Urgent works needed to repair Kensington Primary School

Years of neglect have left Kensington Primary School with a repair bill of $1 million, angry parents say. And despite a state government cash injection, the school is now raising money to finish a promised hall rebuild that was started a decade ago.

Parents at Kensington Primary School have been fundraising for years to fix Kensington Primary School. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Leaking and mouldy buildings, rotting floorboards and rooms so hot a teacher fainted — these are just some of the issues plaguing Kensington Primary School.

Students, staff and parents say the school has been let down by years of neglect after Labor’s Building the Education Revolution funding ran out and construction of a school hall was ditched a decade ago.

The half-baked build left the upper wall and ceiling exposed.

Exposed walls that are missing cladding in the school hall.

School council president Jonathan Orr said a large chunk of concrete fell from the entrance and smashed onto the front steps of the school last year.

“Thankfully it happened at night,” he said.

The school is currently fundraising to replace the cladding in the hall, which would cost about $60,000.

The main hall, art room, music room and a storage cupboard all leak when it rains.

Mould was discovered in the storeroom last year, closing the hall for months.

It has now spread to a second-floor classroom.

Staff toilets were also closed last year after mould was discovered, forcing staff to use portaloos for three months.

There are only two toilets for the school’s 40 female staff.

Office staff are forced to run the gauntlet of rotting floorboards, which have been marked with an ‘X’ to stop someone putting their foot through the floor, Mr Orr said.

Part of the front facade fell from the main entrance of the school building last year. Picture: George Salpigtidis

During summer, students and staff swelter in the main, double-storey brick building, which is more than 100 years old.

Parent Emily Stanley said she considered keeping her son home on hot days after a teacher fainted last year.

Mr Orr also said the school kitchen, used by students to cook meals from food they grew themselves, was falling apart.

“It’s very old and we think there’s probably asbestos in the grooves of the floor tiles. The ovens are old and inefficient and cupboards are falling apart,” he said.

Mr Orr also said he would be surprised if the school was compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

“There is one side gate for people using a wheelchair, but it’s only accessible during the peak drop-off and pick-up period,” he said.

At other times it is locked for security, forcing a parent and student who use wheelchairs to call the office to be let in, because all other entrances are only accessible via stairs.

The main entrance to the school building cannot be used by two people at the school who use a wheelchair. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The school grounds are not much better, with one of the playgrounds pulled down over Christmas because it was unsafe.

Meg Terrill said her son barely used the remaining playground because it was “bursting at the seams” with kids.

“He was devastated when the playground was pulled down,” she said.

Ms Terrill said students had raised about $10,000 out of the $30,000 needed to replace it by holding cake sales and sausage sizzles.

MORE: WILL THIS ASBESTOS-RIDDEN SCHOOL FINALLY BE FIXED?

COUNCIL CONTRACTOR PROBED AFTER DIRTY WATER DUMPING CLAIM

FACEBOOK GROUP BECOMES CHARITY TO TARGET TROLLS

The State Government on Monday announced it would give Kensington Primary School $200,000 to “upgrade and modernise facilities”.

But only $14,000 can be used during the 2019/20 financial year with the rest trickling through over the next three years.

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the funding was a drop in the ocean.

“The truth is this will barely scratch the surface of the urgent work needed to repair the school hall, provide enough toilets and bring the school up to scratch,” she said.

Mr Orr said the repair bill would be at least $1 million.

“It’s a neverending cycle of putting out fires and not getting ahead,” he said.

[e-mail]