WA Premier Mark McGowan put his bricklaying skills into action when he toured the site of the new Lakelands High School site on Friday morning.
The high school is expected to open to year sevens next year, and will progressively take in new students – up until year 12 – over the coming years.
“As we know, the northern area of Mandurah has very high population growth with lots of young families moving in, with children moving from primary school to high school,” he said.
“The ultimate expectation is that there will be 1500 students at this school. Initially it’s planned for 600 students and it will grow over time.”
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The community will also benefit from the facility – outside of education – as the school’s multiple ovals will be joint use and will be shared by the City of Mandurah and students when the school opens in 2019.
The City of Mandurah – who were also toured the work site on Friday – will also provide funding for additional facilities for community members which will complement the recreational areas.
“To me that’s a no-brainer; that’s what should happen at every school site,” Mr McGowan said.
“We’ve got all these great facilities at schools, making sure they are available to the community, and both the council and the State through the investment of those facilities, can provide the best of sporting facilities and obviously have much greater use of those facilities through community access.
“It’s exactly what this community needs and exactly the way these sorts of facilities should be constructed.”
The McGowan Government has contributed $2.5 million towards the shared facility, as well as $1.8 million from the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund.
“The new school will make a big difference – it will not only provide a first-class education for local secondary students but also an excellent community facility,” Mandurah Member David Templeman said.
“It was great to be able to visit today and see the progress that has been made; it will be a very exciting day when the first students come through the school gate.”
In addition to shared-use ovals, the secondary school in Lakelands will have facilities for students with disability including a hydrotherapy pool; a sports hall and fitness centre; a technology learning area; 10 science laboratories; performing arts classrooms; and digital media facilities.
The second stage of construction will include a lecture theatre, 26 additional classrooms, and three classrooms specifically for students with disability.