Greater Springfield schools: Springfield City Group wants to bring in new single-sex schools to double number

The brains behind rapidly growing Springfield want to bring in male and female-only schools to the area as part of a push to double the total number of educational institutions over the next 15 years.

Springfield City Group chairman Maha Sinnathamby. SCG wants to double the number of schools in Greater Springfield by 2036.

The brains behind a rapidly growing satellite city south east of Ipswich is pushing to bring single-sex schools to service increasing demand in the booming area, with plans to double the number of schools over the next 15 years.

Greater Springfield’s population of 45,000 people is set to reach 80,000 by 2030 and it is one of the fastest growing developments in Australia.

The area is already home to the University of Southern Queensland, a TAFE campus, five private schools and six state schools.

Aerial photos of Springfield taken in 2018. It has experienced significant growth since then with Greater Springfield set to be home to 80,000 by 2030.

The plan from developer Springfield City Group is to double that number of schools by 2036 to create an ‘education powerhouse’.

No single-sex schools have been established in Greater Springfield so far.

Representatives from elite Brisbane schools and universities from Queensland, Victoria and South Australia have been invited to a virtual think-tank hosted by SCG this week as part of a push from the developer to attract new schools into its boundaries.

SCG Education and Smart City executive general manager Dr Richard Eden said one of the key points of discussion would be about whether students in single-sex schools “outperform” co-ed peers.

“Some research from educators suggest that single-sex education can broaden the educational prospects for both girls and boys, claiming co-ed schools tend to reinforce gender stereotypes, while single-sex schools can break down gender stereotypes,” he said.

“These are very important issues, considering research has already identified the demand for new same sex schools within Greater Springfield.

“It’s a long haul (establishing new schools).

Education Minister Grace Grace MP. New state schools will be built in Ipswich in the next three years.

“Planning for those sorts of things doesn’t happen overnight, with school boards or the department of education having forward plans of five and 20 years’ for infrastructure.”

A new high school in Springfield will be one of six new schools to open in Queensland in 2024.

Four new schools will open across the state in 2023 including primary schools in Ripley and Augustine Heights/Redbank Plains.

Another six new schools will open in 2024, including in Bellbird Park with high schools to open in Springfield and Collingwood Park/Redbank Plains.

“Our vision for our Learning City is to make learning accessible to learners of all abilities,” Dr Eden said.

“We invite new-age schools and specialist academies who share our vision for innovation in learning to establish themselves in a city where learning is valued and championed.

“Naturally our growing, young demographic puts significant pressure on school provisioning and makes our planning for future schools an immediate planning priority.”

The webinar will be held on Wednesday at 1pm and feature educators from Clayfield College, Brisbane Grammar School, All Hallows School, St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School, Independent Schools Queensland, UQ Business School, Deakin University, and the University of South Australia.

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