ONE in three NSW public schools at capacity, hundreds overstretched
ONE in three NSW public schools are at capacity, including 200 which are overstretched, in a classroom crowding “crisis”. Is your school on the list?
NSW
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- No ball games or running for students in booming primary schools
- High school students struggle to get bus home due to overcrowding
ONE in three of the state’s public schools are at capacity, including 200 which are overstretched, in a classroom crowding “crisis” in which children have been likened to “battery hens”.
In some cases students have even been banned from running in the playground at recess because the problem is so severe in schools, a NSW education budget estimates hearing heard yesterday.
More than 800 of the state’s 2182 schools are at 100 per cent capacity.
Of that number 180 are beyond capacity, including Wiripaang Public School, near Newcastle, which was sitting at 220 per cent.
In Sydney, Orange Grove Public School in Balmain and Bondi Public School in the eastern suburbs sit at 164 per cent and 141 per cent respectively.
Schools were being forced to stagger lunch times or hold classes outside of classrooms because of the problem, NSW deputy upper house leader Walt Secord said.
Shadow Education Minister Jihad Dib said children were being packed into classrooms like battery hens, labelling the problem a “crisis”.
Mr Piccoli acknowledged the state was facing “unprecedented” levels of enrolment in public schools.
He said that when a school was deemed at 100 per cent capacity children would be put in demountables and that out-of-zone enrolments would stop being accepted.
“You shouldn’t misinterpret what 100 per cent means. When a school’s capacity has reached 100 per cent of permanent buildings it is accommodated by demountables,” he said.
“I think we would prefer not to have any demountables. But that is the nature of when you’re seeing this (unprecedented) enrolment growth we are left with no alternative but to provide some of that capacity in demountables.”
Greens MP and Education spokesman David Shoebridge said there was a $7.2 billion dollar funding blackhole to meet classroom demand.
The NSW opposition also raised concerns about the number of year 9 students who would fail to meet the NAPLAN minimum standards needed to be eligible for the HSC next year.
This year’s NAPLAN figures show 50 per cent of students are below the minimum standard for numeracy and reading, while 65 per cent don’t meet the levels needed for writing.
THE 10 MOST CROWDED SCHOOLS IN NSW
1 Wiripaang Public School (Newcastle) 220%
2 Glenquarry Public School (Southern Highlands) 200%
3 Kapooka Public School (Wagga Wagga) 200%
4 Bowning Public School (Yass) 200%
5 Wattle Flat Public School (Bathurst) 200%
6 Cullen Bullen Public School (Lithgow) 200%
7 Mowbray Public School (Willoughby) 180%
8 Orange Grove Public School (Lilyfield) 164%
9 Wilton Public School (Picton) 155%
10 Bedgerebong Public School (Forbes) 150%
THE 10 MOST CROWDED SCHOOLS IN SYDNEY
1 Orange Grove Public School 164%
2 Bourke Street Public School (Surry Hills) 145%
3 Bondi Public School 141%
4 Yeo Park Infants School (Ashfield) 133%
5 Australia Street Infants School (Newtown) 133%
6 Annangrove Public School 133%
7 Maroubra Bay Public School 130%
8 Vaucluse Public School 129%
9 Woollahra Public School 124%
10 Darlinghurst Public School 118%
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