- State Government to fund $100 million in upgrades to Rockingham Senior High School and Safety Bay Senior High School
- Major upgrades to deliver contemporary education facilities
- 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge launched with students from Rockingham Primary School and Rockingham SHS
The State Government will invest a total of $100 million in major upgrades to Rockingham Senior High School, Rockingham SHS Education Support Centre and Safety Bay Senior High School.
Premier Mark McGowan and Education Minister Dr Tony Buti today announced the new multi-million-dollar commitment, to be funded in the 2023-24 State Budget, will deliver a wide range of significant improvements to both education facilities, which were constructed in the 1970s.
Reflecting the changes in design and layout at both secondary schools since they were built, the upgrades and redevelopments will focus on creating a school environment with increased flexibility. This will support teachers in tailoring the curriculum to better meet the needs of individual students, small groups and classes to help all students reach their potential.
Students will benefit from a $60 million investment in upgrades and specialist facilities at the Rockingham SHS site. As part of the planning process, the Department will assess the opportunity to better integrate the Education Support Centre with the secondary school.
The other $40 million will provide Safety Bay SHS with specialist facilities, upgraded classrooms and other refurbishments.
The Department of Education will work closely with the schools over the coming months to plan the redevelopments in further detail.
The Premier and Education Minister today also launched the 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge with students from Rockingham Primary School and Rockingham SHS, encouraging young Western Australians to read.
The challenge will run from Monday, 8 May to Friday, 8 September and is open to all students from Kindergarten to Year 10.
Student and classroom prizes will be offered weekly during the challenge including overall prizes for students who read the most books.
Last year more than 28,200 students from WA competed, collectively reading and logging 300,142 books.
Visit the Premier’s Reading Challenge website at https://www.premiersreadingchallenge.wa.edu.au (from Monday, 8 May) to register.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“My Government is committed to providing the best possible education facilities to ensure all Western Australian students can reach their potential.
“Both Rockingham Senior High School and Safety Bay Senior High School were built nearly 50 years ago – times have changed and the layout and design of these schools no longer support delivery of contemporary education.
“Our $100 million investment will deliver modern school facilities and engaging learning environments where local students can thrive and succeed.
“I was proud to bring the Premier’s Reading Challenge back in 2022 and I encourage WA students to build on their incredible success from last year and devour more than 300,000 books.
“We want children and young people to develop their reading skills while fuelling their imaginations and be inspired to pick up books throughout their lives.”
As stated by Education Minister Dr Tony Buti:
“Our world is changing rapidly. It’s imperative that we provide a modern learning environment for Western Australian students to succeed and then go on to be competitive beyond their schooling years.
“High Schools are community hubs. I am very pleased that the McGowan Government is investing $100 million into these senior high schools as it’s also an important investment in the local communities.
“Our goal is to ensure Western Australian students have a choice to pursue their passions at school with the appropriate facilities and learning environment to support their dreams and future pathways.
“Reading is crucial in developing and expanding on the skills that students learn at school while also inspiring creativity.
“There are thousands of titles in a number of formats for students to choose from.
“I look forward to following the progress of this year’s challenge and I’m sure parents will be excited to watch their child’s progress.”
