Mapped: The South Australian public schools with a plan to manage future capacity issues

Student capacity in our public schools is expected to be a growing problem — but some schools are putting plans in place to cope with the burgeoning demand for places. SEE THE MAP

Mark Oliphant College, one of the secondary schools in the Adelaide metro area which has a plan to manage future student capacity.

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This week, The Advertiser is giving you the chance to run a ruler over the state school system through a series of easy-to-search databases, containing fascinating facts and figures for hundreds of public schools in SA. Today, we look at how SA primary and secondary schools are planning to cope with increased demand for enrolment places.

Teachers have warned more students will be locked out of their local high schools when all Year 7 students switch from primary schools from the start of 2022.

In line with other states, all Year 7 public school students will migrate to their local high schools, helping to ease the squeeze at primary schools, but possibly creating a capacity problem in later years.

Australian Education Union vice president Dash Taylor Johnson said there should be a statewide plan to investigate the problem and also to create equality throughout the system.

“Capacity at our secondary schools is going to be an ongoing, increasing problem with the transition of Year 7 to secondary school,’’ he said.

SA SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITH A CAPACITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

How to read this map: Areas in pink denote zones with one or more secondary schools with a capacity management plan. Click the purple markers to see which schools have a plan.

SA PRIMARY SCHOOLS WITH A CAPACITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

How to read this map: Areas in purple denote zones with one or more primary schools with a capacity management plan. Click the orange markers to see which schools have a plan.

“The Year 7 transition requires extraordinary funding to ensure that it does not impact on current school budgets.’’

The most common tool to limit numbers are controversial suburban schools zones.

In the most recent decision inner city high school zones were changed to take out lower socio-economic western suburbs students.

Sixteen Adelaide schools have caps on students who can be taken each year, based on surrounding suburbs mostly in the inner city and eastern suburbs, but also Henley Beach and Glenelg. The Education Department argues capacity management plans are not based on location but on a “needs basis”.

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