Call for new indie schools

INDEPENDENT Schools say a major spending spree – partly funded by the Queensland Government – will be needed to keep pace with an expected boom in student numbers during the next 20 years.

New classrooms and megacampuses costing at least $1.2 billion will be needed to keep up with demand for places, according to a report to be released today by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ).

The report notes that by 2036, an extra 263,000 schoolaged children will be living in Queensland and ISQ has called on the State Government to put up an extra $20 million each year to help build new private schools to cope with the demand.

Driven by parental demand for independent schools and population growth around the Gold Coast and Ipswich, ISQ said at least 825 more classrooms would be needed at existing private schools to cater for about 46,600 students.

At least 21 new mega schools offering places from Prep to Year 12, and costing about $38 million each, will also have to built if the trend for independent education continues.

ISQ executive director David Robertson said about 15 per cent of students attended an independent school.