Victorian School Building Authority
The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) is a division of the Victorian Department of Education which is responsible for the construction of new government schools and infrastructure improvements at existing schools.[2] It was established by the Andrews Government as part of the 2016 Victorian Budget.[3]
| Company type | Government agency |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 2016 |
| Headquarters | 33 St Andrews Place, , |
Key people | Tom Kirkland (CEO)[1] |
| Parent | Department of Education (Victoria) |
| Website | www |
Between 2017 and 2023 the Authority opened 82 new primary and secondary schools in the state and plans to open an additional 20 by 2025.[2]
A number of the VSBA's new schools are so-called "vertical schools" on inner-city sites, a new concept in Victoria.[4]
History edit
During the 2014 Victorian state election, then Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews promised $1.3 billion for new schools and school upgrades.[5] The School Building Authority was established as part of the 2016 state budget as part of a $1.1 billion school infrastructure package.[6] This included $42 million to build and reopen Richmond High School, 22 years after the school was controversially closed by the government of Jeff Kennett.[6][7] This came after research published by the Grattan Institute that found, due to the state's rapid population growth, Victorian schools would need to absorb an extra 190,000 students in the decade from 2016, requiring 7,200 new teachers and 140 to 220 new schools to be built.[8] In 2017, Education Minister James Merlino said the state needed to absorb an additional 90,000 students over the next five years.[9]
The removal of trees for the construction of Beaumaris Secondary College caused controversy in 2016.[10]
In the lead-up to the 2018 state election, Andrews announced the Authority would build 100 new schools over the next eight years in order to meet Melbourne's population growth, with 45 schools to be built over the next term of government.[11][12] The schools would mainly be built in the city's growing outer suburbs at an additional cost of $850 million.[11]
In July 2022, the state government released tenders for eleven new schools.[13] In October 2022 during the 2022 state election, Andrews announced funding for a further 25 new state schools would be built in Victoria by 2026, with 90 schools upgraded or expanded, at a cost of $1.6 billion.[14] This was to meet the government's commitment to build 100 new schools by 2026.[14]
Architecture edit
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The scale of the school infrastructure program led the VSBA in 2017 to seek architects for its new schools, and for new permanent, modular classrooms for existing schools.[15][16] A number of these classrooms were to replace existing buildings that contained asbestos.[16] The Authority was tasked with replacing 100 of these buildings with prefabricated classrooms.[16]
At certain inner-city locations, space was constrained, and the authority embarked on building "vertical school" campuses, a first for Melbourne.[9] Richmond High School became the state's first vertical high school while South Melbourne Primary School was heralded as the state's first vertical primary school.[9] Designed by Hayball, the 525 student South Melbourne Primary opened in 2018, serving the nearby rapidly growing inner-city areas of Southbank and Fisherman's Bend.[17] The six-story campus sat on a half-acre site on Ferrars Street, adjacent to a new park built on land purchased by the state government and the City of Port Philip in 2017.[18] The primary school would have no formal classrooms and instead would feature a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces and a central staircase for circulation, with the architect saying it represented a new approach to density for Melbourne.[19] The project was named Future Project of the Year at the 2016 World Architecture Festival in Berlin.[20]
Other inner-city schools like Prahran High School, which opened in 2019, were built as vertical schools.[21] The 650-student school is four storeys tall and is designed by Gray Puksand.[21][22] COX Architecture and McGregor Coxall designed the three-story campus for Docklands Primary School in the CBD-adjacent Docklands precinct.[23]
Childcare centres edit
In 2022, the Andrews Government announced that the VSBA would build 50 childcare centres across Victoria.[24][25] Part of a major $9 billion expansion of state provision of childcare, the first four centres were planned to open by 2025 and are being colocated with existing primary or secondary schools.[26][27]
List of new VSBA schools edit
| School[28] | Suburb or town | Years | Status | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aintree Primary School | Aintree | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Aitken Hill Primary School | Craigieburn | P–6 | Finished | 2019 |
| Armstrong Creek School | Armstrong Creek | P–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Ashley Park Primary School | Doreen | P–6 | Finished | 2019 |
| Bannockburn P–12 College | Bannockburn | P–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Banum Warrik Primary School | Kalkallo | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Barrawang Primary School | Wollert West | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Barton Primary School | Cranbourne West | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Bass Coast College – San Remo Campus | San Remo | 7–9 | Finished | 2022 |
| Beaumaris Secondary College | Beaumaris | 7–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Bemin Secondary College | Truganina | 7–12 | Finished | 2024 |
| Beveridge Primary School – New Campus | Beveridge | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Binap Primary School | Brookfield | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Botanic Ridge Primary School | Botanic Ridge | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Bridgewood Primary School | Officer | P–6 | Finished | 2018 |
| Brinbeal Secondary College | Tarneit | 7–12 | Finished | 2024 |
| Burnside Primary School | Burnside | P–6 | Finished | 2019 |
| Casey Central Primary School (interim name) | Cobblebank | P–6 | Planning | Undetermined |
| Casey Fields Primary School | Cranbourne East | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Clyde Creek Primary School | Clyde | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Clyde North Primary School (interim name) | Clyde North | P–6 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Clyde North Secondary School (interim name) | Clyde North | 7–12 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Clyde Secondary College | Clyde | 7–12 | Finished | 2022 |
| Cobblebank Secondary School (interim name) | Cobblebank | 7–12 | Planning | Undetermined |
| Cranbourne West Secondary College | Cranbourne West | 7–12 | Finished | 2021 |
| Davis Creek Primary School | Tarneit | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Deanside Primary School | Deanside | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Dharra School | Aintree | Finished | 2024 | |
| Docklands Primary School | Docklands | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Dohertys Creek P–9 College | Truganina | P–9 | Finished | 2019 |
| Donnybrook Primary School | Donnybrook | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Edenbrook Secondary College | Pakenham | 7–12 | Finished | 2021 |
| Edgars Creek Primary School | Wollert | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Edgars Creek Secondary College | Wollert | 7–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Elevation Secondary College | Craigieburn | 7–12 | Finished | 2020 |
| Endeavour Hills Specialist School | Endeavour Hills | Finished | 2022 | |
| Eynesbury Primary School | Eynesbury | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Featherbrook P–9 College | Point Cook | P–9 | Finished | 2017 |
| Fishermens Bend Primary School (interim name) | Port Melbourne | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Footscray High School – New Junior Campus | Footscray | 7–9 | Finished | 2021 |
| Gaayip–Yagila Primary School | Mickleham | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Garrang Wilam Primary School | Truganina | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Gilgai Plains Primary School | Kalkallo | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Grayling Primary School | Clyde North | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Greater Shepperton Secondary College | Shepperton | 7–12 | Finished | 2022 |
| Greenvale Secondary College | Greenvale | 7–12 | Finished | 2022 |
| Hamlyn Views School | Hamlyn Heights | Finished | 2018 | |
| Harvest Home Primary School | Epping | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Homestead Senior Secondary College | Point Cook | 10–12 | Finished | 2020 |
| Horseshoe Bend Primary School (interim name) | Charlemont | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| John Henry Primary School | Pakenham | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Karwan Primary School | Tarneit | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Keelonith Primary School | Greenvale | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Keysborough Gardens Primary School | Keysborough | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Kurmile Primary School | Officer | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Kurrun Primary School | Officer | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Laa Yulta Primary School | Mambourin | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Leneva (Frederic Street Road) Primary School (interim name) | Wondonga East | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Lockerbie Secondary School (interim name) | Kalkallo | 7–12 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Lockerbie Specialist School (interim name) | Kalkallo | Planning | Undetermined | |
| Lollypop Creek Primary School | Werribee | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Lucas Primary School | Lucas | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| McKinnon Secondary College – East Campus | McKinnon | 7–12 | Finished | 2022 |
| Mernda Central P–12 College | Mernda | P–12 | Finished | 2017 |
| Mernda Park Primary School | Mernda | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Mickleham Secondary College | Mickleham | 7–12 | Finished | 2023 |
| Mirripoa Primary School | Duneed | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Monash Children's Hospital School | Clayton | Finished | 2017 | |
| Morwell Central Primary School | Morwell | P–6 | Finished | 2018 |
| Nearnung Primary School | Tarneit | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Newbury Primary School | Craigieburn | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Nganboo Borron School | Werribee | Finished | 2024 | |
| Ngarri Primary School | Manor Lakes | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| North Melbourne Primary School – New Campus | North Melbourne | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Orchard Park Primary School | Officer | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Oberon High School | Armstong Creek | 7–12 | Finished | 2021 |
| Pakenham Primary School | Pakenham | P–6 | Finished | 2019 |
| Pakenham North West Primary School (interim name) | Pakenham | P–6 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Point Cook South P–9 (interim name) | Point Cook | P–9 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Point Cook South Specialist School (interim name) | Point Cook | Planning | Undetermined | |
| Port Melbourne Secondary College | Port Melbourne | 7–12 | Finished | 2022 |
| Prahran High School | Windsor | 7–12 | Finished | 2019 |
| Preston High School | Preston | 7–12 | Finished | 2019 |
| Quarters Primary School | Cranbourne West | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Ramlegh Park Primary School | Clyde North | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Richmond High School | Richmond | 7–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Riverbend Primary School | Wyndham Vale | P–6 | Finished | 2021 |
| Riverdale North Primary School (interim name) | Tarneit | P–6 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Riverwalk Primary School | Werribee | P–6 | Finished | 2020 |
| Saltwater P–9 College | Point Cook | P–9 | Finished | 2019 |
| South Melbourne Park Primary School | South Albert Park | P–6 | Finished | 2019 |
| South Melbourne Primary School | Southbank | P–6 | Finished | 2018 |
| Springside West Secondary College | Fraser Rise | 7–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Strathtulloh Primary School | Strathtulloh | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Tarneit Plains Primary School (interim name) | Truganina | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Tarneit Rise Primary School | Tarneit | P–6 | Finished | 2018 |
| Tarneit Senior College | Tarneit | 10–12 | Finished | 2018 |
| Thompsons West Primary School (interim name) | Clyde North | P–6 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Thornhill Park Primary School | Thornhill Park | P–6 | Finished | 2023 |
| Toolern Waters Primary School (interim name) | Weir Views | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Topirum Primary School | Clyde North | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Torquay Coast Primary School | Torquay | P–6 | Finished | 2018 |
| Tulliallan Primary School | Cranbourne North | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College | Werribee | 7–12 | Finished | 2024 |
| Wallan East Primary School (interim name) | Wallan | P–6 | Planning | 2026 (planned) |
| Wangaratta District Specialist School – New Benalla Campus | Clyde North | Under construction | 2024 (planned) | |
| Warreen Primary School | Truganina | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Wayi School | Craigieburn | Finished | 2023 | |
| Wilandra Rise Primary School | Clyde North | P–6 | Finished | 2017 |
| Willowbank Primary School | Gisborne | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Wimba Primary School | Tarneit | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
| Wollert Primary School | Wollert | P–6 | Finished | 2022 |
| Wollert Andrews Road Primary School (interim name) | Wollert | P–6 | Planning | Undetermined |
| Wollert Central Primary School (interim name) | Wollert | P–6 | Planning | 2025 (planned) |
| Wollert Secondary College | Wollert East | 7–12 | Finished | 2023 |
| Yarrabing Secondary School | Aintree | 7–12 | Finished | 2024 |
| Yubup Primary School | Mickleham | P–6 | Finished | 2024 |
References edit
- ^ "Victorian Government Directory".
- ^ a b "About us". Victorian School Building Authority. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Stephanie (8 August 2016). "Sod turned on Melbourne's first 'vertical' public school". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ Cook, Henrietta (3 March 2017). "Going high on High Street, Prahran with $25m vertical school to hit the heights". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ Alcorn, Gay (26 October 2014). "Victorian election: Labor promises $1.3bn in education funding". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ a b Willingham, Richard (26 April 2016). "Victorian state budget 2016: Labor pledges $1.1 billion education spending blitz". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Cook, Jewel Topsfield and Henrietta (4 August 2014). "Labor promises new high school for Richmond". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Cook, Henrietta (17 January 2016). "Schools shortage crisis hits Victoria". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Cook, Henrietta (21 February 2017). "Richmond's $43m, really high school gets off the ground, aims to be open by 2018". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Spooner, Rania (22 October 2016). "Fight to save hundreds of trees at future Beaumaris Secondary College site". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ a b Cook, Adam Carey, Henrietta (7 November 2018). "Labor promises 100 new schools in $850m election pledge". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Johnston, Matthew (7 November 2018). "Labor pledges 100 new schools for Victoria". Herald Sun.
- ^ Nicholson, Ralph (21 July 2022). "Next Step Taken in $1.8bn Schools Infrastructure Plan". The Urban Developer. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ a b Carey, Adam (24 October 2022). "Labor makes $1.6b pledge to build and upgrade schools across the state". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ ArchitectureAU, Editorial (30 March 2017). "Victorian government to court architects for school building boom". Architecture Australia.
- ^ a b c Editorial, ArchitectureAU (1 May 2018). "Architects invited to join Victoria's prefab schools blitz". Architecture Australia.
- ^ Hunn, Patrick (6 March 2018). "Victoria's first vertical school rings in the academic year". Architecture Australia.
- ^ Bend, Fishermans (10 August 2018). "Work begins on new park for Fishermans Bend". Fishermans Bend. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "South Melbourne Primary School will feature no formal classrooms says architect Ann Lau". Dezeen. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ ArchitectureAU, Editorial (22 November 2016). "Australian project tops the world at WAF". Architecture Australia.
- ^ a b Cheng, Linda (7 March 2017). "New Melbourne vertical school unveiled". Architecture Australia.
- ^ "Prahran High School | Victorian School Building Authority". www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Sier, Kirsty (22 November 2017). ""Nourishing, balanced and sustainable": Masterplan revealed for Docklands Primary School". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Smethurst, Annika (15 June 2022). "Kindergarten to get a $9b overhaul, with more places and longer hours". The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Lucas, Freya (20 November 2022). "Vic Government to build 50 low-cost ECEC services if re-elected: locations announced". The Sector. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "50 childcare centres for Victoria | Victorian School Building Authority". www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "We'll open 50 new childcare centres". Dan Andrews. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Projects in my area | Victorian School Building Authority". www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 25 March 2023.