Demountable classrooms reducing playground sizes in Sydney schools
School playgrounds are being crunched by temporary classrooms with some schools now requiring more than 50 demountables. Search to see how many demountables at your school.
NSW
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The state’s schoolgrounds are being swallowed by an ever-expanding mass of demountable classrooms in what parents say is “an atrocious lack of planning”.
The Saturday Telegraph can reveal NSW in 2020 had 5375 so-called temporary classrooms in 2020 – with 958 of the state’s 2179 schools having at least one on site.
The number of demountables overall was 5123 in 2018, increasing to 5523 in 2019.
Sydney north west is the worst affected, with an extra 37 demountables needed at The Ponds High School, up from 15 in 2019.
Father David Fenderson, who has two kids at the school, said at least half the school’s open space has been eaten by demountables since its 2015 opening.
Mr Fenderson’s two youngest kids will walk in the school gate next week as part of a cohort of 1928 students, more than 800 over capacity.
Mr Fenderson, other parents and education advocates are calling for a statewide rethink of the demountables policy to ensure there is enough space for kids to play.
“We have to ask ourselves what we are offering our children as a school experience,” the 41-year-old said.
“It seems all we are offering them is the ability to go and sit in a classroom and do work – nothing more, nothing less.
“As a kid I remember we had so much open space, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now.”
In the Riverstone area total demountables have increased from 261 (2019) to 282, NSW Department of Education figures obtained via the NSW Upper House reveal.
Nearby Riverbank Public School has gone from 39 demountables (2019) to 42.
“There are not enough permanent classrooms for the amount of people moving into the area in north west Sydney,” Londonderry MP and NSW Labor education spokeswoman Prue Car said.
“The schools are crowded and demountables take up precious playground space.
“It’s definitely a problem for most parts of Sydney but on the fringes of Sydney it is more acute.”
Ms Car said the government can’t say they do not know that people are moving into the area.
“In some schools carparks are full of demountable buildings that are double storey,” she said.
Around the state Picton High School, which is undergoing renovations to accommodate 1500 students with permanent classrooms, has the most demountables at 68.
Alexandria Park Community School (55), Carlingford West Public School (51, renovations planned) and Girraween Public School (44) also have high numbers.
Between 2019 and 2020 Castle Hill High School (up from 31-39) Fairvale High School (up 22-26) and Chatswood Public School (up 22-26) have all seen increases.
A senior education source said demountables are an inevitable part of the education system.
“In areas like The Ponds the government would be thinking that while they have a surge in enrolments now – as new houses are built and young families move in – within 15 years those enrolments will drop,” he said.
“In other parts of NSW demountables are simply accounting for a surge in public education enrolments generally.”
A former senior education source said “in certain cases there is an argument that the government should build more permanent structures which, if demand drops, can be used as community facilities in the future”.
“There is also a need to upgrade a lot of the old demountables that continue to be in NSW schools,” he said.
But Greens education spokesman David Shoebridge said demountables are being used as a permanent solution.
“Rose Bay Secondary College had its last slice of open space swallowed up by demountables,” he said.
“When I went to primary school many years ago there were demountables and even now they still have more than half a dozen.
“Demountables are good for a short term unexpected surge in enrolments.
“In NSW demountables are used to mask a dreadful lack of investment and adequate planning.”
A 2017 statement from former education minister Rob Stokes said “demountable buildings, that are all airconditioned, will always be a feature of the NSW public school system where every child in the state is eligible to seek enrolment in their local school”.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government is spending $7 billion to deliver 200 new or upgraded schools.
“North West Sydney, in particular, is seeing more schools opening than ever before,” she said. “Families are enjoying 11 new and upgraded schools in North West Sydney in the last two years, including new primary schools in Jordan Springs, Bella Vista, North Kellyville and in Schofields (Galungara Public School).
“A further eight projects are currently in the planning or construction stages.”
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