Hundreds of new demountable classrooms will be added to West Australian schools in the next two years as population growth continues to boom.
While the Department of Education moves the older-style demountables between schools as they cater to changes in enrolments, a new and improved version is now on the block.
Shenton College, the state’s biggest school, is fast approaching 3000 enrolments and has become the first to receive a modular classroom block – a more modern and permanent version of a demountable that takes just one year to build.
The new design, which opened for the school’s year 9 students in term 3, cost the state government $15 million but can house 300 additional students and could be part of the solution to schools bursting at the seams.
Next in the pipeline for the new modular classroom design is Highgate Primary School – under significant enrolment pressure and waiting on the new East Perth Primary School to open.
That build is now a year behind schedule due to a fight over the land.
Education Minister Tony Buti said the modular builds were also developed off-site and then ‘dropped in’, meaning less interruption to learning.
“We are seeing remarkable population growth across our state, and it is important we keep pace with great schools and this building shows what can be done in a short period of time,” he said.
Shenton College principal Michael Morgan said the school was looking at cohort sizes of between 450 and 520 students.
“Those numbers have increased quite significantly over the last 10 years. I think there are a number of people considering public education as a real, viable option. It’s not just what you can afford, it’s what you believe is the right choice,” he said.
But demountables, or transportable classrooms, remain the main way schools deal with increased demand.
Education Minister Tony Buti and Premier Roger Cook tour the modular classroom block during its construction.
The state government allocated almost $80 million in its latest budget to build more transportable classrooms over the next two years – almost double what was provided in its prior budget, which was double the one before again.
Buti said it was anticipated that over 200 new demountables would be needed, subject to an assessment of school need by the end of the 2025 to 2026 financial year.
Speaking with this masthead, he said the schools with the highest demand from students either had a reputation for high performance, or were located in or near high density populations in the newer suburbs – many in Perth’s south and south-east.
Buti said the Department of Education prioritised additional classrooms based on this growth, as the number one priority was being able to house students, but they also looked at those schools in need of immediate repair.
There are 3812 demountables in schools across the state of which 3006 are classrooms. Of that number, 2816 are on school sites and 190 are either in distance education, on loan or in refurbishment yards.
This number has grown by nearly 300 in the past financial year.
“They remain part of the overall infrastructure project of the education department because they can be put on to a school site quickly, and they can be moved when the need is there,” Buti said.
“The idea is not for them to be there forever at the school, but they’re there to respond to the need for accommodation.”
But he admitted in some schools, they stuck around for longer than anticipated and could become outdated.
Harrisdale Primary School has the highest number of demountables – at 29 – with others not far behind. Most schools with the higher numbers were located south of the river.
Karratha Senior High School also topped the list with 22 demountable classrooms.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said there were no enrolment caps at WA schools, and that they ensured there were enough permanent and temporary classrooms to meet demand.
Morgan said he had worked at schools where enrolment was going backwards, and that this was a much worse problem to face.
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