The Australian Education Reporter
Construction starts at new school
CONSTRUCTION has begun to build a new state school in Caloundra South on the QLD Sunshine Coast, as part of a $118 million, three school development program to be delivered over the next two years.
On 20 January QLD Education minister Kate Jones turned first sod to mark the start of construction of the new state school in Caloundra South.
“The school in Caloundra South, along with a new school at Coomera on the Gold Coast will open from the start of the 2018 school year, while a new school at Yarrabilba will accept its first students in 2019,” Ms Jones said.
East coast construction company FKG Group was tapped for the primary school developments and would also be responsible for maintenance work at the schools for 10 years after opening.
“These new schools demonstrate our commitment to provide high quality educational facilities for Queensland children where they are needed most.”
“The State Government engaged in a rigorous and transparent tender process to select FKG Group to deliver the three schools under a single contract.
“Bundling the projects together like this has enabled us to achieve value for money savings across the three schools.
“The primary school at Caloundra South is being built in the new suburb of Aura, which will be one of the country’s largest master-planned communities.”
The developers, Stockland, plan a 20,000 lot subdivision which will become home to an expected population of 50,000 residents.
Stockland QLD general manager Kingsley Andrew said this was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a leading education facility that would nurture young minds and develop the talents and skills of the coast’s children.
“We thank the QLD government and the Sunshine Coast Council for their collaborative approach to this project, which will make a very positive and substantial contribution to the Aura community and the coast,” Mr Andrew said.
Ms Jones said the Caloundra South school would feature shared sporting facilities with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council to maximise community engagement.
“The school will have capacity to cater for up to 470 students when it opens, with enrolments expected to peak at 1100 as the school grows with the community,” she said.
“The school at Coomera will cater for up to 400 students on day one and peak at 1100 students within five to eight years of opening.
“The new suburb of Yarrabilba in Logan City is expected to evolve into a self-contained township with a population of up to 50,000 people.
“The Yarrabilba school will have the capacity to cater for up to 545 students when it opens and is expected to grow to approximately 1250 students over the next decade.”
The construction of each school will be phased over two stages and span a total of four years.