A CEREMONAL sod-turning event marked the official start of construction for Yanchep’s third primary school a year ahead of its opening.
The $17 million school at 35 Sunningdale Road is due to open in 2021 to meet demand of a growing population and accommodate up to 430 students from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery and Butler MLA John Quigley visited the site on January 23 to turn the first sods, with the project expected to create about 300 jobs with WA company EMCO Building awarded the construction contract.
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READ NOW“This is an exciting moment for the Yanchep community and families who will benefit from the new Sunningdale primary school,” Ms Ellery said.
“We are building another state-of-the-art school to provide children with a high-quality education and set them up for successful lives.
“The school’s construction and the employment of teachers and staff creates a range of job opportunities, including for local businesses.”
Mr Quigley said he was proud to deliver the “much-needed local school” which would give children in the area a shorter journey to school.
“Parents in the St Andrews and Yanchep Golf estates have been crying out for closer schooling options for years,” he said.
The suburb’s oldest school, renamed Yanchep Lagoon Primary and undergoing redevelopment, had about 340 students in 2019, while Yanchep Beach Primary had about 730.
Last October, the Metro North-West Development Assessment Panel approved plans for the Sunningdale school, which will include an early childhood teaching block and three general classroom blocks, including a specialised art and craft room.
It will also have a covered assembly area with a canteen and music room, a library resource centre, staff room, conference room and administration building.
Last month, the State Government also announced plans to open a third primary school in Alkimos in 2022, in Shorehaven estate, with student numbers at about 550 at Alkimos Primary and 520 at Alkimos Beach Primary last year.
That suburb’s first high school, Alkimos College, will welcome its foundation cohort of students this February.
Grandis Primary School in Banksia Grove is also set to open to Years 1 to 6 next month, having started with more than 100 Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students in 2019.