Exodus to public schools sparks boom in demountables

Public students are being squeezed out of bricks-and-mortar classrooms as parents fill the pinch.

‘It’s just not going to work’: Jason Le Busque at South Yarra Primary School. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Public students are being squeezed out of bricks-and-mortar classrooms as parents feeling the pinch from flatlining wage growth turn to high-performing government schools as the east coast’s population booms.

Research by The Australian reveals Victoria tops the nation with 4800 demountable classrooms, followed by NSW, which uses 4301. The findings come as a report ­released under freedom of information laws reveals NSW will ­require almost 6000 demountable classrooms by 2021 to address the state’s booming population.

Former Labor senator and Australian Development Strategies executive chairman John Black said about 110,000 students have moved from private to public schools since the global financial crisis. “Since the GFC the market share curve for government schools has looked like a ski jump, while both the Catholic and independent market share curves have dropped,” he said.

Mr Black says parents are turning to top public schools in high socio-economic areas as they grapple with cost of living pressures. “As the job market flattens and incomes mark time with inflation, families are continually seeking lower cost options for both their health insurance and with private school fees,” he said.

Surging student numbers at Melbourne’s South Yarra Primary School will see the students lose their library as it grapples to find classrooms. The small school ­recently gained a three-storey ­demountable, which can accommodate about 300 students.

School council president Jason Le Busque, whose children Tom and Harriet attend the school, is concerned demountables are a quick-fix solution. “If you saw how much space we have, you would understand how small it is and it’s just not going to work to continue to fill it up with kids in demountable classrooms,” he said.

Victorian schools will be flooded by an extra 90,000 students over the next five years as Victoria’s population growth overtakes NSW. The state Labor government has allocated $2.5 billion to school infrastructure, including $173 million for demountable classrooms. Victorian Education Minister James Merlino says ­demountables are in high demand.

“Modern relocatable classrooms complement permanent teaching spaces by helping manage enrolment growth in a flexible way that can quickly respond to the changing needs of communities,” he said.

NSW student enrolments are predicted to hit 950,000 by 2032 requiring 7200 extra classrooms. The NSW Education Department will pour $4.2bn over the next four years into school infrastructure.

“Subject to funding availability, the department seeks to provide permanent facilities where there is long-term need, and uses ­demount­ables to manage periodic fluctuations in school enrolments,” a spokesman for the ­dep­art­ment said.