The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle announced in July last year it would invest $80 million into two new high schools and extend two existing secondary schools to alleviate the strain on Catholic education across the region.

In one of the biggest developments to be made in Catholic education across the diocese’s 180-year-history, new years 7 to 12 high schools will be built at both St Aloysius, Chisholm, and Medowie while All Saints College, St Joseph’s Campus, Lochinvar, and St Mary’s High School, Gateshead, (both years 7 to 10) will expand to offer years 11 and 12.

The new secondary schools will be built in 2018 and 2020 respectively. St Joseph’s and St Mary’s will expand in 2018.

St Joseph’s College principal Paul Greaves said the first intake of year 11 students would be in 2018.

He said there were a number of capital works on the school’s books during the next two years and construction was already well under way to accommodate the new senior years.

A new 1000-seat hall, basketball court, hospitality facilities, a cafe and food tech centre, covered area and landscaping are all under construction on site at a total cost of about $20 million.

“Based on current enrolments we will be a school of over 1000 students by 2019, possibly 1100,” Mr Greaves said.

“We will no longer be a part of the All Saints College group with St Peter’s and St Mary’s. We will be a separate entity.”