Meadowbank Public School’s students need expansion plan
A SMALL town’s population is set to arrive around Meadowbank over the next few years, and its primary school community is calling for help.
Northern District Times
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A POPULATION equivalent to a small town is set to settle around Meadowbank over the next few years and its primary school community is calling for help.
Parents and staff at Meadowbank Public School are acutely aware of the estimated 10,000 people due to arrive in the area around Constitution Rd, when 3504 new homes are built, as was reported in the NorthernDistrict Times on July 20.
The increase in the student population is already under way. In five years, it has climbed by 70 per cent.
P&C committee president Geoff Hudson is seeing the change unfold.
The biggest jump in numbers was in February this year, when the school had to take in 46 more students than it had the year before.
“This is a fantastic school with a friendly and active school community,” Mr Hudson said.
“It’s got a real community feel but that’s changing. It’s on an exponential growth rate due to all the development.”
The school is on a small site and its 274 students are spread across seven permanent classrooms, a library and four demountables, two of which were built to accommodate the influx this year.
Mr Hudson believes there is room for two more demountables and, given enrolment history, these are expected.
After that, more students will need more classrooms, toilets and bigger spaces like the library and the hall.
“We don’t want to fill the oval with demountables,” Mr Hudson said.
He and the school community have met local and state government officials to discuss expanding.
Their preferred option is to expand to the neighbouring site – Ryde Council’s operations centre.
The council lists the depot in its investment portfolio, valued at $28.25 million.
That prospective income could make selling the site on the open market more attractive, given its proximity to the huge development projects already under way a street or two away.
The council’s acting general manager Roy Newsome said the property was critical for the council’s future requirements and long-term financial sustainability.
Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale said he believed the school should have the right to expand there.
Ryde state Liberal MP Victor Dominello said he understood the challenge faced by the school and was already talking to education officials about a solution.
“I don’t like Band-Aid solutions like demountables,” he said.
Mr Dominello said expanding the school to the council depot site was a valid proposition but all options needed to be explored.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said it monitored population and development trends so that it could meet enrolment needs.
He said the department was liaising with Ryde and Parramatta councils, and the Department of Planning and Environment on the scale and timing of residential developments in the area.
“In cases of sustained and stable enrolment increases, the department provides additional permanent facilities, or new schools, as necessary,” he said.
“The department is aware of the Meadowbank growth pressures and is analysing all options available to it.”
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