Shifting one Brisbane school will shake up zone maps for six others

Shifting East Brisbane State School to make room for a massive redevelopment of the Gabba stadium before the 2032 Olympic Games will trigger a shake-up of catchment maps for up to half-a-dozen Brisbane state schools.

East Brisbane State School will relocate to the grounds of the 11-hectare Coorparoo Secondary College as a standalone school for the start of the 2026 school year, with new facilities including a swimming pool.

The red-brick, heritage-listed East Brisbane State School will move to Coorparoo Secondary College, about two kilometres east.Credit: Tony Moore

Current years 4, 5 and 6 students will finish their studies at the existing site and younger students will move to the new site.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for the school move reveals the new catchment had “not yet been determined” and consultation will take place before it is finalised.

But Brisbane Central, Buranda, Coorparoo, Dutton Park and Norman Park state schools might have their catchment boundaries changed.

Any catchment changes will not affect existing students or their siblings.

School catchment maps for several inner-Brisbane suburbs. The local area for up to half a dozen schools may need to change, due to East Brisbane State School being moved.Credit: Department of Education

In a statement, the department said it would work with Coorparoo Secondary College and the Brisbane School of Distance Education – currently on the site – during planning for the $100 million relocation.

The new school will have room for up to 350 students, with the ability to cater for extra students. In February 2023, East Brisbane State School had 297 enrolments.

The relocated East Brisbane school and Coorparoo Secondary College will have separate classrooms, administration and play spaces – and a fence or barrier between them – but some facilities, such as the large oval, multipurpose hall and swimming pool might be shared.

The Education Department consulted on three options: a standalone primary school at the Coorparoo site, a prep to year 12 school at the Coorparoo site, or students to enrol at existing schools in the area.

The possibility of building the school on sites within the existing catchment was raised during consultation, but the department decided other sites were either too small, would not be ready in time for 2026, or would require compulsory acquisition of homes and businesses.

Independent advice from Queensland Treasury Corporation found land acquisition for a new school could take two-and-a-half to five years, with another one-and-a-half years for consultation.

Heritage-listed buildings would remain and be incorporated into the Gabba redevelopment, with the site to be transferred to Stadiums Queensland while the stadium is demolished and rebuilt at a cost of $2.7 billion.

A consultation report, commissioned by the Education Department, found the East Brisbane school community, families and residents wanted the school to remain within the existing catchment area, with low levels of support for all options suggested by the department.

“While most community members accept that the school will move, they prefer the new location to be close to the existing school so that it can still be accessed via active travel and to retain the sense of community associated with the school,” the report said.

It said a “smaller portion” of the community wanted the school to remain in its current location, or return after the Gabba redevelopment, but they were informed it would not be possible due to the expanded footprint of the stadium.

Parent Daniel Angus questioned the point of the consultation process, after the government disregarded the community’s wishes for the school to remain within catchment.

“I’m filled with rage and despair right now,” he said.