School rolls tripling as city booms
SOME Gold Coast schools have tripled in size in the past five years and the number of teachers is expected to grow by 3700 teachers to match the demand.
As one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, schools in the Gold Coast’s north are stretching to meet capacity as the city population climbs to 698,404 by 2026.
Population at the fastest expanding school in the region, Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School, increased 357 per cent or 410 students in five years.
It was followed by Coomera Rivers State School (up 158 per cent) and Pimpama State School (88.5 per cent).
In the past year alone, Pimpama State Primary School and Pimpama State Secondary College increased 75.28 per cent and 28.50 per cent respectively.
Coomera Rivers State School had 19.41 per cent more students.
Ten new state primary and secondary schools have been built in the fast-growing Gold Coast area in as many years, representing an investment of over $310 million.
The $34.5 million Picnic Creek State School in Coomera East opened this year, to help meet the needs of the area and planning for a new secondary school at Coomera is also underway.
The Queensland Department of Education expects the teaching workforce in the state to grow by 3700 teachers over the next four years.
Grattan Institute School Education Program Director Peter Goss said increasing student population and new schools on the Gold Coast would be the new norm, with 20-30 schools estimated for the next decade.
“Australia as a whole is growing,” Dr Goss said. “That means more kids, partly driven by a mini baby boom in 2006.
“That cohort is about to hit secondary school and with high levels of internal and external migration. What we end up with is fast growth overall.
“The Gold Coast is a big area and an aggregate of government figures suggests from 2016-2026, it can expect about 25,000 new students, an increase of 27 per cent.”
Dr Goss said there was evidence to suggest overcrowded schools were more stressful for students as they had higher noise levels and less space.
“Adding more teachers is the easiest thing to do. The infrastructure needs to be managed in time with the growth.”
Dr Goss estimated the Gold Coast would have 20-30 new schools built in the next decade, two thirds of which would be primary.
“Building schools should be seen as the new normal.
“Primary schools are the beating heart of most new communities as parents get to know each other through primary schools, so the schools of the next decade will be very important in any establishing community hub.”
Parents of students in the Coomera area say they were not surprised to hear schools in the booming northern suburbs had growing enrolments.
Liz McIntosh, the mother of a Coomera primary student, said the area needed more schools, and fast.
“High schools more than primary schools need to be set up, especially this end of the Coast,” Mrs McIntosh said.
Mother of two, Jodie Adams, said she was happy with the current number of school being developed in the area.
“I’m happy they are actually starting to think about the growth, the population and also the children,” Mrs Adam said.
HOW MUCH HAS YOUR SCHOOL GROWN? SEE GOLDCOAST BULLETIN.COM.AU
A MULTIMILLIONDOLLAR tech space is helping Gold Coast students prepare the future market.
Coomera Anglican College launched their Australian-first $4.5 million learning centre, the Pod, this month.
Honing in on augmented reality technology, 3D printing and robotics, the future-focused learning centre allows students to become accustomed to digital skills that are already in the workplace.
School business manager David Dobbie, who oversaw the project, said the centre was developed to meet future employment needs.
“This is about bridging the gap between the start of school and when the students move into their careers,” Mr Dobbie said.
“Classes being held in the facility are ones that wouldn’t easily be replicated in the classroom. It is a bold step and a one-of-a-kind space, but it is a building meant to