Five public schools in the South-West are set for significant makeovers, with new projects worth a total of more than $28 million on the horizon, as part of the South West Recovery Plan.
Premier Mark McGowan and Bunbury MLA Don Punch visited Bunbury Senior High School and toured the school, which will benefit from $3.1 million for upgrades to performing arts areas, specialist classrooms and the indoor sports hall.
The upgrades include visual arts, music studios and technology learning areas such as home economics and textiles. The ageing sports hall will get a major upgrade to make it a high-performance indoor sports venue for students.
Works already underway at Bunbury Senior High School include a new cafeteria with associated kitchen, office, food storage facilities and amenities which is being delivered as part of a $5 million election commitment.
Through the McGowan Government’s maintenance blitz program of works, the school has $328,952 worth of maintenance works which includes structural refurbishments, classroom refreshment, roof replacement and a shade structure.
Other major school recovery projects in the South-West include:
- $15 million to Australind Senior High School for a new classroom block and specialist facilities including workshops and a STEM classroom to enable the school to educate rising numbers of students. This project also includes relocation of a dental therapy centre from the secondary school to a local primary school to better serve the community;
- $6.27 million for Margaret River Senior High School to construct a new sports oval and associated infrastructure at the school.
- Since other recent capital upgrades, the school has no oval onsite so students travel to use Margaret River’s community oval for physical education. This project will provide an oval on school grounds for students to do sport and recreational activities;
- $2.5 million for Kingston Primary School for a new student classroom block.
- This project will replace most of the transportable buildings with new permanent classrooms that will serve the school in the long-term; and
- $1.2 million for Harvey Senior High School for upgrades to the cafeteria and specialist classrooms.
- This project includes upgrades to home economics and textile learning areas, and will refresh the student canteen area.
The Major School Upgrade package, totalling $492.2 million, includes $319.2 million of new funding for upgrades and refurbishments at 63 public schools around the State, stimulating economic growth and supporting around 1,850 jobs.
Works will be carried out over the next four years, and will include major additions to burgeoning secondary schools, new sports halls, classrooms, specialist facilities and refurbishments.
Forty-six metropolitan schools will receive upgrades totalling $201.2 million, while 17 regional schools will share in a total of $118 million.
For the full list of schools, visit https://inthistogether.wa.gov.au
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“My Government is committed to delivering high-quality education facilities across Western Australia, for the benefit of Western Australian students.
“This ambitious capital works undertaking has dual aims – to create an injection of local jobs for WA workers and deliver exceptional learning facilities for WA children and teenagers.
“The school upgrades in the South-West form part of my Government’s unprecedented $5.5 billion investment in our State as we move into the recovery phase of COVID-19.”
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“This significant package of work will see ageing infrastructure at our public schools upgraded, to create top rate learning spaces for WA students.
“The benefits for South-West students will be many – with enhanced spaces and opportunities for learning in science, technology, physical education and much more.
“Our comprehensive WA Recovery Plan will help drive economic and social recovery across the State, and create a pipeline of jobs for Western Australians.”
