State Schools of Tomorrow Update - Eastern Ipswich Project - February 2009

State Schools of Tomorrow Update - Eastern Ipswich Project - February 2009

Work Starts on Eastern Ipswich School Projects

After over a year of consultation and planning, works are well under way to deliver the most exciting educational facilities upgrade in the history of the Ipswich area.

$134.1 million will be invested through the State Schools of Tomorrow initiative to modernise Bundamba, Riverview and Silkstone state schools and Bundamba State Secondary College as well as building a brand new relocated Bremer State High School on a site adjacent to the University of Queensland Ipswich campus.

Students, teachers and parents at Bundamba State School will see that there has been major demolition work and the new junior precinct with four new classrooms is operational, with the new covered area and amenities block under construction.

At Silkstone State School, the historic administration building has been completely remodelled internally providing greatly improved offices, meeting rooms and staff rooms to meet the needs of a modern school. This has been achieved while enhancing the heritage character of this important Ipswich building. Construction of two new classroom blocks and two new amenities blocks will commence shortly.

At Bundamba State Secondary College, the new music centre is complete with two new classrooms and its various practice rooms and other specialist facilities. A new student services centre has been established on the lower level of the administration block to provide better access to services for students and families as well as a new staff room.

The projects will provide 21^st century teaching and learning environments for Ipswich families along with a number of extra facilities which arose from the community consultation process. These include the 'Learning for Life ' centres at each primary school and cluster facilities for all to share like the new leadership centre at Bundamba State Secondary College and the new inter-agency support centre at Bundamba State School.

The State Schools of Tomorrow initiative differs from other renewal programs in providing upgrades across whole school sites to bring them as close as possible to the standards in our new schools. This includes classrooms, technology, entries, landscaping, and most other facilities, improved disability access and environmental sustainability. Some highlights include:

Silkstone State School - two new blocks of eight classrooms, major refurbishment of administration, new amenities, library extension.
Silkstone State School concept plan (new window) 154k

Bundamba State School - four new PREP classrooms as part of a new junior precinct with new amenities, new covered area, new eight classroom block, new administration block, cluster inter-agency centre.
Bundamba State School concept plan (new window) 440k

Riverview State School - major extension and refurbishment of administration and library, new covered area, new outdoor learning areas, redefined junior precinct with covered area and playground.
Riverview State School concept plan (new window) 156k

Bundamba State Secondary College - new state-of the-art performing arts complex, new music centre, new cluster leadership centre, new student services centre, upgrades to vocational education and specialist facilities.
Bundamba State Secondary College concept plan (new window) 643k

Bremer State High School - a completely new Bremer High is to be constructed, relocated to a new site adjacent to the University of Queensland Ipswich Campus. This will incorporate the latest school design features and will offer exciting educational opportunities for close links with the university as well as providing Ipswich with a better distribution of state secondary schools. This new facility is due to open at the start of the 2011 school year.

All schools will continue to operate normally through to the end of the construction phase and great care will be taken to minimise the impact of the work on students and families. The renewals are planned for completion for the start of the 2010 school year.

Blackstone and Dinmore state schools are scheduled to close at the end of 2009. Where parents are required to change primary schools because of a school closure, a uniform allowance of $285 is payable. Contact your school office or the State Schools of Tomorrow team if you have questions about this. Both schools will continue to operate and be funded normally until their closure.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the State Schools of Tomorrow team on 32370008 or your school principal. For more information please visit the State Schools of Tomorrow website: http://education.qld.gov.au/tomorrows-schools/schools-of-tomorrow.html

^ Top of page