Upgrades will increase Gillieston Public School’s enrolment capacity by more than 650 students. Image: NSW Government.
The NSW Government is continuing to build infrastructure for state schools in the regions, with Gillieston Public scheduled for redevelopment.
Additions to the Hunter region school will expand its capacity to accommodate more students and will include a new co-located preschool.
All 24 demountables at the school will be replaced with 32 classrooms and three support classrooms, which the government says will be ready for the first day of teaching in 2027. The school currently has a permanent capacity of just two classrooms. The upgrade will increase the enrolment capacity by more than 650 students.
The government’s 2024 Enrolment Growth Audit identified Gillieston as an area of importance due to rising local school registrations.
“I have worked side by side with the families of Gillieston Heights to deliver a school they can be proud of, which meets their needs to give local kids the best chance to thrive in a modern learning environment,” Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison said.
“The Gillieston Heights community has been growing extremely rapidly, and this upgrade will ensure the school keeps pace and delivers a legacy of supporting public education in Maitland by the Minns Labor Government.”
A huge surge in demand for education in the area has resulted in a majority of students being taught in demountables, some of which have been on the school’s grounds for up to 30 years. The government said the former Liberal government added eight more demountables in 2022.
New works at the school will not only add new classrooms, they will also add a public preschool to the site as well as a new administration building and library, a new hall with a canteen, outside-of-school-hours care facilities, a covered outdoor learning area, landscaped outdoor spaces, and upgraded sports facilities.
Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said: “This much-needed redevelopment is a major investment in the future of public education for families in Maitland and provides local students with the state-of-the-art facilities they deserve.
“This redevelopment demonstrates our commitment to continue delivering the vital school infrastructure that Hunter families need.”
The fee-free preschool is scheduled for completion on the same day as the classrooms and is set to accommodate up to 120 children a week. The major works are part of the Labor Government’s $769 million commitment to build 100 public preschools by 2027, the largest expansion of the public preschool system in the state’s history.
Regional NSW, in particular, is receiving a major funding boost as the 2024-25 Budget includes $2.1 billion for new and upgraded schools in non-metropolitan areas.
Projects in the Hunter region include:
- A new high school for Medowie
- A new primary and high school for Huntlee
- An upgrade for Hunter River High
- An upgrade for Newcastle High
- An upgrade for Thornton Public
- An already completed upgrade for Irrawang High.
The government is also touting the delivery of more teachers in schools, with a reduction in teacher vacancy rates by 61 per cent. Maitland alone has seen a 74 per cent fall in vacancy rates.
