Sunshine Coast schools set to be ‘2020 Ready’

Students on the Sunshine Coast are set to benefit from the Palaszczuk Government’s $250 million budget commitment to build additional classrooms with more than $56 million to be spent on the Sunshine Coast alone to support a new era in Queensland’s education from 2020.

Education Minister Grace Grace said the ‘2020 Ready’ funding boost would support high schools on the Sunshine Coast to accommodate the first full complement of secondary students in Years 7 to 12.

“The Palaszczuk Government is proud to be delivering the infrastructure needed to provide Sunshine Coast students with a world-class education,” Ms Grace said.

“In 2020, for the very first time in Queensland’s history, our high schools will have a full complement of students across all six year levels.

“Our Government’s $250 million boost will ensure schools on the Sunshine Coast can accommodate the additional students expected in our high schools in 2020 and into the future.

“At Mountain Creek State High, a massive $20.2 million will be spent on a new three storey secondary learning centre which includes extra classrooms three STEM learning spaces, three science labs and two robotics labs.

“Chancellor State College will see $12.7 million spent on extra classrooms, while Coolum High will also see additional classrooms built totalling $5.7 million.

“It’s also great to see Kawana Waters State College receiving $3.4 million for a new classroom building.

“These are just come of the Sunshine Coast schools receiving millions of dollars for new buildings, classrooms and significant refurbishments to support their students.”

Minister Grace said the Palaszczuk Government’s $250 million infrastructure investment would support an anticipated 17,000 additional students across the state.

“This funding is a major boost and it will mean more than $470 million has been invested by this Government over the period 2017-18 to 2019-20 to increase the capacity of our state secondary schools,” she said.

“This infrastructure program is about making sure we are ‘2020 Ready’.

“The ‘2020 Ready’ program signals the next phase of Queensland’s major education reforms, which started more than a decade ago.

“In 2007, the State Labor Government gave Queensland children a flying start with the introduction of prep, which we supported with additional, specialist classrooms for preppies.

“As you may remember, Queensland’s first intake of preppies were those whose birthdays were in the first half of the calendar year – meaning theirs has always been a much smaller cohort of students, known as the ‘half cohort’.

“Our next educational reform came in 2015, when we moved Year 7 into high school and established six years of secondary education, which was also supported with significant infrastructure investment.

“However, our smaller ‘half cohort’ has been in high school since 2015 too – meaning we have never had the full complement of students across all six year levels in our secondary schools.”

Ms Grace said, until now and through to 2020, our high schools had been cushioned against the impact of having six full year levels of students.

“With the original Prep students set to graduate from high school at the end of 2019, we will have – for the very first time – six full year levels of students in Queensland secondary schools from 2020,” she said.

“This new $250 million investment for additional classrooms will prepare those schools identified as requiring additional capacity for the additional students expected in 2020.”

SUNSHINE COAST ‘2020 READY’ PROJECTS IN 2018-19 – 2019-20

-       Sunshine Beach State High $5.9 million for new classroom building

-       Chancellor State College $12.7 million for new classroom building

-       Coolum State High $5.7 million for new classroom building

-       Kawana Waters State College $3.4 million for new classroom building

-       Maroochydore State High $4 million for new classroom building

-       Meridan State College $4.5 million for new classroom building

-       Mountain Creek State High $20.2 million for new classroom building

Media contact: Emma Clarey – 0439 578 472