Canberra bilingual school's Italian program faces further cuts in review
Enrollments at Yarralumla Primary fell from 390 to 309 as the Italian immersion program was cut back.
Yarralumla Primary School's Italian bilingual program is being reviewed by the ACT Education Directorate. The school community fears it will be weakened further.
Since 2019, the program was cut bit by bit. Language targets were lowered.
In February 2026, core subjects moved to English-only. This ended the practical 50/50 immersion model.
Enrolments fell from a peak of 390 students in 2021 to 309 in 2025. Independent MLA Thomas Emerson believes other ACT schools with similar programs have received exemptions.
These let them deliver at least half of instruction in another language. But Yarralumla has not received one.
Families specifically chose the school for its bilingual focus.
- 390 students in 2021
- Enrollment peak
- 309 students in 2025
- Current enrollment
- 2019
- Program decline began
- February 2026
- Core subjects moved to English
Why it mattersParents enrolled their children to access Italian immersion learning. Now they face the real possibility of that offering disappearing. This affects how well the school serves its community.
AustraliaCanberra parents questioning whether specialist bilingual education remains viable in ACT public schools as government policy pushes English and maths instruction into English only.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 11 d ago
