Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton, Currambine Primary School principal Geoff Smith, Burns Beach MLA Mark Folkard and school board president Mike Bush.
Camera IconJoondalup MLA Emily Hamilton, Currambine Primary School principal Geoff Smith, Burns Beach MLA Mark Folkard and school board president Mike Bush. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Currambine Primary School gets fence to combat vandalism

Lucy JarvisJoondalup Times

A FENCE around Currambine Primary School would improve safety for staff and students, politicians say.

The school has received $200,000 from the State Government to build a perimeter fence after vandalism in February 2017 highlighted a need for more security.

Principal Geoff Smith said the school appreciated the commitment to build the fence, with construction due to start at the end of term four and be finished when the 2019 school year starts.

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“The fence will support the safety and security of our students along with minimising the risk of vandalism to the school buildings and facilities,” he said.

Burns Beach MLA Mark Folkard said he was “heartbroken” when he heard about the vandalism last year and he believed incidents like that would decrease when the fence was built.

“As a former police officer, I know the huge difference that physical barriers have on anti-social behaviour,” he said.

Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton said the fence would “provide a safe environment for students and the wider school community to live and play safely”.

“I hope that with the construction of the perimeter fencing, we see a reduction in the instances of anti-social behaviour and vandalism on school grounds,” she said.

School board president Mike Bush said the school community was pleased with the aesthetics and practical aspect of the fence.

“The biggest benefit is to our students who have already been impacted previously by vandalism and other societal influences,” he said.

“Whilst we agree that this will not fix it 100 per cent, we welcome the reduction in ongoing expenditure to the school to repair and replace structures and equipment.”

Mr Bush said those savings could be spent on resources to benefit children’s education.

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