More than 2000 students will be able to call a new school precinct in Truganina home from next year

A new education precinct will be created in Melbourne’s west to accommodate more than 2000 students in one of the fastest growing parts of the city.

More than 2000 school places will open up in Melbourne’s fastest growing LGA next year, after plans for three new schools were released.

The state government has released designs for the Truganina North Education precinct which will consist of a primary school, secondary school (with junior and senior campuses) as well as a kindergarten big enough for 66 students.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said the government was on the front foot to cater for Wyndham’s booming population.

“A growing area like Wyndham LGA needs investment in educational infrastructure to match, that’s why we’re building more schools there than anywhere else in the state,” she said.

“We’re ensuring students and teachers across the state have the 21st century modern learning facilities they need, just like these much-needed schools and kindergarten in Truganina, enabling them to reach their full potential”.

The new primary school will cater for 600 students, while the junior and senior secondary school campuses will be able to fit 600 and 800 students respectively.

Laverton state Labor MP Sarah Connolly said this precinct would make it easier for local families to access education.

“We’re making sure that families living in Truganina North have access to a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school all located at the same site, making those morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups that much easier,” she said.

While 21 new schools are expected to open in Wyndham by 2026, including seven next year, the municipality is tipped to have a shortfall of six schools by 2031, with this blowing out to 16 by 2041.

Wyndham has the highest enrolment rate per government school in the state, with an average of 983 students per school, with Wyndham Council along with Schools4Wyndham long advocating for more schools to be built.

Plans to build another smaller primary school in Truganina at the Ellarook estate were recently scrapped after the government backed out of buying the land.

Wyndham councillors moved a motion last week to wait until its next meeting in April to discuss whether it would fight the government’s decision.

The council has, however, entered early talks with the private sector about building a catholic school on the site, as confirmed by a Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools spokesperson

“Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is in very preliminary discussions with Wyndham City Council about the possibility of developing a new school in Ellarook,” the spokesperson said.