Sandhurst projects use modular construction, stated directly on each project’s own Victorian School Building Authority page.
- Huntly Early Learning Centre, 90 Pasley St, Huntly. Co-located with the future St Thomas Aquinas Primary School. Built in two stages: stage one opens 2027 at 33 places, stage two opens 2028 taking the site to 66 places.
- St Peter’s Early Learning Centre, Long Gully (Bendigo). Co-located with St Peter’s Catholic Primary School. Two kinder rooms, 66 places, forecast completion Q1 2027.
- St Anne’s Early Learning Centre, Kialla (Shepparton). Co-located with St Anne’s College. Two kinder rooms, 66 places, forecast completion Q1 2029.
All three sit under one Building Blocks Partnership covering four projects and two planning grants, worth up to $14.62 million combined. That is a partnership-wide envelope, not a per-site figure, and it funds different things at different sites: construction at Huntly, Long Gully and Kialla, plus separate planning grants elsewhere in the diocese.
How the land and contract structure actually works
This is the detail that changes how a builder prices and contracts a diocese kinder, compared with a council or private operator brief.
- The parish, not the diocese corporately, owns the land at each site. Property decisions route through the parish property council as well as the diocese.
- Sandhurst Catholic Early Childhood Education and Care is the operating body across all three sites. It holds the Building Blocks funding agreement and the service licence, not the builder.
- The head contractor holds the building contract, permits, site works, installation coordination and the path to Occupancy Certificate, in line with the NCC Class 1a kindergarten requirements each project needs to meet.
- The module supplier, where modular is used, carries factory certification and the Evidence of Suitability pack the building surveyor signs off against. EcoPrestige supplies modules designed to NCC Class 1a and supports that documentation directly.
Co-location with an existing primary school adds a practical constraint builders should price for early: construction access, fencing and noise management around an operating school site, and staged handover if the kinder opens before the co-located school building work is finished.
What the Building Blocks grant actually pays for
The skeleton figure some builders quote here is wrong, so it is worth being precise. The relevant stream is the Building Blocks Capacity Building Modular Kindergarten Facility Grant. It funds up to $750,000 (excl GST) for a single kindergarten room meeting at least 33 licensed places for three and four year olds, sessional or integrated. A two-room, 66-place site like Long Gully or Kialla is funded against that same per-room cap, not a flat $2 million figure. Builders pricing a diocese or any other Building Blocks kinder should request the Capacity Building Assessment Factsheet from the Victorian School Building Authority for the current grant terms before quoting, since funding streams and caps are reviewed periodically.
EcoPrestige’s commercial module supply rate for Class 1a and 2 kindergarten-grade buildings sits from $2,200 to $2,300/m² excl GST, module and Evidence of Suitability pack only. Site works, footings, services, fencing, staged handover coordination and the parish/diocese approval process sit outside that supply figure and need pricing separately into the head contract.
Why this matters for a builder now
Catholic Education Sandhurst has stated publicly it aims to deliver one new early learning site in the diocese every year. Three live modular projects already in construction or design is the clearest signal yet that this is a recurring, not one-off, pipeline. A builder who establishes a clean process on Huntly, Long Gully or Kialla, specifically how to work the parish-diocese-operator structure and where the module supplier’s documentation slots in, is positioned for the next site the diocese announces, not just the current three.
FAQ
Who actually owns the land at a Sandhurst diocese kindergarten site?
The parish, through its property council, not the diocese corporately and not the operating body.
Who holds the Building Blocks funding agreement?
Sandhurst Catholic Early Childhood Education and Care, the operating body across all three sites, not the builder or module supplier.
How much does the Building Blocks Capacity Building grant actually fund per room?
Up to $750,000 excl GST per kindergarten room meeting the minimum 33-place licensing requirement, not a flat $2 million figure.
Are all three current Sandhurst sites built modular?
Yes. Huntly, St Peter’s Long Gully and St Anne’s Kialla each state modular construction directly on their Victorian School Building Authority project page.
What does a module supplier need to provide on a diocese kinder project?
Factory certification and an Evidence of Suitability pack the building surveyor can rely on for NCC Class 1a sign-off, handed to the head contractor managing the build.
Get the EcoPrestige builder pack
Builders and head contractors pricing a diocese, council or private kindergarten brief: download the commercial price and supply guide plus the builder and developer scope overview. Get the builder pack or see the builder-facing supply page, or email info@ecoprestige.com.au to talk to our team.
Related: for the state-wide Building Blocks picture across other LGAs, see our VIC Building Blocks kindergarten modular delivery guide.