Inner west schools most overcrowded in NSW as population booms

THE inner west has the state’s third-most overcrowded school at 164 per cent of capacity. Half of the public schools are at or above capacity and the student population is still growing.

NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli announced a record education spend in the 2016-17 Budget. But there are no plans to add classrooms or new schools in the Balmain state electorate, which has eight of the most overcrowded public schools. Picture: Richard Dobson

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MORE than a dozen inner west schools are among the most overcrowded in the state, with no relief in sight for students squashed in like sardines from Sydney to Sydney Olympic Park.

A State Opposition freedom of information request revealed 15 of the inner west’s 30 public primary and high schools are currently at full capacity or well above — and they still need to accommodate an extra 2000 students over the next five years.

Orange Grove Public School in Lilyfield was the inner west’s most overcrowded school and the third-most overcrowded in NSW at 164 per cent capacity.

Australia Street Infants School in Newtown was the state’s seventh-most overcrowded at 133 per cent, closely followed by Sydney Secondary College Balmain at 114 per cent and Annandale Public School at 112 per cent.

Balmain, Concord and Forest Lodge Public Schools were all operating at 108 per cent, with Newtown Public at 107 per cent, Birchgrove and Croydon Park Public at 106 per cent, Wilkins Public at 104 per cent, Leichhardt and Newington Public at 103 per cent and Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay also at 103 per cent.

Parents and students at Newington Public School have been concerned for some time about overcrowding in their local schools.

In February this year, the Inner West Courier reported the number of children needing school places by 2021 had jumped from 20,000 in 2009 to more than 22,000 in 2013.

However, these newly-released capacity figures reveal the crisis has already arrived for families trying to put their children into local schools.

Summer Hill state Labor MP Jo Haylen slammed the lack of classrooms for the area’s burgeoning population.

“The Government has forced schools to either place more demountable classrooms on shrinking school space or continue teaching in overcrowded classrooms,” Ms Haylen said.

“The Government needs to do more than talk about fixing the overcrowding crisis — it needs to build the classrooms the community desperately needs.”

There may be relief ahead for Newington Public when a new primary school opens in neighbouring Wentworth Point next year.

However, the new Marie Bashir Public School in Strathfield and Victoria Avenue Public School in Concord West have not helped Concord Public School, which is still at 108 per cent capacity.

It is anticipated a new high school in Surry Hills, which has an unspecified completion date, will eventually take some of the burden from Sydney Secondary College’s Blackwattle Bay campus.

However, despite hopes the Petersham TAFE’s Crystal St site would be repurposed for local public education following its closure, only distance education students — many from outside the inner west — will benefit from the space when it becomes an Open High School campus.

An Education Department spokesman said in February there were no specific plans to add classrooms or new schools anywhere in the Balmain state electorate, which incorporates eight of the most overcrowded primary and high schools.

CLOSE QUARTERS

Orange Grove Public School in Lilyfield

Australia Street Infants School in Newtown

Sydney Secondary College Balmain

Annandale Public School

Balmain Public School

Concord Public School

Forest Lodge Public School

Newtown Public School

Birchgrove Public School

Croydon Park Public School

Wilkins Public School

Leichhardt Public School

Newington Public School

Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay

Concord Public School