‘Not fit-for-purpose’: Burnside Primary School parents, Governing Council demand urgent $9m upgrades

Parents at an eastern suburbs primary school are calling for urgent funding to fix its outdated classrooms.

Old, out-of-date classrooms are prompting urgent pleas for funding at a primary school in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs.

Burnside Primary School’s Governing Council (GC) and Parents & Friends (P & F) Committee have called on the state and federal governments to chip in to replace five transportable classrooms and outdated toilet facilities.

Parent, GC and P & F member Fen Bennett, whose children Liam, 9, and Alannah, 6, are in years 4 and 2, said it was “disgraceful that some of the school’s buildings and facilities are the same as when I went to school in the 1980s”.

“The school has a great community with the principal, teachers and students all passionate and eager to teach and learn but we’re being completely let down by the facilities,” Ms Bennett said.

“My kids are in the transportables which are awful, dated and not ideal.”

President of the school’s P & F and member of the GC Prue Belej, whose daughter Mila, 7, is in year 2, said the transportable classrooms were “disgusting” and students were “crammed in like sardines”.

“These classrooms have well and truly reached the end of life and are not fit for purpose, yet we continually get overlooked for government funding,” Ms Belej said.

“It feels like entering a 1970s time warp – our wonderful teachers and students deserve better.

“I don’t know if the government looks at our postcode and says ‘they’re fine’.”

Parents Fen Bennett, with children Liam, Alannah and Isabelle, and Prue Belej, with daughter Mila, say no major works have happened at the school in 15 years. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The GC and P & F have written to all Sturt federal candidates as well as local Liberal MP Jack Batty calling for upgrades including:

– A new multi-level building with function space, STEM centre and breakout spaces to replace the five transportable buildings which currently house 11 classrooms.

– A covered outdoor learning area

– New toilets

Last week, Liberal MP Jack Batty, whose electorate encompasses Burnside Primary, penned a letter to SA Education Minister Blair Boyer in which he outlined the community concerns.

It highlighted that no new major development had happened at the school in almost 15 years and that many of their buildings were constructed between 1907 and 1970.

“The school needs to be shown some love,” Mr Batty said.

“We’ve got some of the best schools in the state in the east and they’re bursting at the seams.”

He said early estimates for the project would be around $9.2m.

Following the pleas, Mr Boyer said he was “happy to visit Burnside Primary School and hear more about this issue”.

He said the government’s plan for infrastructure investment is “based on need”.

“We are working hard to get the right investments made,” he said.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said he was happy to visit Burnside Primary School. Picture: Ben Clark

Mr Boyer said Burnside Primary had received almost $250,000 in functional maintenance “over the past few years” including roof upgrades and improvements to the playground.

The school has 692 enrolments, with a capacity of 800.

Mr Boyer said enrolments are expected to remain steady in the next six years.