Schools of the future to become the heart of the community
VICTORIAN schools will become communal spaces after-hours where the public can hold birthday parties, have barbecues and run sporting events.
Future Victoria
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SCHOOLS of the future will become communal spaces after-hours where the public can hold birthday parties, have barbecues and run sporting events.
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Victoria’s schools will educate students from 9am to 3pm, but transform into community-owned places after-hours.
New schools are already being built with communities’ needs in mind, including accessible sporting grounds, workshop and function spaces.
Fences surrounding school grounds are also becoming things of the past, giving the public greater access to its local school.
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PwC partner in infrastructure and urban renewal Amy Brown said as cities become more dense and families move into smaller homes, schools would become places where people can gather, celebrate children’s birthdays or host dinner parties.
“We want our schools to become more and more the beating heart of our cities,” she said.
“Why couldn’t they be used on weekends or after hours?
“There’s a lot of underutilisation of schools. What could they be providing that the community is not otherwise getting?”
New hubs are being built over traditional schools, with the Victorian Government already investing in centres offering more than just primary or secondary education, including maternal and child health, parenting services and playgroups.
And vertical schools may become the norm.
Melbourne’s very first high-rise state school was opened this year and will not be the last.
South Melbourne Primary School was built after strong community consultation. It has a function space, indoor and outdoor competition basketball courts and a built-in barbecue on the balcony overlooking the city skyline.
It also has a maternal health centre and long daycare kinder.
“We might, once a month, have a cultural day where we bring people in to celebrate cultures and talk about where we come from,” principal Noel Creece said.
“Children could be having a connection with the school before they’re born,” Mr Creece said.
“Eventually we could have a child come in at 0, then playing a basketball competition at 21 — that’s the plan.
“We’re a community centre, not just a school, and we’re very excited about what the future can bring.”
Prahran High School — the state’s first vertical secondary school — is set to open next year, with outdoor terraces on each level and a rooftop recreational space including courts and a running track.
Education Minister James Merlino said the shared use of school facilities was creating neighbourhood hubs “and we expect to see a lot more of them in the future”.
“Schools like South Melbourne Primary School represent a new approach to education planning in Victoria. As we reform schools, we are looking for opportunities to transform communities,” he said.
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