Backflip on $250m school redevelopment prompts calls for answers by parents
The State Government has backflipped on its proposed $250 million redevelopment of two north shore schools, leading to fears there will not be the capacity to cope with the increased student numbers.
North Shore
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The student enrolment squeeze in one of the fastest growing regions of Sydney is set to remain after the State Government backflipped on a $250 million redevelopment of two north shore schools.
A six year planning process to amalgamate Chatswood Primary and Chatswood High Schools to meet enrolment growth has come to an end with the Department of Education confirming it will no longer proceed with the project.
The redevelopment would have involved rebuilding Chatswood High School for kindergarten to Year 9 students while the existing primary school would have housed students in Years 10 to 12.
Instead, the department said the two schools will remain on each site under a revised masterplan that will involve upgrades to both campuses from 2021.
The department will meanwhile search for another location to build a new primary school.
But parents of Chatswood Primary say the changes fall short of addressing existing capacity issues at the school, partly driven by a surge in residential development in the Chatswood CBD.
P & C president Andrea Austin said student enrolments had increased by more than 50 per cent to 1318 students since 2012 when parents began campaigning for solutions to overcrowding.
Ms Austin said upgrades at the school would only cater for 1200 students.
“The government’s said they’re looking for another site for a new school but it won’t solve congestion at Chatswood Public for the foreseeable future,” she said.
“The upgrades will also take several years to complete which means more than 1300 students will continue to suffer substandard facilities and overcrowding for another five years.
“There’s also the concern of how construction will be staged to limit impacts on students.
“A lot of families are now considering other options as this issue drags on. The whole thing has been a mess.”
An overview of the revised masterplan released by the department states upgrades at the primary school would include two new multistorey buildings with classrooms, a new hall and an ‘outdoor leaning area’.
The high school will meanwhile have new classrooms, a redeveloped hall and playing space.
The department said the revised masterplan had taken into “account topography of the land, heritage constraints, staging efficiencies and school operational requirements.”
Parents have questioned how the schools will not only keep up with current enrolment demand, but future growth driven by the 1250 new units planned in the Willoughby Council area by 2021 under State Government housing targets.
The Chatswood Primary P & C said existing constraints had resulted in staged recess and lunch breaks, while school assemblies are split in to four sessions due to size limits on the school hall.
Lack of playing space at the school has also resulted in a 1km “blue line” circling parts of the school which teachers encourage students to run around to ensure they have adequate exercise.
Ms Austin said other inadequacies at the school included the burnt out former uniform shop and classrooms that remain off-limits to students after being damaged by fire in 2017.
Quizzed on the changes in parliament last week, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell declined to provide details about why the original masterplan had been rejected.
Ms Mitchell said upgrades at the school would “enable a significant increase in available playing space.”
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“The government is aware of enrolment pressure at Chatswood Public School, indicating that additional primary school capacity may be required in the area (and) as a result, the Department of Education is in the early stages of investigating potential site options,” she said.
“The department will continue to monitor population and development trends so that it can plan to meet enrolment needs across NSW schools, including in Chatswood.”
The P & C has called on the Department to investigate acquiring the two adjacent properties, known as the Lowers Site, for an expanded campus.
Public information sessions on the new masterplan will be held at the high school on October 16 and 19 and at the primary school on October 17.