John Palmer Public School at The Ponds to get upgrade

John Palmer Public School at The Ponds is the latest school celebrating the death of demountable classrooms.

Kevin Conolly and Rob Stokes at John Palmer Public School, The Ponds.

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John Palmer Public School at The Ponds is the latest school celebrating the death of demountable classrooms.

The State Government today visited the school to promise permanent, airconditioned classrooms would replace 19 demountables for 920 students.

“We’re very excited about it,’’ deputy principal Luke Hogan said.

He said the school’s population had climbed over the past three years and there were eight kindergarten classes — three more than last year.

John Palmer Public School has almost 1000 students. Picture: Keri Megelus

This morning Riverstone state Liberal MP Kevin Conolly and Education Minister Rob Stokes visited the school to announce the upgrade.

“This is great news for local families,’’ Mr Conolly said.

“We are ensuring that we have the top-quality school facilities our students need now and into the future.”

Mr Stokes said the design would maximise the amount of playground space at the school, which has had to accommodate the spread of demountable buildings.

The upgrade is part of the State Government’s record $6 billion school building program, which includes new schools at Marsden Park and Schofields.

Mr Stokes said the record investment in schools was in stark contrast to Labor’s approach.

“The last time Labor was in power, they shut down 90 schools, resulting in a loss of more than 500 classrooms and 2000 student places,” he said.

Riverstone state Labor candidate Annemarie Christie said there were almost 200 demountables in the electorate’s schools — more than anywhere else in NSW.

“It’s great for the kids at John Palmer that their demountables will be replaced but what about all the other schools in our area?” she said.

“This government has ignored this problem in our schools for the last eight years and now, four weeks out from the election, are starting to acknowledge that action needs to be taken.”

She said The Ponds High School was just four years old and forecast to have 50 more demountables in the next three years.