Urrbrae, Mitcham Girls High School and Blackwood High get multimillion-dollar upgrades
Urrbrae, Mitcham Girls High School and Blackwood High are all about to get multimillion-dollar upgrades – see how they’ll look here.
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Students at Urrbrae Agricultural High School will have a wellbeing lift when a $10 million boost is opened.
Some students at the school travel two hours each way by bus, such is the uniqueness of the Netherby institution.
It draws its enrolments from more than 100 feeder schools from across the state, with students attending from areas such as Victor Harbor and Swan Reach.
“A mark of an Urrbrae kid is their independence,” Urrbrae principal Joslyn Fox said.
But big changes are coming for the school and its 1000 students as part of a statewide $1.3 billion capital investment to upgrade dozens of public schools in preparation for the move of Year 7 to high school.
The State Government has released images of new buildings for Urrbrae, Mitcham Girls High School and Blackwood High, which will collectively receive $24 million for much-needed upgrades.
Urrbrae is getting a $10 million boost for what Ms Fox describes as a new “middle school centre” for Years 7, 8 and 9.
A centrepiece of the plan is a new health and wellbeing building shared between home economics and PE classes.
“Outdoor education in particular is one of our fastest-growing Year 10 to 12 classes,” Ms Fox said.
“It (the building) will replace some very old transportable buildings.”
The health and wellbeing building will have exercise equipment. The college’s gymnasium will also be extended and renovated to provide additional capacity.
Mitcham Girls High School students will receive $5 million for a new building that features eight classrooms and multipurpose spaces, including a fitness centre, small reception area, change room facility, toilets and external decking.
Another building will also be refurbished to create a new dance studio.
A $9 million funding injection for Blackwood High School will go towards building 16 general and specialist classrooms, including art, technology, dance, health and physical education spaces, staff areas and amenities.
Refurbishments will also create flexible learning areas in the senior and middle school learning spaces.
Education Minister John Gardner said the spending was a “significant investment” in the future of SA’s students and would help drive “thousands of jobs”.
“These jobs are so sorely needed in our present economic situation,” he said.
Schools are being upgraded under funding commitments made by the former Labor and current Liberal Government. The upgrades are anticipated to be finished ahead of the 2022 school year.
