DELAYS in opening a Yarraville high school will create increasingly serious flow-on effects across the inner west, parents warn.
Children helped the SKY High Working Group build its own “pop-up high school” in front of the Sun Theatre on Friday to make their point about the need for a school in the Seddon, Kingsville, Yarraville (SKY) community.
SKY High spokeswoman Susan Douglass said high school enrolments in the area were likely to exceed capacity in 2014, two years earlier than expected.
“The strong birthrates, population growth and building development have resulted in most of our schools being at capacity already.”
Maribyrnong’s population is expected to grow by 44per cent by 2031, but many students in the SKY area live outside the zones for existing high schools.
Primary schools in the area reached a record 2000 students this year, and last year’s grade6 pupils went to 28 high schools.
“This is further evidence of the urgent need for the reopening of Footscray Yarraville high school,” Ms Douglass said.
Parent and Sky High member Janine Lloyd said revised projections due shortly were on track to show more than 1100 students in a Yarraville school zone – the ‘magic number’ that could trigger the process of opening a new high school.
“We are hoping that something can happen in the next two years.”
Ms Lloyd said the proposal had the full support of residents and traders.
The group on Friday met Footscray MP Marsha Thomson and opposition education spokesman James Merlino.
Ms Thomson said parents were getting nervous about what would happen when existing schools hit capacity. “Enough work has been done, but the minister has been delaying making a decision on the issue.”
Mr Merlino said the government had slashed capital investment in schools from $469million to $208million in its first year and to $200million this year.
The Education Department is working with Sky High to update its official provision document for the area, due for release in mid-July.
-Benjamin Millar
