Wentworth Point high school: Calls for purpose-built Sydney Olympic High School

Parramatta Council says the State Government can’t be “trusted” to provide a proper high school and is being pressured to lift its game for the community.

Wentworth Point does not have the services to cater for the booming population. Monique Harmer

Parramatta Council has slammed the State Government’s reputation for failing to provide education services and ramped up pressure on it to deliver a well-resourced high school at Wentworth Point where the population is exploding.

At a meeting this week, the frustrated council agreed to write to the government to seek reassurance the seven-storey Sydney Olympic Park High School, which is earmarked for Burroway Rd next to Wentworth Point Public School, would be purpose built.

It called for the government to build a school for the entire peninsula including Newington, Sydney Olympic Park and the Carter Street Precinct, and not repeat the planning mistakes of Arthur Phillip High School, the state’s first high-rise high school in Parramatta’s CBD.

The council called on the government to provide a library at the proposed school so students don’t have to travel to the public facility. Picture: Monique Harmer

Wentworth Point has a soaring population and is the size of Lithgow. Picture: Monique Harmer

“The Department of School Infrastructure has a reputation of not putting in infrastructure in the schools,’’ Labor councillor Patricia Prociv said.

“Arthur Phillip High School does not have a library, Arthur Phillip High School does not have playing fields at present. They use Garside Park (at Granville). We need this school to have everything included in the school.

“We do not want the students from Olympic Park High School to be taking up space over at the Wentworth Point Library when they should have their own facilities.

“And the only way we that we can ensure that they have the facilities they need for a building that they need is if we actually lobby for it on behalf of the residents.’’

The view from the Sydney Olympic Park ferry at Wentworth Point. Picture: Monique Harmer

Cr Prociv, who moved the motion, said Wentworth Point residents were confused about information they received from the Education Department about school plans in their suburb.

This included confusion that it was called Sydney Olympic Park High School because it was originally planned for that suburb.

Arthur Phillip High School has attracted criticism over its lack of playing fields. Picture: Angelo Velardo

The suburbs on the peninsula are already buckling with little transport and the government recently indicated it would not build stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail to service the burgeoning high-rise community.

Wentworth Point Public School is already suffering from an under-resourced primary school.

Cr Prociv said the school opened in 2018 with 400 students and now has 520 pupils with five demountables.

“Next year it will have an extra 80 students and three demountables and the reason I put this motion up is that I don’t believe the Department of Education can be trusted to put infrastructure into Wentworth Point that is suitable for the area because the current population of Wentworth Point is 13,000 people and that is the size of the city of Lithgow.’’

She said Wentworth Point was forecast to grow to 20,000, which will be a city the size of Goulburn, and the site earmarked for the school was next to a planned unit block and marina.

The peninsula population is 22,000 and is expected to balloon to 55,0000 in the next 20 years.

“This school needs to be built to accommodate this number of people and the things need to be built within the school,’’ Cr Prociv said.

Peninsula suburbs have limited public transport services. Picture: Monique Harmer

An Education Department spokeswoman said the school would benefit families in Sydney Olympic Park, Millennium Parklands and Concord West, and was in the early planning stages.

“Design options include a school that may be up to seven storeys high,’’ the spokeswoman said.

“It will be designed to include a library, a multipurpose hall, and a playing field, which will accommodate the school’s outdoor activities. The final layout will be confirmed with input from the school in due course.’’

The spokeswoman said the design would provide a dedicated outdoor play and sports space on the school site.

“The Department of Education will continue to work with key stakeholders, including City of Parramatta Council, to ensure the best educational outcomes for students and the local community.

“The next phase of planning aims to further develop the design to confirm the final layout of the school and its facilities.’’

The department would not confirm when the high school would be built until the Treasury Department approved a business case.

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