History

The first school in Inglewood was run by the churches under the Denominational Board. The second school established was Roman Catholic and was also run under the Denominational Board in a chapel near the where the Town Hall stands today. At the time, the school was within the Ballarat Diocese. The bishop at the time, supported the building of the convent for the Presentation Sisters. The school was opened on 10th September 1860 and as of January 1862, 131 children were enrolled. When the next Catholic Church was erected, on the site of the present one, this also served as a school until St Mary's Sacred Heart Convent was established in 1907.

The school was originally run by the Presentation sisters who lived in the convent that is still on school grounds. The children were supported by the Presentation sisters all the way up to Form 8 (modern equivalent Year 8).

The Presentation Sisters would organise school concerts to raise money for the school’s needs. The sisters also spent their holiday time visiting other convents and schools in the state and would borrow or barter for school supplies such as reader books and cooling fans. All costumes were hand made from donated fabrics and the lighting was borrowed from Melbourne. The school was also home to many different animals including, pigs, cows, canaries. The pigs breed so prolifically that the sisters were giving them away for free.

The building of the convent was commenced on February 26, 1907, and it was opened in September of the same year. The current school building was opened in 1927. The Presentation Sisters were responsible for teaching and the daily running of St Mary's School until they withdrew in 1974.

Since this time lay Principals and staff have continued the great work of the Presentation Sisters. Presently the staff consists of four teachers, including a teaching principal, two support staff and an administration officer. The convent has since been converted to be a specialist centre for the school and is also used for community meetings and events with latest renovations thanks to a Capital Works grant from the Victorian School Building Authority and finished in 2024.