Three more schools – in Elizabeth, Roxby Downs and Cummins – getting multimillion-dollar upgrades
Playford International College is getting a $15 million upgrade as it prepares for an influx of hundreds more students, while two regional schools are also slated for a major overhaul.
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Work on a $15.6 million project to upgrade Playford International College will start within weeks as the school prepares for a surge in enrolments.
Technology, maths and visual arts facilities will be at the forefront of the development.
Regional schools at Roxby Downs and Cummins also are primed for multimillion-dollar upgrades.
Playford, in the heart of Elizabeth, now has about 1250 students but this will grow to 1600 in 2022 with the addition of Year 7 classes and population growth in the area and more students going through to Year 12.
“It’s very exciting, we’ve had a huge team working on this,” Playford principal Nick Zissopoulos said.
“Instead of being tucked away at the back of the school somewhere, our technology area will be front and centre with maths and science.
“We want students to be the change agents in their local community and this will go a long way to helping us achieve that.”
A new two-storey extension will be built for maths and numeracy, along with the technology centre, wellbeing centre and visual arts centre.
Mr Zissopoulos said the school was expanding its work in agriculture and hospitality using a Paddock to Plate concept.
The building program includes a hospitality function centre with commercial-scale kitchen.
The school will separately fund building a farm shed with pens to raise animals and has a horticultural project on the drawing board.
“We want students to understand the connections between agriculture and food,” Mr Zissopoulos said.
Other work includes a link bridge between upper floors of buildings and upgrades to the school courtyard.
Education Minister John Gardner said the Playford, Roxby Downs and Cummins projects were ready to move from design to construction.
“Families in these communities will undoubtedly be looking forward to these upgrades beginning construction and these concept plans being brought to life in the coming months,” he said.
“Along with the rest of our record $1.3 billion education build, this is a significant investment in the future of our children that will boost the state’s economy and drive thousands of jobs statewide.”
At Roxby Downs Area School, a $7 million investment will fund new classrooms and teaching spaces, refurbish an existing building featuring food technology and general learning areas, sound proof the music rooms and drama studio, as well as the creation of a new common landscaped area to include an amphitheatre and open air performance space.
The Cummins Area School’s $4 million project includes technology studies, art and general learning areas, video-conferencing facilities and external veranda decks for outdoor learning spaces.