New schools for growth areas

Growth in Perth’s suburbs has unveiled opportunities for the education sector, with new private and public schools set to fill gaps in the market.

More than 30 new schools are expected to open in Perth’s major land development corridors by 2018, with the state government to spend $1.16 billion improving education opportunities in the metropolitan area’s fastest growing communities.

Many existing schools have also expanded to accommodate the 18,000 year seven students who started at secondary schools last week.

During 2015, 59 major capital works projects are expected to be finished worth a total of $456.9 million.

Just six weeks into the calendar year the education minister, Peter Collier, has already visited at least six new or expanded schools.

Opened last week were Joseph Banks Secondary College in Banskia Grove, Broome North Primary School, Golden Bay Primary School, and Tuart Rise Primary School in Baldivis.

The $48.7 million Joseph Banks Secondary College opened its doors to 417 year seven and eight students, however, it will provide for 1,450 students to year 12 once completed in 2018.

The school is situated within Perth’s largest northern suburbs growth corridor less than 10 minutes from St Stephen’s School, which is ranked first in BNiQ’s independent schools list in terms of total enrolment, with 2,699 students.

Further north, Butler College completed its expansion to accommodate year seven students, and is on track to become one of the northern suburbs’ biggest high schools when it expands during the next two years to allow for up to 2,200 students.

Ashdale Secondary College unveiled its $15.6 million expansion for the year seven cohort, and now has 1,400 students, up from 1,059 last year, while nearby St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School in Hocking opened this year.

South of the river, the new $14.2 million Golden Bay Primary School opened to accommodate its 167 enrolled students, and Lakelands Primary School completed its two-stage project after it opened last year to kindergarten and pre-primary students.

New Catholic school St John Bosco College in Piara Waters is set to be opening in 2015, however construction is yet to be completed.

Growth in these outer suburbs has led to the proposal of at least 31 new or expanded schools to be completed by 2018.

Alkimos will get another two kindergarten to year 12 schools as well as two more primary schools, with all scheduled for completion in 2017.

The growth is not only found in urban sprawl, however, with about 445,500 students expected to attend public and private schools this year, up 3.9 per cent on last year.

The state government late last year announced eight Perth public schools would be built and run as part of a public private partnership.

Last month, it announced three shortlisted consortia have been asked to provide costings for the project, one of which will be responsible for the construction and maintenance over a 25-year period of the eight schools.

The shortlisted companies include: a consortium comprising Decmil Group, Programmed Maintenance Services and Cockram Construction; a partnership between Macquarie Capital, Badge, Perkins Builders and Spotless Facilities Services; and a consortium consisting of Pindan, Compass Group and Plenary Origination.