A new independent, co-educational school due to open in Williamstown next year plans to use Commonwealth Reserve as its playground.
Sandridge School has secured a 10-year lease at Customs House, in Nelson Place, and has started taking enrolments.
It will start as a primary school and aims to become prep-year 12, with campuses in the west and Port Melbourne.
Co-founder and deputy principal Sophie Fenton said the school would not pay to use the reserve as “we are all taxpayers and ratepayers”.
“Both Williamstown Primary and
St Mary’s use Robertson Reserve, a local public playground … a number of schools use public facilities,” she said.
“It’s about how you manage the public facilities with good security arrangements, good education and good supervision for your children.
“We’ll have the police come a couple of times a year and educate our children on how to deal with all kinds of public situations, not just around playing in the park but when they walk home from school and when they’re on public transport and so on.
“We have a memorandum of understanding with the council that allows us to utilise the park as a shared facility.”
Strand ward councillor Angela Altair said the council had a range of user agreements with various groups and organisations for use of public land.
“Public land is available for all members of the public to enjoy,” Cr Altair said.
“I’m pleased to see the school working with council to identify and understand any community impacts such a use may have on the area, and we’re keen to work with any other affected parties to ensure the benefits of the new school in Williamstown are realised.”
Education Department spokesman Simon Craig said registered schools had to demonstrate they had access to suitable facilities to deliver an appropriate curriculum for students, including a health and physical education program for years prep to 10. This may include the use of public facilities.
