History

Macquarie Fields Adventist School was established in 1974 as part of the Save Our Schools scheme initiated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Other schools built under the project initiated by Pastor W H Simmons include Warrimoo, Windsor, Mona Vale and Illawarra.

The property was purchased from Mrs McNamara, who retained life tenancy of the old fibro cottage. Prior to the opening of the School, Mr Elwyn Cherry began teaching 25 students in the basement of the old Liverpool Adventist Church Hall. By the time two classrooms were completed in 1974, 41 students were ready to move into the new building and this grew to 51 students in the following months.

In 1995, a third permanent classroom was added and the School employed four full-time teachers with enrolments steadily increasing. In 1997, a large undercover sandpit and play area was built.

At the beginning of 2000, the office area was refurbished and the old fibro cottage that belonged to Mrs McNamara was converted into a Library and Learning Support area. A larger concrete playing area, including two tennis courts, was also added that year.

In the same year, the school changed its name from Macquarie Fields Adventist Primary to Macarthur Adventist School to make it more representative of the broader region. Because of the School’s location in the major growth corridor of Sydney’s southwest, a new ten-year Master Plan was developed to include extra classrooms and an Administration block.

A Middle School was established for Years 5 to 8 with 2001 seeing the first class of Year 7 students remain at Macarthur Adventist School until the end of Year 8.

Bursting at the seams, construction commenced on eight new rooms in September 2002, incorporating a Science room and Science Lab, Library, toilets and four classrooms. The enrolment at the beginning of 2002 was 123 students.

A pre-Kindergarten program was launched in 2005 and grew from a small group of 5 students to 15 by the end of the year. This helped to produce the first full Kindergarten class for the school in 2006 of 20 students. In 2006, the pre-Kindergarten class started with 11 students and by the end of first term grew to 23.

At the same time, a demountable was brought onto the grounds to accommodate our Year 9 students and a Church in the Fields.

In 2008, Macarthur Adventist School became Macarthur Adventist College when Year 10 was introduced. The College continued its expansion with the first Year 12 class graduating at the end of 2010. The following new buildings were established during this growing phase:

1. The new Food Technology and Textiles Laboratory
2. Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) building with Art room

With Federal Government funding of $2.6 million, a new auditorium was built. This hall benefits not only our students but also the local community and has become a popular hub for local events. The auditorium houses a new Library as well as a Canteen, stage, Gymnasium, Sport courts and Church in the Fields.

To cater for projected growth and the provision for further learning spaces as well as a new Administration building, the school applied and gained approval for grants from the Block Grant Authority (BGA).

In 2014 a new Administration building was completed followed by three additional primary classrooms adjacent to the three original primary classrooms, as well as a shared learning area/withdrawal area and upgrading of the College car park. This was completed in April 2015.

In 2016 a new two storey building was completed which housed new Art and Music rooms as well as two IT labs. Additionally, two Science Labs were also refurbished.

In 2017 the College refurbished the multi-purpose Hall with insulated ceilings, a supportive plastic floor and a fixed stage. The TAS building was also refurbished during this time. Additionally, a three-classroom demountable was also established to cater for the continued growth of the College, which as of August 2019 now has over 630 students.

As we continue to grow, we invite you to join our connected community and see our stunning campus and facilities for yourself.