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Big day for education with the official opening of two new schools

Jill BurgessMandurah Coastal Times

IT was a big day in the education arena on Friday when two new schools officially opened in Meadow Springs and Lakelands.

Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery opened Oakwood Primary School and Coastal Lakes College.

More than 400 students are settling into brand new classrooms at Oakwood Primary School.

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The kindergarten and pre-primary facilities opened last year, extending to Year 6 this year to ease pressure on nearby Meadow Springs and Lakelands Primary Schools.

The $18.3 million facilities include 10 general classrooms, an art and craft room, activities area, canteen, music room, sports store, dental therapy room, covered assembly area and playing courts.

Coastal Lakes College, funded through the Public Private Partnership model, opened this year with more than 200 students in Years 7 and 8. Stage one of the build included all specialist facilities.

Students are learning in state-of-the-art classrooms including wood and metal workshops, a food and textile studio, music rooms, visual arts studio, performing arts theatre, library, media studio, lecture theatre and 10 science laboratories.

The college is already building a reputation as an inclusive school with a specialist education area with treatment and therapy rooms, life skills room and a hydrotherapy pool for students with disability.

Set to become a hub for the community, the college will offer a range of extracurricular activities making use of the modern physical education area including a sports hall, fitness centre, and tennis and basketball courts.

Stage two will expand the college with more general classrooms in 2021 to cater for 1450 students from Years 7 to 12, with specialist facilities for up to 85 students with disability.

Ms Ellery said Oakwood’s reputation for providing a balanced and high-quality early education had grown and there was a strong community focus.

She said the Lakelands community had been very involved in the planning stages for Coastal Lakes College, building relationships with community organisations and local government.