Families in Sydney's south-west can look forward to sending their children to a new local high school in Edmondson Park, as the Minns Labor Government gets on with the job of delivering vital school infrastructure for Sydney's growing suburbs neglected under the former government.
The future school will be located next to Edmondson Park Public School on Buchan Avenue, which opened to students at the start of the year while further facilities have now been completed for students to enjoy from the first day of Term 3.
The new high school will be a traditional school build, with a facility accommodating up to 800 students on track for completion in this term of government. The 3-hectare site has been master-planned to accommodate up to 2000 students in the future, subject to future enrolment demand in the area.
The Edmondson Park community has been calling for a traditional high school to be built on the land already owned by the NSW government - rather than a high-rise mixed-use facility in the town centre, as considered by the former NSW Liberal National Government last year.
The developer-led proposal, which the former government looked at 4 years after telling the community it would begin planning the high school on government land, was found not to be value for money.
The project is another example of the former government's failure to plan and deliver school infrastructure to communities in Sydney's growth areas.
The Minns Labor Government has listened to the community and is focussed on ensuring local kids have the schools they need.
The delivery of the high school will mean children in the area can attend school locally from preschool to year 12, after the completion of Edmondson Park Public School, which now includes a preschool due to open later this month.
Located on the corner of Buchan Avenue and Faulkner Way, the primary school can accommodate up to 1000 kindergarten to Year 6 students and provides before and after school care.
Another 16 learning spaces, outdoor game courts, and a car park have been built since the school opened earlier this year, and landscaping works have also been completed. These new facilities will be open for use this week.
Premier Chris Minns said:
"I'm really pleased to announce plans have begun to build a local high school here on government land in Edmondson Park, right next door to the new primary school.
"This has been a long community campaign. I've spoken to many parents who have moved into these growing areas, frustrated at not having local schools to send their kids too.
"My dad was a school teacher. I know how important strong public education is. But it starts with having enough schools to cater for students in growing areas."
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
"We want children in Sydney's south-west to have every opportunity to achieve success, and that starts with having access to the best education.
"Every student should have the right to attend a school in their local area, and this community waited too long under the former government for that to become a reality.
"It is wonderful to see the public school now complete. It is a great environment for students and teachers alike to unlock their full potential.
"I now look forward to seeing work get under way as soon as possible on the new high school, so that once students graduate from primary school, they won't have to look far to start their secondary education."
Member for Macquarie Fields Anoulack Chanthivong said:
"It's fantastic to see the public school complete after a long community campaign, and I can't wait to see what students and teachers can achieve with their new facilities.
"The community has been desperately awaiting news of a local public high school and I welcome today's announcement that it will be built next to the primary school on government land.
"We will now look ahead to the start of construction on the new high school, and I look forward to sharing further updates with you soon."
Edmondson Park Public School Principal Heather Alé said:
"It is so pleasing to see the finished product here at the Edmondson Park Public School, and I know these upgrades will greatly benefit the community for years to come."
