Labor education vow: Eagle Vale to get a sports school, new high school at Medowie

A sports high school for Sydney’s southwest and a new mid-north coast high school will be built in Labor’s first term if it wins the March state election.

A dedicated sports high school for Sydney’s southwest and a new mid-north coast high school are among Labor promises to be announced ahead of the March election.

Eagle Vale High School will receive a $4 million upgrade to convert it into a specialist sports high school under a NSW Labor government.

The school will get a multipurpose hall, synthetic pitch, sports oval improvements and changing room upgrades under the commitment to be announced on Sunday.

If successful, a Labor government will also build a $53 million high school in Medowie, in Port Stephens, in its first term.

Education spokeswoman Prue Car will announce the commitment on Sunday, which she said was part of a plan to deliver new and up­graded schools in growing areas across the state.

“This school was first promised to the community 12 years ago, yet families are forced to continue to send their children to high schools in other areas as they wait for their own high school to materialise,” Ms Car said.

“It’s long overdue.”

Opposition Leader Chris Minns and Labor’s education spokeswoman Prue Car. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Ms Car said the Eagle Vale school upgrade would also ­ensure students in the Macarthur area had the same opportunities as their peers in other areas.

“The existing school will be upgraded, which will benefit all students, while providing ­oppor­tunities for talented young athletes to be selected for the specialised program,” she said.

It would make Eagle Vale the eighth public high school to run the Talented Sports Program.

Opposition Leader Chris Minns said the move would ­reduce the access gap for gifted and talented athletes.

“We want children in southwest Sydney to have the best opportunities for success — whether that’s in academic fields, creative pursuits, or on a sports field,” Mr Minns said.

“Sport is such a big part of our culture, and with sports stars like Sam Kerr, Ellyse Perry or Pat Cummins inspiring the next generation, it’s important that no matter where you live you have the same opportunities and access to excel.”

The program provides elite coaching, and is often a pathway to the Australian Institute of Sport, and ­national and Olympic representation.

Students also take part in an HSC Pathways program, to balance education and sporting commitments by completing HSC over several years.

However Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government was investing more than $2 billion in western Sydney school projects over the next four years, with more than 50 new and upgraded schools currently under construction or in the planning stages.

Ms Mitchell said the government had also allocated funding to upgrade facilities at sports high schools as part of a multi-sports community facilities fund.

“Across NSW, we already have a strong network of specialist sports high schools and just last year we redoubled our support by setting up a high-performance partnership between the NSW Institute of Sport and the Sports High Schools Association to ensure our future Olympians have access to world-class facilities,” she said.

“We have a proud track record of delivery and will continue to deliver for Western Sydney, while Labor continues to announce subpar plans.”

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]