I’m very excited to present the Hillary Primary School Redevelopment plan and a general overview of the project. More updates will be provided as further information comes to hand.
The redevelopment budget has been increased from 16.7 million to 18.7 million with a permanent enrolment capacity of around 592 students. This is great news!
The redevelopment project will take just over two years to complete and its construction will be completed in stages. Site works may start as early as September this year, with all buildings completed by January 2024.
Site characteristics have been significant factors in the school design. The most prominent factors have been the connection to utilities and services and the many level changes across the site.
The Assembly Area and the Pre-primary buildings will stay. A new purpose-built 2 classroom kindergarten centre will join this hub. Three new teaching and learning hubs will be constructed across the school site – with one building being two-storey. I’m so excited!!!! Lots of open areas, with trees, grass, gardens and wide curved pathways will connect the learning hubs.
Our classes will occupy the current buildings for as long as possible, ‘migrating’ into the new buildings as they are completed. Some additional demountable classrooms will be required during the construction phase of the project.
An amazing library resource centre will be a central feature of the new school, surrounded by professionally designed landscaping, encompassing outdoor learning areas strategically linked to our school vision and programs.
A new administration building will make a huge impression, sporting the latest design features, facilities and an electronic school sign. Yippee! The Administration block will provide additional offices and rooms for staff, students and our support services.
The school will receive new furniture throughout, reverse cycle air-conditioning, solar panels and a digital services or connectivity upgrade.
There will be 15 new parking bays which will help reduce some of the traffic congestion in the early years. Our school will be made secure and fully fenced. This ensures we no longer have the ongoing issues of vandalism to our buildings, playgrounds, sandpits and gardens, or harm to our chickens. It will provide a cleaner and safer environment for students and staff by minimising the possibility of intruders using the school as a thoroughfare and the ongoing issue of antisocial behaviour, both afterschool and on weekends.
Some changes to our day to day operations will be inevitable; however, they will be minimised as much as possible and they will not impact the quality of teaching and learning at Hillarys PS.
This is a very exciting time for us all and a time to celebrate as we watch the new school grow. Teachers will be teachers during throughout the journey, doing their best to integrate the construction process into the day to day teaching and learning programs.
A section on our school website will be allocated to keeping parents and interested community members up-to-date with the project’s progress. This will of course include lots of photos.
Bring it on, Hillarys has waited a long time for this! Enjoy the process everyone!
