NSW Government to spend $335,476 building walls at Picton High School to remove ‘open plan’ classrooms

The state government is going to build walls — and make the public pay for them — after a failed experiment in which maths was taught alongside noisy music classes.

The state government will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars putting up walls at a recently redeveloped Sydney high school in order to remove controversial “open plan” classrooms, following a failed experiment that resulted in significant learning disruptions.

A newly signed tender reveals the Department of Education will fork out $335,476 of taxpayer money to have walls constructed at the 1100-pupil Picton High School campus – just three years after the $112m high school redevelopment opened with 14 “open plan learning environments”.

The open plan model involves multiple classes being taught in single spaces, with the aim of fostering collaboration and group work.

However, critics say the model has led to significant disruption during classes and resulted in poor student learning outcomes.

The state government, which has vowed to remove the model from NSW public schools, has now signed a contract to have walls installed at the Picton High School campus to “accommodate better functioning of the teaching environments more suitable to the school”.

The “open plan learning environments” at Picton High School.

Multiple classes are taught in single teaching areas as part of the model.

Education Minister Prue Car described the open plan learning environments, which in some cases involved maths classes taking place alongside noisy music lessons with no walls in between – were a “thought bubble” of the former government

“It disrupted students’ learning and increased the workload for teachers,” she said.

“The additional walls will provide fit for purpose classrooms at Picton High School, making it easier for teachers to teach and students to focus on their studies.”

The redeveloped school only opened three years ago.

The Department of Education has confirmed the bulk of work to build walls is expected to be completed during the Christmas holidays.

School principal Luke Farthing said the removal of the open plan teaching spaces would “increase the number of segregated spaces and therefore curriculum opportunities for our students to engage in”.

The awarding of the tender follows parents at other Sydney schools criticising open plan teaching environments.

They including Schofields Public School, where a P&C survey found the learning model had resulted in increased disruption during classes.

The survey found the open plan learning environments did not have enough tables and chairs, meaning some students had to conduct their classwork “on the floor”.

Henry Rajendra, the deputy president of the NSW Teachers Federation, previously backed the removal of the open plan learning environments, labelling the model a “fad”.