Stretton State College set to be ‘2020 Ready’

Stretton State College students are set to benefit from the Palaszczuk Government’s $250 million Budget commitmentto buildadditional classrooms to support a new era in Queensland’s education from 2020. 

Member for Stretton, Duncan Pegg, said the ‘2020 Ready’ funding boost would support the school 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 Stretton State College students with a world-class education,” Mr Pegg 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 schoolsacrossQueensland can accommodate the additional students expected in our high schools in 2020 and into the future. 

At Stretton State College, $8 million will be spent on a new two storey performing arts centre complete with two dance studios, two drama studios, two music studios and extra classroom spaces,” Mr Pegg said.  

Education Minister Grace 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,” Ms Grace 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 ofpreppieswere 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 wasalso supported with significant infrastructure investment. 

“However, our smaller ‘half cohort’ has been in high school since2015 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.” 

Media contact: Emma Clarey 0439 578 472