Springvale Primary School

The interpretive sign at Springvale Primary School forms part of the Spirit of Enterprise Trail, which tells the story of the Enterprise Migrant Hostel and the Springvale community’s effort to welcome and support the hostel’s 30,000 migrant and refugee residents.

The Springvale Primary School is the site of the first Ethnic Teachers Aid Program in Victoria. 

Pioneered at this primary school in the late 1970s, the innovative program was developed by Juan Santa Isabel, a Spanish speaking Student Welfare Officer at the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau. 

Having previously surveyed Italian and Yugoslav families in the area, Juan understood how difficult school was for migrant children who were new to Australia. In response, Juan pioneered new methods to support both the students and their parents, most of whom lived at the Enterprise Migrant Hostel in Springvale. 

Assisting newly arrived Spanish speaking families at the school to enrol the children, he ran a basic Spanish language course for teaching staff. 

Juan helped teachers understand cultural differences in teaching methods, and implemented weekend based parent-teacher interviews – making it much easier for the hard working parents to attend. 

The extraordinary success of his innovative methods motivated the Victorian Government to develop the ‘Ethic Teachers Aids in School Program’. 

The successful program was gradually introduced into all appropriate schools in Victoria – and is now known as the Multicultural Education Aid Program. Over 400 Victorian government schools employed Multicultural Education Aids by 2014. 

This site recognises Springvale as a forerunner in developing innovative settlement services, and acknowledges the important contribution that Springvale has made to the settlement of migrants and refugees from all over the world. 

Springvale, to this day, is testament to how innovative thinking, positive attitudes and a warm welcome can build strong, cohesive and vibrant communities. 

Learn more about the Spirit of Enterprise project by walking the Spirit of Enterprise Trail and watching the video here.